Madonna Inn and the famous restroom I never got to see

image credit: Wikimedia Commons

If you've read my blog for any length of time, you probably know that I am obsessed with themed restrooms. Doing one's business is boring stuff, so I appreciate any effort made to lighten the atmosphere or provide some amusement or distraction. Usually I confine my rave reviews to Disney-themed restrooms; however, the restrooms at the Madonna Inn are so unique and special, they deserve a post of their own.  

The Madonna Inn is one of those well-known places that no-one really understands why they are well-known, until they visit. Given that The Pea has been studying at UCSB for almost 4 years and we drive past the Madonna Inn each time we visit, I wonder why we haven't dropped by sooner. It's right off the 101 freeway in San Luis Obispo, perfect for a bathroom or coffee break (or both). 

The outrageous, kitschy pink decor, the gigantic bakery cakes, the yummy diner food in the restaurant, the lavish souvenir shops, all make this place worth a visit. 

But it's the restrooms that have really captivated people's attention. 

Les Signes de Toilettes de Disneyland Paris

If you want evidence of Disney's attention to detail, look no further than their theme park restroom signs. Their restroom signs are always clever and witty, and they always match the theme or decor of their surroundings. It has been a while since I've posted photos of Disney restroom signs, because I think I've posted all of the ones around the Disneyland Resort, and I haven't been to any other Disney Park in a while.

We recently visited Disneyland Paris for the first time, so I got to experience the pleasure of finding and photographing new restroom signs all over the park (much to the chagrin of my family, and to the confusion of the other park visitors!). We only had 1 day in each of DLP's 2 theme parks (Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park), and I wanted to spend most of it on rides, not on finding restrooms, so this list is by no means complete. However, I think I've got enough samples to convince me that the tradition of beautiful and clever restroom signs is alive and well at Disneyland Paris. Check out the photos below and see if you agree with me!

Restroom signs at Legoland Windsor

I didn't think any theme park could compare with Disney for witty, cute restroom signs, but I was proved wrong when we visited Legoland Windsor in July.  This was our third visit to the park, but on our previous two visits I hadn't started photographing restroom signs yet (I guess I was too preoccupied with changing diapers before they exploded or getting a potty-training kid to a toilet before he ended up spending the rest of the day with wet clothes, to notice cute restroom signs).  I dare anyone to say they are not as adorable as the ones at Disney (is it too weird to use the words "adorable" and "restroom" in the same sentence?):

Now Open: Cars Land Restrooms!

When people visit the Disneyland Resort, they take photos of the rides.  They take photos of the parades.  They take photos of fireworks. They take photos of Mickey, Minnie and the other characters.

I take photos of restroom signs.

More Restroom Signs Around the Disneyland Resort

This was a big weekend at the Disneyland Resort. Two major, much anticipated attractions opened this weekend: The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure at Disney's California Adventure, and Star Tours: The Adventure Continues at Disneyland Park. I was invited to take part in the media events surrounding these two big celebrations, so for the next several weeks I'll be blogging quite a bit about all the new things happening at the Disneyland Resort.

But before anything else, I simply must take a moment to continue a series of posts near and dear to my heart .... Disney restrooms.

W.C.s on the High Seas -- Restroom Signs aboard the Disney Wonder

Last week I was invited on a press tour of the Disney Wonder, the Disney cruise ship that's now on the West Coast, sailing on Alaska cruises through September 2011, then sailing south to do Mexican Riviera cruises until December. There was so much to see during our 3-hour tour and I enjoyed it so much, I have to split it up into three or four posts; for now, I'll start with one of the first things I look for during any Disney experience: the restrooms.

Disney Magic comes out of the (Water) Closet -- Restroom Signs around the Disneyland Resort

When you're at Disneyland and you have young kids, it's a fact of life that you'll be spending just as much time in the restrooms as you do on the rides. You know how it is: you take one kid to go potty and get in line for Peter Pan's Flight (a 30-minute line), then after 20 minutes your other kid needs to go as well. I swear, we must have entered every single restroom at the Disneyland Resort over the course of two days.

Fortunately, the folks at Disney understand how the human psyche works, and just as they put all kinds of distractions in their queues to distract people from realizing just how long they've been standing in line, they've cleverly decorated their restrooms to make them substantially more entertaining than your average loo. I didn't notice these signs at first because we were so busy rushing in and out, but after the tenth or twelfth potty break I finally got around to snapping these photos: