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.