Travelers Ask to See Craig Bathroom
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. ‚Äö√Ñ√Æ When tourists ask for the bathroom in the Minneapolis airport lately, it’s usually not because they have to go. It’s because they want to see the stall made famous by U.S. Sen. Larry Craig’s arrest in a sex sting…. “It’s become a tourist attraction,” said Karen Evans, information specialist at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. “People are taking pictures.”…. Craig was arrested June 11 by a Minneapolis airport police officer. The Idaho Republican pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct…. Just 15 minutes into her shift on Friday, Evans said she had been asked directions to the new tourist attraction four times. Other airport workers field the same question…. “It’s by the Lottery shop, right next to the shoeshine shop,” said newsstand worker Abdalla Said, adding he gets the question daily. The Royal Zino Shoeshine shop owner’s grandson, Royal Zino, said it has been hectic…. “People have been going inside, taking pictures of the stall, taking pictures outside the bathroom door _ man, it’s been crazy,” he said.
WTF?? Shouldn’t this really be taken as an indication that WAY too many folks have WAY too much time on their hands? Imagine this scenario: you’re innocently sitting in a men’s room stall in the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport. Suddenly, a gaggle of Japanese tourist burst in, cameras ablaze. Do you:
a) Reach for the toilet paper and pray that the Mexican food is about to kick in? (Fire when ready, Ensign!)
b) Think that it’s your lucky day…’cuz a couple of them are pretty cute?, or
c) Kick some serious posterior prior to thinking about why these looney tunes are invading your privacy??
In all of the times I’ve been through MSP, I’m sure that at one time or another I’ve probably occupied the stall in question. NEVER did I in my wildest dreams imagine that the receptacle of my relief might one day be of (dubious, at best) historical value. Then again, this is America, where we confer historical “significance” upon all manner of useless, meaningless crap. Hey, in a nation where “American Idol” passes for “real” entertainment, could (or should we) expect anything less?
