Airport Toilets

If you had asked me when I first got started in this thing (the blogosphere — a term I loath) what I would and would not write about, public toilets wouldn't have made either list because they are generally quite far from my general consciousness. Oh, I notice aspects of them from time to time, but almost always because they are either exceptionally grotesque or because they are exceptionally opulent (which, I suppose, is a form of grotesqueness in its own right).

Rarely, however, do I notice a new "why hasn't anyone ever thought of that before" kind of feature. But this week I came across what I consider to be one of those features and instantly knew I would be writing about it.

It is a ledge behind the toilet (or urinal) in a public bathroom. Why is this interesting? Because I need some place to put my umbrella / briefcase / drink / crack pipe — whatever I am carrying when I need to use the facilities.

I don't want to leave things on a "community" ledge like I find in some public restrooms. And why are those community ledges always near the door? Did the restroom thief lobby pay off the owner to make it easier to make their getaway? Or are they really poorly labeled baby changing stations?

Neither do I want to place things on the floor in the stall or even on the floor next to me when using a urinal. Both places are disgustingly filthy and anywhere beside or behind me at a urinal leaves my things rather exposed, so to speak. :-)

Aside #1: There's a topic for Dilbert™ or a TV comedy: a businessman is doing his business at the urinal with his computer bag on the floor beside him. A thief grabs the bag and runs, quickly followed by the businessman who fears the exposure of the data on his computer but forgets the other things which are now exposed.

Aside #2: Did you notice that the numbers on these tangential comments are not merely enumerative, but also punny in the bathroom context?

The solution is to have a ledge / shelf on the wall behind the toilet or urinal. In the toilet stall case the ledge should be relatively clean because it is (one hopes) safe from toilet overflows. It is also safe from people reaching under or over the door (to grab things from the floor or hook).

In the case of a ledge / shelf behind (over?) the urinal, again we are safe from overflow (and splash), and it will be harder for someone to reach over my shoulder to grab my things, thereby making them safer from theft.

I saw the toilet stall ledges in a restroom in the San Jose airport this week. They didn't have the urinal ledges. But I hope that both of these features become popular.