One of the all-time classiest urban throwbacks, now endangered, is urinal ice. Don’t know what I’m talking about? I feel sorry for you. A urinal full of ice creates a slow, continuous flush, which was key before plumbing became what it is today. The cool air from the ice also acts as a deodorizer and discourages flies. Don’t even talk to us about urinal cakes: they smell like medicine, throw-up and gum.

Of course the best part about urinal ice is that it makes the most refreshing noise, like coca-cola in movie theatre concession stand advertisement, when you pee over it.

BREAK IT DOWN: Neighborhoods are like bedrooms, and all the best parts of New York (LES, Upper West, etc.) are studies crammed full of notebooks, take-out menus, dirty polaroids, weird old-lady-style collections, and telephone numbers without names. But at its worst (Times Square, Midtown, etc.), New York can be as soulless as the inside of an uncomfortable-looking house in a modern design magazine. Urinal ice may not seem important, but its one of those old-school details that remind us that no matter how aggravating it can be, we’re still living in the greatest city in the world.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 16th, 2007 at 12:19 am and is filed under History, New York. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.