Watery Closet

Last night after dinner Hubby Tony and I headed out to start the weekend. Our destination was the Schlafly Art Outside Festival, which says it aims to "raise awareness and appreciation of art and music created in our very own community".

The festival had about 60 artist booths showcasing all types of media. After we'd seen everything Tony and I decided we wanted some dessert. However, Schalfy is microbrewery, and most of the non-art booths were beer related.  The only food was savory, and not what we wanted. We decided to take a scenic walk back to the car while we came up with ideas. That section of Maplewood is filled with beautiful older houses, and we had a great time looking at them. It was just a coincidence that we ended up close to the Mauhaus Cat Cafe.

The last time we were there it was wall to wall people. I suggested it wouldn't hurt to walk by the front window, look at the cats, and see how busy it was. There were no people visible, so we were pretty sure they could accommodate two drop ins. We were right. The admission for the cafe included a credit for food and drink. Tony and I each chose a bar cookie and an herbal iced tea.

We had a great time playing with the cats. When it was to leave I decided I needed to use the rest room. I walked into the room, closed the door, and was surprised to see the strange-looking toilet in the room. Upon closer inspection I realized it had a sink mounted on top of the toilet tank! However, a sign explained that the combination was designed as a way to save water. Instead of using clean drinking water to fill up the toilet tank for flushing, the water you used to wash your hands with took its place.
When it was time I pushed the flush button and a strong stream of water came out of the faucet. The stream continued until enough water had flowed into the tank to fill it up. Then the water shut off.  What a concept!

Five years ago today: New York By Day (Big Apple Chronicles-Day 3)