I was all geared up to comment about how one writer thinks coffee shops are too clean but another one thinks all businesses are too shabby. But we have to talk about the racism toward El Borracho from Dave "mExIcAn FoOd DoEsN't CoUnT i WaNt A nOrMaL rEsTaUrAnT" Segal

Mexican food is food. Don't put your jackfruit tacos in a ghetto.

If you have reason to be downtown, there’s a bathroom for you. Employers have them. Condos have them. Restaurants have them. Stadiums have them. Most stores have them for customers (though less often now with increased street crime levels). Shelters have them. Social services have them. Pike place has them. Waterfront has new ones.

So bubble tags are high art but Henry is too conformist for the Stranger? This joint really needs to pick a lane sometimes.

Re: escalators, some people are naturally going to favor standing on the left, whether due to physical challenges (such as favoring their right arm for carrying things) or simply because they maintain their balance better with their left hand on the rail. The etiquette rule should simply be to stand on one side or the other and avoid blocking the entire stair, so those in a hurry can maneuver past you. Having some people stand on the left also helps prevent maintenance issues caused by uneven wear on the machinery.

I was in Tokyo last September and am still gettting over the shock. Spotlessly clean public bathrooms where ever you go and yet I never saw anyone cleaning them. Really hard to find a garbage can anywhere and yet even harder to find even a speck of litter anywhere. And off course, lovely urban parks in one of the largest cities in the world. It's about a culture of mutual respect and mutual consideration. I will keep the bathroom clean so that the next person (who I will never know) can use it without disgust. I won't throw trash on the streets because so that other random people can also enjoy them. You want to know why we can't have nice things? It's because deep down we only want them for ourselves and not for others.