Lifestyle

Toilet Paper in Short Supply at Coney Island Boardwalk

We know things must be bad in Brooklyn if the city has been reduced to rationing toilet paper in the women’s bathrooms at the boardwalk in Coney Island.

Only Squares Available

Visitors to the women’s restrooms along the world famous boardwalk, located along the beaches at Coney Island and Brighton Beach, were astounded to be forced to wait in line for a few measly squares of toilet paper, handed out by bathroom attendants.

Women Less Than Pleased

“Never in my life have I experienced anything like this,” said Regina Ballone of Brooklyn. “I walked toward a stall, and a bathroom attendant stopped me by shouting, ‘Hey, mami! There’s no toilet paper here,’ and she whipped out a big roll for me to grab some.”

Toilet Paper Queue in Coney Island Bathroom

Another woman was stumped somewhere between laughter and tears:

“It’s very weird that someone decides how much paper you get because they don’t know what situation you’re in,” said Benedikte Friis, 22, a visitor from Denmark, laughing in disbelief. “You might need more!”

Men’s Bathrooms Worse

The situation in the men’s bathrooms was even worse, with no toilet paper or attendant to hand it out.

When confronted with this dismissal situation the Parks Department insisted that there should be no need for the rationing, although they refrained from putting a number on the amount the department budgets for toilet paper. The spokeswoman for the Parks Department explained that,

“Bathroom supplies are stocked daily, and our budget for these supplies is consistent.

“There’s no need to ration, and we’ll make certain our staff does not do so,” added the Parks Department representative, Meghan Lalor.

But the bathroom attendants beg to differ. They insist that if they did not ration the paper there would not be enough to go around, affirming that the department is simply not stocking their bathrooms adequately.

Merchants Dissatisfied

Merchants along the busy tourist spot are none too pleased, considering that they were asked to chip in money, in some cases $1,000 per shop, to help to keep the bathrooms open later this summer. One shop owner, Dianna Carlin of the Lola Star Boutique believes the bathrooms should be in better condition than having to ration toilet paper.

“I gave $1,000 but would’ve been better off buying $1,000 worth of toilet paper and dropping it off,” Ms. Carlin said.

Shari

Shari has certainly been around the block. As a teacher, writer, former CEO and present day master chef, Shari can cover a human interest story with a flare and style hard to match anywhere. Born and raised in the streets, schools and institutions of Brooklyn, Shari is the epitome of Brooklyn life. Contact Shari at shari(at)gowanuslounge.com.