DCist: Port-a-Potties for Inauguration: 5,000

alexalexalex

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:56:45 -0500

Out on an Island, the beginning of the end came when Ronald Reagan's Interior Secretary, James Watt, banned the annual 4th of July Beach Boys concert at the Washington Monument, because they attracted the "wrong element," and substituted Wayne Newton, instead. But it took a few more years for the alcohol ban to come along. Damn I'm old!

ill on the hill

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:43:29 -0500

Where will 5,000 portable toilets go? Assuming each one is 5 feet wide (a guess), then they would stretch 4.7 miles if stacked right next to each other. That pretty much circles the Mall and then some.

out_on_an_island

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:22:39 -0500

alexalexalex: Ahh, the old days. Fourth of July, cherry pie Alcohol on the Mall What year did that end?

alexalexalex

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:15:58 -0500

Maybe out in the Midwest somewhere restaurants and hotels allow non-customers to use the restroom, but even on a normal day here in the big city, most places won't allow that. Also, Out on an Island, I used to go to those 4th of July drunkfests... a huge crowd, but nowhere near the inauguration estimates.

monkeyrotica

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:12:16 -0500

Neither. They each get an air freshener that says "Capricorn." So to answer your question, they'll smell like goats.

Deep

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:05:45 -0500

Are these porto potties going come with a new car scent or ginko?

out_on_an_island

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 13:00:37 -0500

monkeyerotica: that's a cool diagram. One of my ancestors was a member of Napoleon's Imperial Guard who survived the invasion of Russia. He later emigrated to the U.S. and settled in Illinois. When he died, the French government sent a delegation to mark his grave site.

monkeyrotica

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:55:21 -0500

I'm kinda thinking that after the first couple thousand people come into the restaurant "just to use the bathroom," they're going to start saying "Customers only." Toilet paper doesn't grow on trees. Or something.

wonderwazz

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:49:09 -0500

everyone seems to forget that restaurants/hotels are going to be open... that's a lot more toilets in the equation

monkeyrotica

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:36:49 -0500

out on an island - Thanks for the stats! I'm currently generating a Minard-style Napoleon's-retreat-from-Moscow chart depicting the volume of poo/pee generated, deposited, and left behind for the innauguration. Unfortunately, someone's been using my abacus and slide rule to unclog the toilet. Otherwise, I'd have it ready by lunchtime.

out_on_an_island

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:16:21 -0500

Anyone here remember the 'olden' days when open containers of alcohol were permitted on the Mall on July 4th? I think this would have been around 15 years ago. There used to be loads of drunk people stumbling all over the place. I wonder how many portable toilets they had on the Mall in those days?

out_on_an_island

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:13:31 -0500

Here's some maths for ya: Low estimate of 1.5 million visitors Estimate 10 hours of people using the toilets (7am-5pm) Estimate each visitor uses a toilet once every 2.5 hours. Therefore each visitor uses the toilets 4 times on inauguration day = 6,000,000 total toilet visits 6,000,000/5,000 toilets = each toilet must accomodate 1,200 'uses' on inauguration day. And that's using very low-ball, conservative estimates. Now, there is no way a port-a-john can accomodate the waste from 1,200 visits.

mlwdc

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:12:15 -0500

So if the estimated 4 million people actually show up, that's one porta-potty for every 800 people... It's not like all 4 million people are going to need to use the port-a-potty at the same time...

monkeyrotica

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:02:07 -0500

At all costs, avoid the one that looks like the Tardis. That Tom Baker may be a Doctor, but he should really seek a colorectal professional. A healthy person shouldn't make that kind of smell.

Kev29

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:01:17 -0500

i cannot wait for the person who runs atop these suckers. It might be a lively crowd that week, but it's not Preakness!

Deep

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:44:06 -0500

He he he! I'm a mad scientist and I will randomly place time machines in place of these potato porta potties all over the Mall. Ha ha ha!

Hillman

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:38:43 -0500

Who will join me in live-streaming video from select porta-johns? I'm assuming www.HotInaugurationPooandPeeForYouNow.com is still available? Yes We Can.

iAManugget

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:32:58 -0500

i cannot wait for the person who runs atop these suckers. oh and the ones who tip them all over

Wizzyliz

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:32:41 -0500

Woo Hoo! I get a kick out of watching steaming port-a-potties.

alexalexalex

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:26:20 -0500

So if the estimated 4 million people actually show up, that's one porta-potty for every 800 people...

IMGoph

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:07:12 -0500

unless, of course, DC weather has one of its mood swings, and that's a 60 degree day...