Well when you gotta go…you gotta go. So the next time you are traveling in a city like Amsterdam, Belfast, and London, be careful when walking down certain streets at night. That seemingly innocent looking manhole cover might start to slowly rise up from the ground to reveal…a bathroom?!
One of the most ingenious ideas in public restrooms to come down the pipe (sorry) since the porta-potty is the Urilift. This “pop-up urinal” is placed under sidewalks in very busy European cities that suffer from public urination issues.
Yes many of these locales noticed that men, after a few pints in the pubs, were wandering home or to the next watering hole with some seriously full bladders. So instead of holding it in until they got to the little boys room, they instead whipped it out and did their “business” on storefronts, homes, and other unacceptable places.
The smell of urine throughout town is not one that many locals enjoyed, so many cities started to invest in a little company called Urilift. The underground outhouse is only available after 10pm in most places and is basically set up for the hectic nightlife in these popular cities. During the day workers, tourists, and locals have no idea that the manhole they are walking over is actually the top of a hidden restroom. So it keeps the area looking, and more importantly, smelling clean.
To all of the females out there reading this that feel their public restroom needs have been ignored, rejoice! Since the introduction of the Urilift in 2000, the company unveiled a unisex solution in 2004 called the UriGienic. Yup now you can access a toilet (with a locking door) when you “gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now” ladies.
Urilift International BV brags that, “The entire toilet is made from stainless steel and is cylindrical in shape. It is so ingeniously designed that it disappears completely from view during the day by means of a clever hydraulic system.”
Urilifts and UriGienics are currently located in The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Denmark, Finland, Belgium, France, and Germany with plans to expand elsewhere soon. So if you need a bathroom break when visiting these countries, don’t fret, look down you are probably standing on a lavatory.
Click the picture above and enter for a chance to win a free round-trip flight on OpenSkies to either Paris or Amsterdam. Contest ends June 19, 2009. Good luck.
#1: Prague, Czech Republic – Old Town Square (26% of the vote)
Lonely Planet review of Old Town Square
One of Europe’s biggest and most beautiful urban spaces, the Old Town Square has been Prague’s principal public square since the 10th century, and was its main marketplace until the beginning of the 20th century.
Despite the swarms of tourists, crowded pavement cafes and over-the-top commercialism, it’s impossible not to enjoy the spectacle: tour leaders thrusting through crowds, umbrellas borne aloft like battle standards, with clients straggling behind like a gaggle of ducklings; students dressed as frogs and chickens handing out flyers for a drama production; middle-aged couples in matching, too-short shorts and sensible shoes, frowning at pink-haired, leather-clad punks with too many piercings; gangs of red-faced lads in football shirts slopping beer and ice cream on the cobblestones; and a bored-looking guy with a placard advertising a museum of torture instruments.
There are busking jazz bands and alfresco concerts, political meetings and fashion shows, plus Christmas and Easter markets, all watched over by Ladislav Saloun’s brooding Art Nouveau statue of Jan Hus. It was unveiled on 6 July 1915, the 500th anniversary of Hus’ death at the stake.
The brass strip on the ground nearby is the so-called Prague Meridian. Until 1915 the square’s main feature was a 17th-century plague column, whose shadow used to cross the meridian at high noon.
Winner of the Lonely Planet guidebook:
Drum roll please…and the winner of the Lonely Planet giveaway is EJ! You will be contacted shortly by me via email to get all your shipping information. EJ has requested an Estonia LP guidebook for an upcoming return trip to the Northern European country. Safe travels and take a lot of pictures! Thanks to everyone that entered and I look forward to giving away more freebies in the future.
#8 – Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Museumplein (3% of the vote).
Lonely Planet review of Museumplein
This vast, open park behind the Rijksmuseum was cleverly redeveloped in 1999-2000 and today is one of Amsterdam’s busiest open spaces. Beneath the park is a car park and supermarket, while back at street level there is a café, skate ramp and a large, sparkling pond (perfect for ice-skating in winter). For more information on Amsterdam, check out the Lonely Planet guide.
Quick update before I head off to do some drinking and barbecuing with friends and family. The results of round two are in and to be honest they kind of shocked me. Heavy favorites last week, Prague’s Old Town Square and Krakow’s Rynek Glowny, both barely hung on this week. So that means Brussels’ Grand Place now sits alone on top of the best town square voting with a number one position to itself.
Some squares that got the boot that I felt could have won it all include the beautiful Placa d’Espanya in Barcelona, City Hall Square in Copenhagen and Saint Mark’s Square in Venice. Also while I love Philly, I honestly can not believe the out pour of support for Rittenhouse Square.
Now to some goodies for you loyal readers of TheBrooklynNomad.com. Lonely Planet, which is without a doubt the most popular travel guidebook company in the world, has been cool enough to offer up a free guidebook as part of the best town square poll. So how do you win one of these great books?
Very simple. Voting for this final round is currently underway and will continue until Saturday May 30. Each weekday from June 1-5 I will reveal two of the top 10 best town squares in order of the most votes that they received. So for example on June 1 #10 and #9, June 2 #8 and #7, and so on. Then on June 5 I will reveal the best town square in the world…according to the people on this site of course.
All you have to do is leave a comment below on what town square you feel will win it all on June 5. Just make sure you fill in the email part when leaving a comment so that I may contact you if you are the winner. I will announce the new owner of an LP guidebook that same day via email. I will then pass along their mailing information and what book they request to the great people at Lonely Planet in Australia. Before you know it there will be a fresh, crisp and delicious guidebook in your mailbox (please refrain from eating the delicious guidebook).
So here are the top 10…vote…leave a comment…win a free Lonely Planet guidebook…and may the best town square (and reader) win. Good luck!
Brussels, Belgium: Grand Place
Seville, Spain: Plaza de Espana
Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Museumplein
London, England: Piccadilly Circus
San Francisco, California: Union Square
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Rittenhouse Square
Prague, Czech Republic: Old Town Square
Moscow, Russia: Red Square
Rome, Italy: Piazza del Popolo
Krakow, Poland: Rynek Glowny
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Here are the other 40 town squares that have been eliminated:
