Downtown Las Vegas is home to Main Street Station, a casino with a loo that doubles as a history museum. The wall behind the urinals in the men’s room is a real piece of the Berlin Wall.
Thursday, Aug. 4, 2011 | 4:25 p.m.
Ten years ago, industrial supply giant Cintas made our fascination with bathrooms official. The corporation solicited nominations for America’s Best Restroom en masse, and the first winner was a gem at the University of Notre Dame with imported Victorian floors and marble partitions. This describes a lot of bathrooms on the Strip, but the 2011 finalist from Las Vegas is a one-of-a-kind men’s room at Downtown casino Main Street Station.
Among the top 10 nominees nationwide, the hometown hopeful is described as follows: “A graffiti-covered segment of the oppressive wall that once separated East and West Berlin now serves an appropriate function in the gentlemen’s restroom in the main casino area, as it holds the urinals.”
Yes. That Berlin Wall.
It should trump the dragon spigots and Italian frescoes and eco-friendly hand-dryers boasted by the other finalists. It’s an actual chunk of history—one of the most significant in our lifetime—you can reach out and touch while you’re doing whatever it is you men do in the water closet (we're told casino security personnel are accustomed to helping ladies get a glimpse when the coast is clear). But the sad reality is that this is a popularity contest, and the only way Main Street Station will win is if we flood Cintas with votes. Then we can officially say we’re the sh*t.
Voting is open through September 19 on the contest website, which also features a photo gallery/descriptions of the finalists. New this year, fans can vote from any web-ready mobile device. Or you can participate in the dialogue surrounding the restroom battle royal through Facebook, Twitter and YouTube (links to all three are on the contest homepage).
Previous winners:
2010 The Fountain on Locust St. (Louis, Missouri)
2009 Shoji Tabuchi Theatre (Branson, Missouri)
2008 Hermitage Hotel (Nashville, Tennessee)
2007 Jungle Jim’s International Market (Fairfield, Ohio)
2006 Wendell’s Restaurant (Westerville, Ohio)
2005 Fort Smith, Arkansas Airport (Fort Smith, Arkansas)
2004 Kohler Art Center (Sheboygan, Wisconsin)
2003 The Grand Casino (Biloxi, Mississippi)
2002 University of Notre Dame (South Bend, Indiana)
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