New York Toilet Map

by Abha Malpani on

When you gotta go, you gotta go — surely something artist Tommy Mintz had in mind when he created a toilet map for New York City, plotting 250 places to do your business in the city. Mintz was inspired to do this project as he suffers from ulcerative colitis, a long-term disease that causes frequent diarrhea.

The map is a laser printed, wallet-size fold-out that marks out well-known as well as obscure toilets across the city, assuring that you will never have to hunt for one in NYC again.

It is displayed at the Jewish Museum as part of their Off The Wall exhibition and can be bought for $2 on the Internet.

Not pocket-able, but another well known effort to do the same was that of New York Restrooms a couple of years ago.

[Via Gridskipper]

Danny Boy banned because it’s too depressing

by Jamie Rhein on

When we were in India we went to some Irish festival for St. Patrick’s Day. I remember the soda bread, the corned beef, the beer and my husband belting out “Danny Boy” to the band that provided the accompaniment. Then there was the karaoke bar we went to in Hsinchu, Taiwan. A friend who was visiting us from the U.S. could hardly sit up straight she was laughing so hard. Let’s just say my husband has a way with “Danny Boy,” particularly in Taiwan where the video background doesn’t exactly go along with the lyrics. You could be singing “California Dreaming” to images of people on bicycles in Vietnam. No joke.

If my husband had the urge to belt out “Danny Boy” at Foley’s Pub and Restaurant in New York City, he’d be stopped in his tracks. The bar owner has banned it from being sung in the pub for the month of March.

The owner Shaun Clancy thinks “Danny Boy” fits a funeral more than a celebration, and that it has been over done. He may change his mind if he heard my husband’s version. All it requires is a few Guinness. He’s loud enough a microphone isn’t necessary. I wonder how Shawn Clancy feels about “Proud Mary?” It’s not an Irish tune, but my husband and I do this one as a duet. The last time we sang this one was at a wedding reception in Vietnam. Those were the days. [see article about the reaction to the ban]

When things fall from the sky too close for comfort

by Jamie Rhein on

Once when I was with my mom going past Newark, New Jersey on the highway, (I can’t remember which one) there an enormous CRASH!!! near my head accompanied by shattering glass. Someone threw something off the overpass–we think. It happened so fast that we’re not even sure if there was an overpass or if someone lobbed something from the side of the road. Regardless, something came from somewhere to pulverize the back passenger window. I was in the front passenger seat. Glass flew far enough to land in my lap and at my feet. Neither of us were hurt–shocked, but not hurt.

I thought of this incident after reading about what happened at the St. James Theater in New York City last night during the evening show of “Gypsy.” A metal plate fell out of the ceiling, hitting a young woman in the head and just missing the neck of the friend of the article’s writer,Tara Parker-Pope. Tara goes on to think about other things that fall on us unexpectedly when we are out in the world and what we can do about it.

People are responding in the comment section to share what has fallen too close for comfort–either on them, or next to them. Here are some of the mentions:

  • part of a ceiling (more than one mention)
  • an apple
  • a slab of ice
  • a quart of milk
  • a gargoyle
  • an air conditioner (more than one mention)
  • a flower pot

And to anyone who happened to be walking past Carew Tower in Cincinnati, Ohio a few years ago. . . if there was a pair of black sunglasses that fell on you. They are mine. I was leaning over to look at the view. Sorry. [via New York Times]

Bathing in milk and cookies at The Plaza Hotel

by Jamie Rhein on

The opulent and famous The Plaza Hotel reopened in New York City on Saturday after a two-year long, pricey renovation. If you have $1,000 dollars to drop, you can stay here for a night. One person who is up on what justifies hotel costs said that the value of The Plaza is the experience. The time spent sleeping must be secondary then, otherwise I’d want the best dreams possible. If I were spending $1,000 a night (I wouldn’t, but let’s assume) I would check in at the first second I could check in, and check out at the last second before another charge kicked in. I don’t think I would sleep–seems like a waste of money to me.

And think about the monetary breakdown. Considering that most hotels don’t give a guest 24-hours in a room, even if you spent 20 hours in your room, that’s $50 per hour. That is cheaper than the hourly rate for most massages or a trip to many general practitioner physicians in the U.S. Still, that would mean you paid for twenty hour-long massages or visited a little less than twenty doctors in order to equal $1,000.

I would be so determined to make my $50 an hour stay worth it that I’d be flustered about what to do to maximize my optimum experience. Hang out in the lobby to be noticed? Walk the halls seeing who else can afford $1,000 a night? Swim? Work out? Can you swim and work out? I couldn’t find a pool listed on the Web site. What can one do at The Plaza without spending another dime? Can you bring in outside snacks and sandwiches? Perhaps, you could buy a knish or a hot dog from a street vendor hanging out near Central Park just before check-in to help with the budget.

According to the news about The Plaza, every guest can take a bubble bath with milk and cookies. At first when I read that detail, I pictured someone taking a bath in milk and cookies. Can’t you picture floating Oreos? There’s something that seems a bit gross and disgusting about the idea, though, since somewhere in Central Park that the hotel overlooks, homeless people are hanging out. But on the other hand, if you could drink the milk and eat the cookies while you are bathing in the tub with its 24-karat gold faucets, this type of bath would save you some money. You could have your bath for breakfast. I wonder if you just get one bath per visit, or could you slip in a few extra? [via AP]

JFK airport’s makeover: What to do with a stained glass window?

by Jamie Rhein on

As Terminal 8 at JFK is being taken down to make room for snowplow storage, figuring out what to do with its 900-pane stained glass window has been considered in depth. When the terminal was built in 1960, the window was a signature piece that pointed to the glory of air travel. Glory didn’t even last half a century.

There was an effort to save the window in its entirety, but that failed. For a mere one million dollars it could have been yours. Instead it’s being taken apart with sections of it being shipped to various locations. The folks who wanted to save the window aren’t too happy about it since the feeling is that has historic and artistic value. It might be the largest stained glass window in the world. It is the largest stained glass window to figure into a building’s design. Others believe that why save a stained glass window when airlines are struggling to meet costs?

Still, it’s too bad about the window. Although pieces of it will be quite lovely in their new locations, they won’t be the same as seeing the whole thing. One could also look at this change due to change as similar to a Buddhist sand mandala or a Native American sand painting. They aren’t made to last, but their beauty transcends. (Here’s a New York magazine post about former efforts to save the window. The photo is from 1961.) [via New York Times]