By Peyton Andino
Disclaimer: Despite preconceived notions, the author is not, actually, a certified D1 waste haver.
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) is surrounded by good eats and better sips. However, what goes in must come out, and the Sheldon & Tracy Levy Student Learning Centre’s (SLC) first floor washroom is not going to cut it for a high-class student such as yourself.
What will you do when the Chipotle sour cream doesn’t mix with the Balzac’s matcha and everyone’s staring you down? Will you run through Gould Street, clenching your cheeks and crying, knowing that every washroom in the school is filled to the brim with discarded paper towels and soap lining the sink?
Well, faithful Eyeopener readers, consult this article for when the time comes with the most reliable opinion from a D1 waste-haver, yours truly. Here are our top five picks.
5. SLC third floor washroom
The hub for students turns liminal as you reach the third floor. Sure, the first and second are high-paced areas filled with laughing friends and foot traffic that never seems to end. But every floor above is filled with people drinking, eating and creating a line for the washroom that takes seconds off your time on the throne. While the third-floor SLC washroom offers privacy, the slightly unsanitary environment is paired with a distinct pungent odour you wish you could forget.
4. The washroom located on the second floor of the Architecture Building (ARC)
Following a harrowing journalism class that reminded me how much I hated Adobe Creative Cloud, I knew that the second floor of the architecture building had a washroom I could rely on. Past the comfortable couches and digest-esque magazines lies a secret oasis only enjoyed by those brave enough to venture past the slew of chairs occupied by napping students. Despite the unflattering lighting and one-ply toilet paper that plagues TMU, this resident washroom provides a safe refuge from the unloving grip of TMU’s stream-freezing weather.
3. Eric Palin Hall’s first floor washroom
An unforeseen pick comes in close, with a building frequented by engineers, nurses and students enrolled in that one memorable philosophy class. Eric Palin Hall is warm, welcoming and a great place to put two hands on the stall walls as you fight for your life against one of nature’s inevitable enemies. Despite the crying students who just realized their work placements come with more of the brown stuff, these washrooms are clean, aesthetically pleasing and offer longer mirrors to reflect back on the mental wounds you’ve inflicted on your campus janitors.
2. International Living and Learning Centre’s (ILC) public washroom
After walking down the most desolate hallway you have ever seen, the first floor of the ILC offers some of the best washrooms on campus. With raised tiling between the stalls and toilets with visible tanks, the students who live in this residence building are afforded some amazing space that will put any commuter to shame. A drink that may cost you more than seven dollars will also result in 17 minutes of my precious studying time. The ease of access and cleanliness of the washroom would bring a smile to anyone’s face when they fondly remember how no one walked in on the absolute assault to the senses you’re leaving behind.
1. The Lincoln Alexander School of Law washroom
Did you know this hidden gem existed? I didn’t, until a late night study session that followed an unfortunate trivia loss led me and my friends to stumble into TMU’s forgotten law school. An air freshener, hand lotion and a nice L-shaped design help create a sense of security that you will not soon forget. It’s unfortunate that these spaces are apparently only for law students but honestly, who’s gonna snitch? No one will be in this washroom, which has been empty every time I’ve visited. It smelled like it too, with no lingering scent or ominous aura left behind.
Don’t waste your time in the first floor George Vari Engineering and Computing Centre washrooms or wander into the Rogers Communication Centre’s first floor mess. Instead, spend some quality time with yourself and the final wonders of the $15 of hot-table food you spent at the newly opened T&T Supermarket.
Leave a Reply