The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 137

With the 9/11 Memorial set to be open to the public coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, isn't it interesting that no where in the plans was there a provision for restrooms for the expected throngs to make their way through the site?

It seems like a rather large oversight for the $508 million project, which is expecting millions of people to visit once it opens on September 11 this year. City Hall admits to the mistake, and adds that there are currently no plans to bring porta-potties to the site. As it stands, the closest bathrooms in the area are at the discount department store Century21, across the 16-acre plaza on Cortlandt Street. "Every time they have something for 9/11, we expect a crowd at our bathrooms. When President Obama visited, we had extra staff at the bathrooms to accommodate the crowd. We know we're going to have to make adjustments when they open the memorial," a store manager told the Post.

Memorial foundation board member Julie Menin said it was imperative that the memorial be open to the 10 year anniversary, but did say that bathroom facilities will be provided in the museum when it opens a year later. We're curious to see if Jon Stewart, who is also on the memorial foundation board, has any take on the oversight. But the Post does it pretty well with this zinger: "Two large reflecting pools and cascading waterfalls on the site are intended to create a serene environment for quiet contemplation of the lives lost during the terror attacks. They may also be a frustrating reminder there's nowhere to relieve oneself."

The closest public restrooms are either in the Century 21 on Church Street or within the World Financial Center.

Restrooms will eventually be provided at the site for the 9/11 Museum, which is expected to open a year from now.