The powers that be are toying with a topic that touches us all: bathrooms. Call 'em privies, loos, port-a-potties or comfort stations. The Prowler prefers a sandbox or a freshly turned garden.
But for all you more private types, the Prowler has discovered some sources of relief while you're waiting for the fancy self-washing restrooms being talked about at Town Hall. You have to be a little sly, but you will find restrooms if you look for them. In fact, any place where people work probably has a restroom. The question is whether or not they'll share it.
Restaurants have restrooms. If you're a customer, take advantage of the opportunity. Like your mother used to tell you, go before you leave. Sometimes, if the restroom is near the door or the place is jammed with customers, you can walk in, use the restrooms and walk out and nobody will know the difference. You could be a customer, right?
Big places, like the Toll House or Villa Felice, have classy loos near the banquet rooms. At other eateries, you'll find yourself touring the kitchen. (So that's what it looks like raw?)
The new Opera House mall has men's and women's rooms in plain view, bless them. Old Town has its own sandbox, outside the former theater. Customers Only, it says. So shop a little, and you're a customer.
Outdoorsy types can try Oak Meadow or Vasona parks. If nobody is taking money at the park entrance, you can zip in and out. No problem. If they want you to pay a fee, well, is it worth $3 to you?
The Prowler has found comfort in government buildings, hospitals, parks, shopping malls, grocery stores and fast-food stops. In short, be sneaky and find relief. Failing that, look pitiful and beg.
By the time you read this, the Prowler will be sunning on the beach at Waikiki. One big sandbox, with mai tais and fresh lobster. Aloha.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, May 29, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved