Traveller's rest

 

This beautiful facility is located within the Albuquerque, NM AMTRAK, Greyhound station.

The building replaces the one destroyed in a 1993 fire, on the site of the original Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe station and Hotel Alvarado, a Harvey House Hotel that was demolished in 1970.

The details hark back to NM historic roots, including the distinctive color design in its tilework, and the bilingual signage of the restroom.

Sadly, the station has had issues with the homeless population, hence the sign reminding visitors that the restrooms are for ticketed passengers only.

Inside the ladies room, I was drawn to the exquisite tilework, generous space and cleanliness. 

Then, I found the sign. 

I missed it the first time I went in, during a wait for our return trip.

Signs warning of items not to be flushed, are common but not nearly as comprehensive or interesting as this one. There MUST be a story behind each one of these prohibitions. Aquarium gravel? Cooking grease? Kitty litter? Disposable toilet brushes?

Inside Bling

Let's take a look inside the restroom disguised as a Grassroots Arts Gallery.

Just inside the door you can rest assured you are in a award-winning facility. The building won awards in 2014 as runnerup in the Bowl Plaza competition (We're No. 2! We're No. 2) and 2018 International Toilet Tourism Award for Quirkiest Experience. 

Nearly every available surface is adorned with embedded objects. Glass pebbles, leftover kitchen and bath tiles, bottoms of colorful glass bottles. Look carefully and you can find old vintage ceramics, such as soap dishes. Despite their random appearance, the whole is quite thoughtfully designed with a cool, watery palette and an inviting texture. 

The men's room had it's own playful vibe with - what is that? Action figures, license plate, robots! Isn't that an old thermos up there? That bathroom break could take a lot longer than expected.

An authentic farm theme is going on here, complete with a John Deere Road sign.

I can just here the Moms out there fussing. It would be so hard to get those gorgeous textured walls, really clean, right?

Finally, a look at the entryway from the inside.

There is the toilet seat, okay, arch repeated from the outside, and the lovely limited palette of the recycled glass. 

This makes me happy because not only is it a cool public space, but it reflects the funky grassroots vibe that makes this community unique.

And don't forget to take a few minutes to tour the outdoor sculpture all along the main street.

Art gallery and relief in one spot

 Years and years ago, not long after I started this blog, I highlighted the coolest public restroom in Kansas. The facility in Lucas had just been refurbished and actually took second place in a national competition.

Sadly, I was not able to visit this restroom until last summer. Lucas is the home of the eccentric Garden of Eden and some of the coolest grassroots art in the state. This bling restroom does the outsider art reputation justice. You just gotta see it, even if you skip the Garden of Eden and  World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things Museum (whew, what a mouthful).

Located near the center of this small town, the restrooms are housed in an immaculate well-maintained and rather spacious white building. The entrance is mosaic of glass and tile, formed in a shape closely related to its function.

Just outside the entrance, a wine bottle tree and other found objects proclaim the Grassroots Wall of Art. 

The mosaic on the north side of the building sports an alien meditating, I think.

My very favorite is this sculpture of a roll of toilet paper, that extends out to the sidewalk. The sign on the roll sternly warns visitors that no skateboarding is allowed. 

I just wonder if you could coat it with freezing water or snow for a brief (pun-intended) joy ride.

In the next post we will explore the Bling-y interior.

Here's one for Kate

 One chilly weekend last spring, Robert and I found time to grab breakfast and to explore a bit of McPherson, Kansas. We love diner food, particularly for breakfast and neither the fare at Neighbors Café nor the stroll down Main Street disappointed.  

We had a great time exploring the sprawling antique store, but the best time was had in the predictably cramped restroom area. Well, space IS important when it comes to displaying antiques, so why waste it on two restrooms when one is good enough for most homes?  

The signs are what are important here. A bit crude, but funny enough that I would not be surprised if they had to replace them regularly, (a bit of shoplifting, maybe?) Note that one of them is tucked inside a page protector and others are secured with pushpins.  

Just common sense.

A jab to all those endless ratings we are asked to provide

Haven't you wished for a sign like this instead of a jiggling doorhandle?

Truly a rest room

 A new year and new commitment to sharing what’s behind and on the doors of public washrooms. 

Let’s take a look at the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery in Lindsborg, KS. We have tried several times to visit this lovely gallery but somehow our attempts were always ill-timed. Swedish-born Birger Sandzén was an accomplished art instructor and painter in his own right. The gallery found on the campus of Bethany College in Lindsborg houses a selection of  Sandzén’s landscapes and prints, as well as contemporary works from regional artists. Rich in color and texture, his work has been compared to that of van Gogh and Cezanne. 

The women’s restroom featured vintage details that seemed suited to Sandzén‘s time and culture. 

The outer room features floral print wallpaper and coordinating fabric skirt on the vanity, crocheted scarf, and table lamps. To top it off they include a large sofa along one wall. How cozy is that? A sign politely asks visitors to keep their feet off the cushions, the only exception to what you might expect at an elegant home in this town renowned for its immigrant Swedish culture.

Inside the practical section, the area is large, bright, and airy. One corner features a large sculpture of tumbling athletes.  

The two stalls feature framed reproductions of Sandzén‘s paintings. Although I am uncertain that either stall accommodates wheelchairs, they do feature something I have seen only in only one other public restroom. If you look carefully at the right side of the toilet (as you face it) there is a lever to push for easy flushing. A fine idea, especially if you don’t mind being seated when flushing.  

Robert reported that the men’s room featured the same levers but none of the other fine details.  

The gallery is quiet, and the staff is well-mannered as most Midwesterners are, so taking a peek at either set of restrooms is not likely to be an issue and well worth a visit. The art is an added bonus.

House on the Rock

The House on the Rock

Spring Green, Wisconsin

 This curiosity defies description. It is a house, once the residence of a man fascinated by collecting artifacts that captured his fancy. If you have seen the series American Gods, then you will know what I am talking about. The world class carousel collection (the largest indoor in the world) alone is worth the price of admission.

The restrooms lived up to the reputation of the rest of the place. The first two images above display a fabulous glassware collection. You are apt to forget why you walked in. As you can see, the lighting is fairly dim, but it serves to highlight the wall of glass.

I could not find an accurate figure on the square footage of this compound, but it is at once dense, and sprawling. So logically, there are a number of public restrooms. I even peeked in one of the men's rooms. Here we have two more women's restroom displays. The upper one is a collection of music-playing figurines, mostly Asian. 

The second is a snowy diorama- the day penguins took over Wisconsin, or some such story.

If you find yourself in western Wisconsin, do not miss an opportunity to check out these beautiful restrooms. The rest of the place is fabulous as well. The House on the Rock - I can't begin to describe all of its features so check out their website.

And while I don't normally promote hotels but if you like the quirkiness of this place, you will appreciate the DonQ Inn just outside of Dodgeville. Each room has a theme - ours was tropical with its own sunken hot tub. And the lobby included a free standing fireplace surrounded by antique barber chairs. 

The Marland Mansion

Outside Oklahoma, there are very few people who are familiar with Ponca City, or the Marland family. Tiny, and relatively unknown, compared to Tulsa or Oklahoma City, Ponca City is a destination that engage you for an entire weekend, if you are open and curious.

One must-see is the Marland Mansion. A fabulous over-the-top estate that is a fraction of the original size, it was built on oil money (an estimated $80 million in today's money) and lost within a few years. It remains open for tours as they restore and document the history of those years.

One feature is a handball court, now closed, that still maintains its locker rooms as public restrooms.

Here is a peek inside.

A typical women's locker room for the wealthy, with high windows, tiled showers on the left and stalls on the right. The mirrored dresser was not original since there is an exit door behind it, but it lends a period flair.

The locker room is still in use as a restroom, and consequently has been updated with soap dispensers and other modern necessities, but the raised platforms for the toilets, (Watch your step) and tile work are vintage 1920s. I puzzled over whether the marble partitions are original, or whether they are part of a modern update. Given the very modern details that were evident throughout the house (uncommon for most people of the day, but within reach of the very, very rich) and a close look at the hardware (hinges, and handles for example) I imagine that they are originals.