On good design

Though my only subject of observation thus far has been Lisbon, I am regularly impressed by how much one can fit into a small space. Smartcars are of course very prevalent in a country with roads only large enough to fit smartcars, but it goes beyond the obvious direction automobiles are taking (goofy as smartcars may be).

Restrooms. In America they are the everyman's dilemma. In Europe they are your own private world, over which you man govern atop a porcelain throne. Yes, toilets here do indeed invoke the necessity for obnoxious analogy. This is facilitated almost entirely by the fact that walls encompassing the consumptive device reach to (or just short of) the floor. 'Cause I don wana see someone else's feet when I'm working and I don't need other people examining my shoes from the other side of a half-hearted attempt at a partition.

Or when it's just you, alone, among the many empty seats and there are people outside using the sink or whatever - memorizing your shoes so that when you're done they whisper to their buddies about how "that dude was totally taking a shit in there, ya know." Because in America, your business is everyone's business. In Europe...well we always thought they were more progressive (healthcare anyone?).