Two Visits to Fort Drum Service Station Show Plaza's Split Personality, Faults

Port St. Lucie/Ft. Pierce Service Plaza
Florida Turnpike, FL USA
Mile Market 184

www.floridasturnpike.com

Where is it?

Like the Port St. Lucie/Ft. Pierce Service Plaza on the Florida Turnpike, the bathrooms here are found adjacent to the respective entrances: Men's room just inside the North entrance door, and the Women's just inside the South entrance.

An important note: Because the lobby separating the two ends can get very busy (ironically enough, just like the PSL plaza), getting to your loo of choice can be quite stressful, especially if you're in dire need to go. Expect to cut and jab, at times quite violently, to get through the masses of people lined up at the various fast food counters found here, which include Starbucks, Burger King, Nathan's, Miami Subs, Arthur Treacher's, and Freshens Frozen Treats.

A better bet (though it involves some planning in what is, essentially, an impulsive act) is to hit the place in the morning, as most of the tour buses don't arrive until afternoon (it's one of the last rest areas before reaching Orlando, so it can be pretty busy once the tourists arrive.)

What's it like?

Like the PSL Service Plaza, the bathrooms here are shaped like a U, with the sinks along the base and two rooms of urinals and stalls making up the legs of the letter. The men's room can accommodate about 30 people at a time, give or take. The women's room, judging from what my companion told me, can hold about half that.

It's a Teutonic place, with dark tiles covering the floor and bland gray tiles on the wall. White sinks, white urinals and white toilets, with black stall doors separating them.

I visited this plaza twice, both out of necessity. The first visit was in early afternoon, during which the place was overrun by tour buses and tourists, and as a result it was a horrible experience through and through. There were so many people there that the bathroom felt like a subway station at rush hour -- people pushing and shoving just to stand their ground and not lose their place in line. Kids were running around everywhere, jumping into and splashing around in the various liquids found on the floor and throwing towels and trash about.

I managed to score on a stall on this visit instead of a urinal and found it horrifically dirty -- the floor was covered in urine, mis-thrown toilet paper and bits of feces (no kidding). And the stall doors had a considerable amount of graffiti on them, including a very prominent hand-written advertisement for Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul. I didn't think the endorsement was very flattering, but I guess it does show where Paul's influence can be felt.

My second visit was better -- fewer people, quieter and cleaner. Though because it was mostly empty this time, I was able to better see the wear and tear of the tiles and floor, as well as the grime collected in the corners and other various shortcomings. The sink faucet, for example, is so close to the back of the sink that it's impossible to wash your hands without getting water and soap all over the vanity counter. Also, there were only two automatic paper towel dispensers in the bathroom, one at each side of the sink area, making it necessary for people to walk a good distance, while dribbling water on the floor from their wet hands, before being able to dry themselves. (Could this be part of the reason why the floors are always so wet here? Perhaps.) Also, the only trash cans were placed by entrance -- which may explain why there's so much trash on the floor (who wants to carry trash that fan, you know?)

Also, during both visits, I saw an attendant standing idly by at the entrance, not doing anything much at all. (Another trend it shares with the PSL Plaza, I guess.) My companion did mention that two women were feverishly mopping the women's room while she was in there -- though she didn't mention what they were mopping up or why. I think I prefer not to know.

Marks out of 10:

3. Hard to escape the memory of the feces I spotted on the floor during that first visit, even if my second visit was much improved over the first.

Comments to the Management:

Clearly, the powers that be need to vastly re-think their cleaning strategy here. Simply put, this is not a pleasant place to stop.

Port St. Lucie Service Station Is a Filthy, Chaotic Madhouse

Port St. Lucie/Ft. Pierce Service Plaza
Florida Turnpike, FL USA
Mile Market 144

www.floridasturnpike.com

Where is it?

From the southbound entrance to the plaza (as opposed to the northbound, which is on the exact other side of the building), head through the sliding double doors and into a sea of impatient tourists standing in line for the various concessions found here, like Starbucks, Burger King, Cinnabon, Sbarro, and Freshens Frozen Treats. You'll find the women's room down a hallway to your immediate right (after entering).

The men's room is trickier to get to: You'll need to go through this chaotic cafeteria filled with people, cutting through whatever throngs you may find in front of you (and believe me, some of them won't budge, no matter how bad you have to go -- and there really isn't much room in lobby to go around them) until you reach the exact opposite side of the building. Once there, wrap around the last food counter and go into the right-back corner of the place. You'll find the men's room there.

What's it like?

After such an incredible fight just to get to the men's room, I was hoping to find some sort of oasis waiting for me. Sadly, I sorely disappointed.

The men's room is U-shaped here, with a string of sinks making up the base of the U and two hallways of stalls and urinals making up the remaining legs of the letter. Like the plaza's lobby, it was crowded as hell on this visit -- men trying to get in and get out without making any attempt to be polite (I got checked into wall tile at one point), children weaving back and forth between people like they were tackling a slalom course. Just sheer madness.

If that weren't enough, the place was filthy -- though it certainly had the potential of being clean (perhaps at the start of the day it was?). The dark tiles on the floor were littered with towels, water, mud, shoe scuffs and more. The sinks and urinals, all automatic, looked like they were in need a good scrub; the urinals offered little privacy to those using them, and little buffer from the manic children running around behind them. The stalls were covered with water, urine and paper -- and I couldn't find a single toilet whose seat wasn't drenched in drops of urine. It was just disgusting.

Worse still: An attendant stood at the entrance, mop and bucket in hand and a glum look on his face, and he did nothing. He just stood there, watching the frenzy before him. Perhaps he was waiting for the traffic to slow down? Perhaps he sensed the futility of cleaning a place that would just foul itself up again once he was done? Either way, he showed no initiative in doing his job. Really quite sad.

After leaving, I waited for my companion to meet me in the parking lot, so we could continue our trip, and the silence and stillness that met me in the lot was very welcoming. It was like I'd walked through a war zone and survived -- the service plaza was that inhospitable. My companion, after arriving, offered similar complaints about the women's room -- stalls covered in paper, water, and urine, among other things, and worse still she had to wait 20 minutes to use those facilities because of the crowds, whereas I was able to get in and out in a matter of minutes. Sometimes, I guess, it pays to be a male.

Marks out of 10:

4. This was horrible experience, made all the more disappointing because the place houses the possibility of being a solid pit stop.

Comments to the Management:

Yes, I realize the building gets a lot of traffic, but there has to be a way to get those restrooms cleaned more efficiently and regularly. Maybe you should post two attendants at a time and make sure they tidy up continuously. Most people won't make as much of a mess if they see an attendant nearby, tidying up. Then again, I could be wrong about this as well.

2007’s Best and Worst Public Toilets

From luxury loos to crappy crappers, Where’s the Toilet? reveals its best and worst public toilet experiences of 2007.

Best movies. Best albums. Best dressed celebrities. Best toilets. As each year ends, the media bombards us with pop-culture based lists that look back on the year’s high and low points.

Not wanting to be left out, David and Eyal, founding editors of Where’s the Toilet?, decided it was perfect time to reveal their best and worst toilet-going experiences of 2007.

“We’ve been though a lot this year,” said Dawson. “We’ve experienced some truly golden moments, no pun intended, as well as some horrific experiences. It seemed foolish not to sum them all up for the end of the year.”

The Toilet Awards for best and worst toilet experiences on Where’s the Toilet? is as follows:

The Top 5

These are what David and Eyal found to be the best toilets experienced of 2007 (based on the site’s ratings):

1. Wynn Las Vegas, NV, USA (bathrooms beside Mojito’s)
2. Lumley Castle Hotel, Chester-Le-Street, UK
3. Hotel Jerome, Aspen, CO, USA
4. Sani Fare Toilets, Various Locations, Germany
5. Okada, Wynn Las Vagas, NV, USA

Editor’s Pick (based on experience): Mall at Millenia, Orlando, Florida, USA (food court toilets)

“It didn’t make our top five list, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a high-quality toilet-going experience,” said Dawson. “We have often marveled at how this toilet, which after all is only in a mall, surpasses expectations. Better still, it provides top class hotel quality for the masses at no charge!”

The Bottom 5

The most downright dreadful toilet experiences of 2007 (based on the site’s ratings):

1. Pho Pasteur, Orlando, FL, USA
2. Ghiradelli, San-Francisco, CA, USA
3. BP Services, Chateauvillain, France
4. Ay Jalisco, Sebastian, FL, USA
5. Oriental Supermarket, Orlando, FL, USA.

Editor’s Pick: The Crappiest Crapper of 2007: Ay Jalisco, Sebastian, FL, USA.

“It’s so bad, we couldn’t even include a picture,” said Dawson. “Needless to say, we will not be visiting again.”

Hotel Jerome is Mining Town Winter Wonderland

Hotel Jerome
330 East Main Street
Aspen, CO USA 81611

http://hoteljerome.rockresorts.com/



Where is it?

From the main reception head towards the fireplace and then left down the corridor that runs by the J Bar. At the end, head around to the right and keep going past the doors to the outside pool (on your left) and the elevators (to the right). You’ll see the corridor to the toilets on your right. The Men’s is first on the left and the Ladies’ is second.


What’s it like?

Get this clear before we begin. This is no motel by the highway. It’s a place where movie stars and locals meet. Hotel Jerome has been operating since 1889 and is both one of the more luxurious and historic places that I’ve been lucky enough to stumble across on my travels. Visiting when it was very off peak (look at the prices in during the wine festival and you’ll see why my boss wouldn’t have tolerated a visit on peak) I was delighted by the standard of the hotel. The service was second to none! Add to that that this silver mining town has been reinvented as a premiere ski resort, that snow had already fallen before visitied, and you end up with the potenital for a winter wonderland.

Indeed, the whole place exudes unpretentious and relaxed class. As one of my colleagues who is based locally said on entering the foyer for the first time, its all rather Bugsy Malone! As I had arrived late on Saturday afternoon and got my meetings out of the way early on Sunday it was great to be able to relax in the heated pool, even if the temperatures were down at 21F. Add to that the décor that really makes you believe you could be in a turn of the century mining town, and you are left with a fantastic place to stay.

Its good to be able to say that the toilets pull off all the class and comfort that pervades the rest of the hotel. From the wallpaper to the stalls these toilets have the ability to convince you that you are in a mining town, but living in the utmost luxury at the same time. There are some nice touches, with great flowers, an oversize wicker basket acting as a bin, and homely furniture.

Overall, this is a place that makes you feels at home, whilst pulling off great style.


Marks out of 10:

11. Mining town elegance at its best.


Comments to the management:

Unique toilets you should be proud of.

Very Eastern Bloc at Innsbruck Stop

A12 Eastbound
Innsbruck
Austria


Where is it?

Pull off the A12 at the information point. Park up and the toilets will be to your right, past the information board.


What’s it like?

If you drive into Austria from Munich and are heading for Italy as we were, you might just pass by Innsbruck and this stop. We wanted to take in the sights of Innsbruck on our way down south and stopped to look at the information board. Whilst we did that we also decided to use the toilets.

So bear in mind this is a toilet stop next to a busy motorway high up in the Alps. It’s not part of a service station. No fuel, no restaurant, not anything. So don’t expect much.

I guess the thing to say is that the views are the best thing about the place. And the views are pretty damned fantastic. But then when you enter the toilet the first thing to strike you is that whoever built them obviously built the local roads, and used the local road builders’ favourite material. CONCRETE. Concrete takes over the place.

These are the greyest toilets I think I’ve been in, and as a result these are also some of the coldest toilets I’ve been in. And the scale of the place! It’s huge. You could fit coach loads of people in there. So, you can’t argue with the proportions, or necessarily with the cleanliness, but these are some of the unfriendliest feeling toilets I’ve come across. More Eastern Bloc than Austrian Alps.


Marks out of 10:

3. At least they were serviceable.


Comments to the management:

Even if we shouldn’t expect much for this sort of stop, these toilets are the coldest I’ve come across.