Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I guess because we pay such high taxes, and have politicians (who are able to work 2 jobs, so they should value their positions even more-what a bonus) working on national issues such as minimum pay raises, marijuana legislation and right to die. I guess I would expect the city to be clean and livable before they spent much time on that.

You pay ludicrously low taxes when compared to NY.

Is that a fact?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/get-there/wp/2015/04/06/how-does-your-states-income-tax-rate-compare-to-others/?utm_term=.80385ea38b7f

Anonymous wrote:I guess because we pay such high taxes, and have politicians (who are able to work 2 jobs, so they should value their positions even more-what a bonus) working on national issues such as minimum pay raises, marijuana legislation and right to die. I guess I would expect the city to be clean and livable before they spent much time on that.

You pay ludicrously low taxes when compared to NY.

Anonymous wrote:
Big cities can be like this, OP.

If you think DC restrooms are filthy, you must not have encountered some Parisian gems.

My dream is to have Japanese "cleaning" toilet installed in my house. I wanted to buy one when we visited family over there, but was told they are quite expensive.

Big cities and big facilities can also be clean. Given how high our taxes are, and how small (in reality) our city is--we can have high expectations. FWIW, I would like a Japanese cleaning toilet as well. We have it on our list.

Big cities can be like this, OP.

If you think DC restrooms are filthy, you must not have encountered some Parisian gems.

My dream is to have Japanese "cleaning" toilet installed in my house. I wanted to buy one when we visited family over there, but was told they are quite expensive.

Anonymous wrote:other than parks and rec, where are the public restrooms? If the bathrooms in Union Station are dirty, talk to the management at Union Station. If you use restrooms at random business's around the city, you should speak with management at the establishment. You people are ridiculous, you complain that Bowser shouldn't legislate backyard chickens but then insist that city council pass legislation requiring toilet liners and 15min bathroom check logs.

It seems like you enjoy filth. Part of the city officials jobs is to create an attractive, clean and welcoming city. Should we get rid of health inspections and just talk to the manager if we get sick?

other than parks and rec, where are the public restrooms? If the bathrooms in Union Station are dirty, talk to the management at Union Station. If you use restrooms at random business's around the city, you should speak with management at the establishment. You people are ridiculous, you complain that Bowser shouldn't legislate backyard chickens but then insist that city council pass legislation requiring toilet liners and 15min bathroom check logs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A large chunk of the DC population is poor, uneducated and dirty. They lack basic social skills and just don't care. Neither about their own hygiene nor about keeping the place they live in clean. They literally live in slums with trash all over the street, so it's not surprising that public restrooms are treated the same.

No, that's not it. The restrooms are filthy in DC museums, Union Station, and restaurants where you can't leave a 3-person meal without a $75 check. This isn't about "ghetto" black people, although I know how dearly DCUM denizens want to displace all their anxieties onto them.

it's definitely not. It's about the laziness of our city politicians and public/private establishments to maintain standards that are a given elsewhere.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh yeah, those dive bar bathrooms of Philly! You could eat your meals off the floor!

You are proving the point that the East coast is dirtier than the rest of the country. However, just because dive bars in Philly are nasty as well as Jersey rest stops and much of NY--doesn't mean DC has to be. It would be relatively easy to institute some 'clean' policies here, given that our city has wide boulevards, concentrated restaurants etc, and known hot spots of tourism (the mall) or homeless (our libraries, coffee shops and grocery store bathrooms as well as bus stops). We collect taxes for pubic works and pay for inspectors.
That thread on Union Station would be depressing if it weren't so funny. I think our Mayor and Councilmembers should be asked to each spend half an hour in a stall, including maneuvering suitcases and guiding a small child's bathroom visit, and then come out and eat a sandwich (see if they're appetized).

LOL. Have you been to SF?

Yes, I was there recently. Granted, I was just in the very main "touristy parts" and believe there are gross parts-- but comparatively (to our tourist parts) found them extremely clean. There was nothing skeevy about airport restrooms, downtown shop restrooms, restaurant bathrooms, the museum bathroom I visited, the wharf, the market. In fact, I was surprised because I had heard in advance about how filthy SF is, and everything I encountered was cleaner than DC. I had a very pleasant, sanitary tourist experience. Says a lot about DC either laziness or arrogance, not less our own willingness to wallow in filth. We use these nasty facilities too.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/union-station-washington?q=bathroom

What kind of medical condition do you have that you believe you can speak to the public restrooms in the entire country? Or is it just your anxious ocd ramping up in advance of a trip here?

There are dirty parts of our country. They seem to be primarily the upper east coast population hubs and conenctors. Which is funny given what snobs we are about the rest of the country. I think they're having the quality of life laugh.

Anonymous wrote:A large chunk of the DC population is poor, uneducated and dirty. They lack basic social skills and just don't care. Neither about their own hygiene nor about keeping the place they live in clean. They literally live in slums with trash all over the street, so it's not surprising that public restrooms are treated the same.

No, that's not it. The restrooms are filthy in DC museums, Union Station, and restaurants where you can't leave a 3-person meal without a $75 check. This isn't about "ghetto" black people, although I know how dearly DCUM denizens want to displace all their anxieties onto them.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh yeah, those dive bar bathrooms of Philly! You could eat your meals off the floor!

You are proving the point that the East coast is dirtier than the rest of the country. However, just because dive bars in Philly are nasty as well as Jersey rest stops and much of NY--doesn't mean DC has to be. It would be relatively easy to institute some 'clean' policies here, given that our city has wide boulevards, concentrated restaurants etc, and known hot spots of tourism (the mall) or homeless (our libraries, coffee shops and grocery store bathrooms as well as bus stops). We collect taxes for pubic works and pay for inspectors.
That thread on Union Station would be depressing if it weren't so funny. I think our Mayor and Councilmembers should be asked to each spend half an hour in a stall, including maneuvering suitcases and guiding a small child's bathroom visit, and then come out and eat a sandwich (see if they're appetized).

LOL. Have you been to SF?

Yes, I was there recently. Granted, I was just in the very main "touristy parts" and believe there are gross parts-- but comparatively (to our tourist parts) found them extremely clean. There was nothing skeevy about airport restrooms, downtown shop restrooms, restaurant bathrooms, the museum bathroom I visited, the wharf, the market. In fact, I was surprised because I had heard in advance about how filthy SF is, and everything I encountered was cleaner than DC. I had a very pleasant, sanitary tourist experience. Says a lot about DC either laziness or arrogance, not less our own willingness to wallow in filth. We use these nasty facilities too.

https://www.yelp.com/biz/union-station-washington?q=bathroom

What kind of medical condition do you have that you believe you can speak to the public restrooms in the entire country? Or is it just your anxious ocd ramping up in advance of a trip here?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lotsnof easrer European countries have public bathrooms. There's a charge and an attendant. Those bathrooms are clean.
It's always money and accountability. Not enough spent on janitorial services and what spent is not accounted for. And f course personal responsibility. I have a toddler and certain playgrounds always have juice boxes and ice cream wrapper trash. And this is a place where people with kids come. Ack to. I always pick up the trash but it's always there and then I get side eye from other parents for doing it. Either I pick it up or my toddler will play with the trash.

Personal responsibility is a stronger influence in more homogenous societies like japan

I am a big "broken windows theory" subscriber. If there is urine toilet paper on the ground I am going to get in and out of the toilet as quickly as possibly not touching anything and holding my nose. If the bathroom is clean and I drop some toilet paper I will pick it up and put it in the trash as I am not totally disgusted to be there in the first place. Same with littered streets and gum ridden sidewalks (DC has many that look like tar pits). DC KNOWS it has high volume tourist areas. DC also KNOWS we have high volume homeless, teen or children areas. DC could target more janitorial and pooled (sidewalk gum cleaning machines) services to these areas.

Regarding bathrooms, there is no excuse for travelers to experience the misery that is Union Station and some of our sight seeing locales. We pay such high taxes. Use them to pay an attendants to clean. There is a midwest US airport I recently read about (can't remember which) where they literally have given the attendants smart watches that tell them how many visitors the stall has had, so they can be 'smart responsive' and efficient with cleanings. As for restaurants, inspect and hold them accountable.

Many high volume areas world-wide have figured out how to be both hospitable and sanitary. DC being so 3rd world is pure laziness and waste on the part of our city managers.

Touch free doors and other amenities:
https://www.trsa.org/news/americas-best-restroom-minneapolis-st-paul-airport

Notice Most of the Worst Airports are snobby East Coast:
http://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/americas-best-and-worst-airports#11

Notice these people have figured out how to keep high volume restrooms clean
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/06/14/heres-what-it-takes-to-design-the-worlds-best-airport.html
"1) Real-time data
Changi receives more than 1.8 million clicks of feedback each month from passengers, ranking everything from restrooms to customer service agents, and even the gardens.
Some of the data are actually used to help inform real-time business operations. For example, passengers leaving the restroom have the choice between ranking the facilities between excellent, good, average, fair, or poor. The operational staff monitors that data and deploys cleaning staff to any location that isn't rated highly."

Anonymous wrote:Lotsnof easrer European countries have public bathrooms. There's a charge and an attendant. Those bathrooms are clean.
It's always money and accountability. Not enough spent on janitorial services and what spent is not accounted for. And f course personal responsibility. I have a toddler and certain playgrounds always have juice boxes and ice cream wrapper trash. And this is a place where people with kids come. Ack to. I always pick up the trash but it's always there and then I get side eye from other parents for doing it. Either I pick it up or my toddler will play with the trash.

Personal responsibility is a stronger influence in more homogenous societies like japan

DC adores its homeless and crackhead population, we have to make them feel welcome!

A large chunk of the DC population is poor, uneducated and dirty. They lack basic social skills and just don't care. Neither about their own hygiene nor about keeping the place they live in clean. They literally live in slums with trash all over the street, so it's not surprising that public restrooms are treated the same.

Lotsnof easrer European countries have public bathrooms. There's a charge and an attendant. Those bathrooms are clean.
It's always money and accountability. Not enough spent on janitorial services and what spent is not accounted for. And f course personal responsibility. I have a toddler and certain playgrounds always have juice boxes and ice cream wrapper trash. And this is a place where people with kids come. Ack to. I always pick up the trash but it's always there and then I get side eye from other parents for doing it. Either I pick it up or my toddler will play with the trash.