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Originally posted by Sue S.:
Hey now, don't be knockin' Pittsburgh!
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Well, I've heard about something called "the Pittsburgh toilet" (toilets installed right in the middle of the basements of many Pittsburgh houses, no walls around them or anything)
It's not "right in the middle" of the basement. At least, not the two I've seen. They were against the wall, kind of tucked in the corner along with a shower and a sink. Like dawebb said, they were actually a practical idea since the basement/cellar portion of a house in hilly Pittsburgh will usually have its own entrance from the outside. So the millworkers/miners could come home, go inside and get cleaned up before going upstairs. They certainly weren't/aren't the only toilet in the house!

As to the party connotation, well, let's just say that the ones I've seen were both located in homes being occupied by college students. laugh
My grandfather had one of those in the corner of one room of the basement in his house in Ohio (about 3 hours from Pitt). And that's exactly what he used it for. He worked at a plastics plant, and he'd go in the side door and directly down to the basement to get cleaned before coming back upstairs.

"You need me. You wouldn't be much of a hero without a villain. And you do love being the hero, don't you. The cheering children, the swooning women, you love it so much, it's made you my most reliable accomplice." -- Lex Luthor to Superman, Question Authority, Justice League Unlimited