Becoming extinct?
I fear that something I have valued dearly my whole life is facing extinction.
The great American water fountain is going, going …
Thanks to some old buildings that have not been spiffed up, they are not quite gone.
The sturdy old beauty pictured here wets my parched lips every Thursday night at my bowling league. Believe me, the Bowling Green alleys in North Syracuse have not been modernized much past the computerized scoring and overhead monitor stage.
I do not miss the pencil and paper scoresheet of my youth, by the way.
But when my CiCi’s Pizza team is rolling on the lanes in front of this old faithful of a water fountain, I always take note that I am the only one to use it.
Everybody else might be drinking beer, you venture?
Not all 12 lanes worth of bowlers, no.
Some get mixed drinks or soda. Tom on my team buys coffee from a funky looking self-serve pot.
I go to the fountain to drink deeply a couple of times a night.
Too many places have given in to the bottled water big business machine and phased out free, refrigerated H20.
Now if I’m on a trip in the car and not in the mood to navigate a Mickey D’s drive-thru for a wonderful still-one-dollar unsweetened iced tea, I will pull into a convenience mart and purchase a bottle of water.
I look for the less-expensive store brand.
My water tastes are not that refined.
I demand Diet Pepsi over Diet Coke. I prefer Bud Light Lime over any other beer. Dunkin’ Donuts coffee is my java of choice.
Water, though, any old fountain will do. Room temperature tap, in a pinch, if I can find a clean cup out and about.
Through it all, I fondly recall the days of my youth when every store, everywhere had a fountain ready with cold, refreshing, free, thirst-quenching, clear, clean water for me and the world.
My dear wife Karen reminds me that I have not addressed the germ thing. For me, as long as it looks like somebody uses some sort of cleaner on the sink portion, it’s fine. The water coming out of the squirter cleans that part up top every time it’s used, right?
I know, I know …
Do you still look for water fountains? Have you joined the bottled waterati? Do you search the shelves for one particular water brand?
Mark Bialczak 
It had never occurred to me that water fountains are going the way of the dinosaur, but you are right. I was searching for one at my bowling alley a few weeks ago to top off my ice, and came up empty…. so I had to fill my cup from the bathroom sink (all together now…. EEEEWWWW!) Bottled water is such a sham, and the germophobes have got everyone so paranoid to touch anything anymore, lest they might die… what’s wrong with people these days!?!?
And give me the old overhead projectors and acetane bowling scoresheets any day!!!
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I touched so many germ-filled surfaces and lived to tell about it I should write a blog ESN. Or you can.
Oh, the overheads with acetane and grease pencils, so the whole alley could see my illegible handwriting! I put that step completely out of my mind, ESN.
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I’ve seen people spit in water fountains. Blech. Before that jaded me I would have used them.
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And I thank you so much for sharing that observation, Colleen. Blech indeed. Where’s that bottled water stand?
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😉 Better safe than sorry! I hope I didn’t ruin all water fountains for you. I’m POSITIVE no other water fountains have been spit in…….
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i love drinking fountains too, and have a mini one in my room, just the perfect size for the littles. sometimes i kneel down just so i can use it too. –
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Now that’s devotion to ye olde class water fountain, Beth. I like it!
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and it is well worth the effort )
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As long as no one is sucking on the tip of the water fountain, you’re good to go. I enjoy the good old water fountain. Water, which many of us–myself included–do not drink enough of, should be ready and available for anyone to consume. A little bit of germs aren’t going to hurt you.
Before every improv show, I hit up the little store in Shoppingtown Mall and grab the huge bottle of Poland Spring, which is only a $1.75 in comparison to the $2.50 small bottle out of the funding machine. The guy, who knows me by face at this point, has his business to run, and–aside Rite Aid–is the only convenient place in the mall to get goods at a reasonable price.
You can only drink so much beer, soda, or coffee while bowling or otherwise. The water provides a nice free, healthy option.
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I like the gentleman who runs that stand in Shoppingtown, Chris. He’s a good dude. And yes, please, world, no sucking directly from the tip of water fountains, please and thank you.
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I think that where I live we are so fortunate to have drinking water straight from the tap that I can’t understand why people buy the bottled stuff. It’s a con. It creates waste. It is expensive. If I’m out I may buy bottled water but never sparkling and always the cheapest i can find. But maybe it’s what you are used to. I have friends who just can’t drink water from the tap because where they come from it wouldn’t be safe.
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I have always drank from the tap, Rachel, so maybe you are right, it’s habits that you learn young.
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Fountains at the park are always warm and filthy and trickle out, so I wouldn’t touch those unless I’m in Phase II Dehydration. But I use the one at church a lot. I bring a bottle of water from home to band practice, then fill up 2-3 times from the fountain throughout the morning as I keep draining the bottle. However, it comes from a well and looks milky white, so you have to shake the bottle to get it clear. It does turn a few folks away…
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Wow. It must be lime deposits from the well. Interesting. I bet the park fountains would be clean and cold if they turned the inner faucet enough to let the water rush out and clean things up, Kerbey.
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I really don’t look for drinking fountains anymore because they are almost extinct. There is one at the dog park near me that has one for humans to drink from and one that is low to the ground for the doggies to drink from. Humans have to push the button for them.
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At the dog park nearest us there’s a low faucet to fill dog bowls. I can’t get Ellie B to turn the knob, either. Thanks, PJ.
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Drink agua when thirsty from all of the above . . right Mark ?
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Si, senorita K.
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Yes ;D ~C.
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Mark A ;D.
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I totally agree with Karen about the germs thing! I’m not a big fan of water to begin with, but bottled water if need be – is my safest bet. When we’re out at my kids schools, or the doctors office, or wherever – my 5 year old just HAS to make a visit to water fountains there about 5 to 6 times before seeing the Dr. or going to class at school – and I don’t stop her. She’s young and I want her to be a kid – but me personally, I won’t drink out of a fountain like I use to as a child… I always wonder who had their full mouth on it before hand instead of just letting the water go into their mouths. lol… I’m silly about this, I know…. but, it’s nice that you’re old fashioned and can wave off the non-sense of germs 🙂 nice post.
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I may have outgrown the five-second rule on dropped food, though, MHH. It depends on where it landed. Thanks for dropping by with the comment.
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LOL niiiiccceeee…. I think the older we get (and I’m the same way) – the less we care about small things like that. 🙂
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I’m not afraid of a water fountain. But I do buy bottled water occasionally and like you I grab the cheapest off brand bottle. You’re so right water fountain is going by way of the pay phone. Artifacts of a different time.
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And it makes my sad, and sort of mad, Sandra. Our society: Why give something away for free when you can charge two bucks a bottle?
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It is sad Mark. Having to pay for a drink of water. What really gets me is paying for air at the gas station to fill up a low bike tire.
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Yeah. Four quarters for pressurized air. Damn, Sandra. Not even air and water are free.
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