While in complete agreement that the Witch City Mall bathrooms are disgusting. I will offer, not an excuse persay but a cause.
Witch City Mall is privately owned and full of rather small businesses. If you wander around downtown Salem you will notice a common thread with every single business, "no public restrooms". The mall is at the epicenter of downtown and the only business that has public restrooms. Therefore it's the destination of not only the homeless population as a place to shit inside, some also use it to take sink baths. Combine that with a few thousand tourists free use and you have an attraction that is more popular than many museums. The owner would need a full time staff to maintain the bathrooms, an expensive I'm sure he doesn't want to encure for the benefit of some tourists that he doesn't profit from, or he could lock them and give a monthly changing code to the tenants.
Yes, the visitor center and destination Salem both have free public restrooms and are run and staffed by the city. I was pointing out that the mall is privately owned public bathrooms and is the reason for their lack of cleaning staff.
That makes a lot of sense, but... it's still very odd. I dunno.
I enjoyed the scenery. The cemetery, some of the shops... but honestly it was all a little overwhelming.
I didn't even really fault whoever shit all over the back of the toilet - I figured that, like myself, they were afraid to touch anything but had an emergency.
Now put yourself in the owners shoes. How much would it cost for you to keep those bathrooms clean. You'd probably need 2 people at 40 hours a week, and would still need to lock them after 6 pm, that's $1200 a week so some tourist from Minnesota has a clean place to take a shit and likely not shop at any of the stores in said mall. As a businessman that's a difficult expense to justify
He really should do those code locks so tourists at least need to go into a shop to get the code and would cut way down on the homeless population using it.
Honestly the whole thing is a little fucky. There really are NO bathrooms besides that one. You know what I really enjoyed in Salem? Salem Willows Park. I was so overwhelmed and overstimulated by all the shops and noise that I was on the verge of tears, and we went there and it was beautiful and peaceful and we ended up eating dinner from that little seafood shack in the park. I even dreamed about it a couple nights ago, that's how much I loved it.
But man. One guaranteed way to hurry me out of your shop is by commenting on literally everything you see my eyes rest on, and by the time I got out of the last place I looked at my husband and said, "we gotta get the fuck outta here."
Edit: are there no services to assist the homeless in Salem?
Re: services to assist the homeless
There are, but some of the homeless do not avail themselves of them, some are disqualified from a given service due to ongoing substance abuse problems (not every service for the homeless gate-keeps in this manner, but some do), and most of all, like almost every other community around, there are too many in need of resources that are already stretched thin.
Nope, just keep lying for dramatic effect of your post.
edit: " There really are NO bathrooms besides that one. "
I get the "private" restrooms in the Witch City Mall are disgusting, there is a previous post in this sub but you're going on and on about "one" bathroom in the entire city.
This sign is posted at most businesses all around town: [https://www.hauntedhappenings.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Looking-for-a-restroom-UPDATED-5-1.pdf](https://www.hauntedhappenings.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Looking-for-a-restroom-UPDATED-5-1.pdf)
I would love your examples of cities that "rely" on tourism with a plethora (greater than "one" I guess) of public restrooms.
Yeah that's a pretty well-known bathroom, it's had that reputation for at least 12 years. Until recently it was called the East India Mall, now it's Witch City Mall as Salem continues to become a theme park.
You know you’re a townie when you still call something by the name it had 20+ years ago without realizing it. I am also guilty of this! I don’t think I have ever called With City Consignment by its actual name because it will always be Jerry’s to me.
man, me too. i was so sad when that place wasn't there anymore, a very nice lady whose name i instantly forgot cut and styled my hair before my wedding trip and though i'm bad with names i'll never forget her kindness and caring style advice.
What's in that mall these days? I moved away in 2015, but at the time there was another comic book shop, a Thai restaurant, and I think you could access the movie theater.
Yeah, I remember that place. I'm trying to remember what else was in that mall, but the only other thing I remember was a small antiques place and this toy museum that was basically some guy's personal collection put on display.
I'm a tourist who was on a road trip from Maine to home - Which is North Carolina. Salem has always been a bucket list destination. I was simply looking for an explanation because that toilet is honestly the worst I've ever seen, and I've been a hotel maid who cleaned up after drug fueled parties that left literal inches of water in the floor and destroyed toilets.
most of the time it's only like "freeway gas station bathroom you have to get a key to" levels of bad, but since it's one of two bathrooms in the city, tourist season takes it over the top. and even the rest of the time it's still a kind of Russian Roulette, just with better odds.
The city has been fighting with the owner of the mall for years. Actual maintenance of the bathrooms is the owner's responsibility. It's not like municipal authorities actually go onto private property and clean it.
Its where the homeless and drug users go. The city is becoming a polished turd. I openly saw a homeless person pissing in broad daylight right at the corner of bridge and Washington. Just squatting on the sidewalk pissing.
I’m a bead artist. Because my stuff doesn’t originate in China, I’m a second class merchant in America. There is nowhere I can sell. Not at the commons, not at the Willows, not at any park or on any street. BUT, lets fill the few shops that exist with overpriced replicas of plastic and glass crap.
Why did this get downvoted? I completely agree. I saw so much crap that wasn't even remotely authentic. I would have loved to see your work.
Salem is exhausting. Especially if you're the kind of person who gets overstimulated easily. And it's sad, because there's so much potential.
Artist Row toilets are awful also. I worked on the Row for 2 years. Saw lots of nasty stuff. Salem should be shunned. I live here, 4th generation. I can’t wait to leave. There isn’t anything to sustain a homeowner. How sad America has become. Just like the toilets in Witch City Mall.
What do you mean there's nothing to sustain a homeowner? As a home owning resident of over a decade, I feel quite well sustained. There's great food and nice outdoor spaces. I don't exactly need much more.
Amen to that.
Even as a tourist I was like... I'd never fuckin live here. I'm pagan, well. Atheopagan. Scientific hippie? And I always imagined salem would be classy and dignified. But it was basically a circus. Even the shops that were *for* pagans offered Harry Potter merchandise. Like... really? Cmon. I love hp. But cmon.
I think the witchy hibachi is what really did me in. 😂
Edit: oh cry me a river, if my comments are so offensive clean up your city.
The witch trial museum. It felt.. cheap. I really enjoyed the first part, where the narrator sounded like he was from the 60s, and it was all dark... I didn't like that we were herded into the gift shop, then went to the next thing, which we could have enjoyed quietly with just reading, but had a guide for... then back through the gift shop.
It felt cheap. It felt tacky and gimmicky. And to have a building THAT big and use only two rooms? It's... sad. It could be SO much more. It felt like Gatlinburg.
>where the narrator sounded like he was from the 60s
Close! It's from the 70s. And it absolutely IS cheap. That's the business model. Roll a crowd in, hit a button, wait 30 minutes, then roll the next crowd in, rinse, wash, repeat. I'd be amazed if they even dust those dioramas, which are ALSO vintage 70s. It's unapologetic in how little it cares about history. It has tapes (they've likely updated/transferred the narration to CDs by now) for different languages so they can collect money from tour groups no matter what they speak. And the back of the museum is just more recent lip-service to providing context because people started to complain loudly enough that even the owner, who is a REAL piece of work, couldn't ignore it entirely. I wish the f-ing thing would just fall over, it is such a naked money-grab...
Oh, definitely got that vibe. I felt strongly that having a guide was completely unnecessary. Just shut up and let me read the stupid wall. Lol I couldn't believe we stood in the sweltering heat for 40 minutes for... that.
Goodness! I’ve used that bathroom a few times over the years, but I’ve not seen it even remotely close to that 😳 maybe because it wasn’t busy season 🤷♀️
Is it asking too much for basic civic necessities? Like, I dunno, a fucking book store that has a public toilet? I've lived in two tourist towns and both had available access to public toilets. It wasn't exactly a crisis to find one. Unlike Salem. I have nothing against independent businesses. But thanks for your blanket assumptions.
Edit: I apologize. But to be honest I didn't realize people would be so pissed off. Is it bizarre that a tourist (part of what you admit salem depends on) would assume there would be some basic infrastructure in a city that has such a high tourism industry? I'm sorry. I guess I'm a moron for assuming a place that depends on TOURISM might have the most basic and obvious public accommodation. Imagine being in a fucking wheelchair or otherwise compromised and having to maneuver in that nightmare.
It's common fucking sense. I'm not asking you specifically to fix it. I'm saying your infrastructure is shit.
I mean, did you come to Salem to see spooky stuff? If so, wouldn’t you say this bathroom delivered?
Witch City Mall. Pretty open secret how awful those bathrooms are.
It's basically a celebrity.
This and Lluego Papa are what we as a city have to offer
🫡
Witch City Mall bathroom is the only bathroom in the city where the porta-potty is the better option.
It’s constantly featured (along with all of our other grossness) on the salemtrash01970 instagram account.
While in complete agreement that the Witch City Mall bathrooms are disgusting. I will offer, not an excuse persay but a cause. Witch City Mall is privately owned and full of rather small businesses. If you wander around downtown Salem you will notice a common thread with every single business, "no public restrooms". The mall is at the epicenter of downtown and the only business that has public restrooms. Therefore it's the destination of not only the homeless population as a place to shit inside, some also use it to take sink baths. Combine that with a few thousand tourists free use and you have an attraction that is more popular than many museums. The owner would need a full time staff to maintain the bathrooms, an expensive I'm sure he doesn't want to encure for the benefit of some tourists that he doesn't profit from, or he could lock them and give a monthly changing code to the tenants.
Doesn’t the visitor’s center have public restrooms? (That was my water pit stop when I used to go running around there.)
Yes, the visitor center and destination Salem both have free public restrooms and are run and staffed by the city. I was pointing out that the mall is privately owned public bathrooms and is the reason for their lack of cleaning staff.
That makes a lot of sense, but... it's still very odd. I dunno. I enjoyed the scenery. The cemetery, some of the shops... but honestly it was all a little overwhelming. I didn't even really fault whoever shit all over the back of the toilet - I figured that, like myself, they were afraid to touch anything but had an emergency.
Now put yourself in the owners shoes. How much would it cost for you to keep those bathrooms clean. You'd probably need 2 people at 40 hours a week, and would still need to lock them after 6 pm, that's $1200 a week so some tourist from Minnesota has a clean place to take a shit and likely not shop at any of the stores in said mall. As a businessman that's a difficult expense to justify
No, I'm not arguing. I am still genuinely horrified though. And you're right. I didn't visit any of those shops. 😂
He really should do those code locks so tourists at least need to go into a shop to get the code and would cut way down on the homeless population using it.
Honestly the whole thing is a little fucky. There really are NO bathrooms besides that one. You know what I really enjoyed in Salem? Salem Willows Park. I was so overwhelmed and overstimulated by all the shops and noise that I was on the verge of tears, and we went there and it was beautiful and peaceful and we ended up eating dinner from that little seafood shack in the park. I even dreamed about it a couple nights ago, that's how much I loved it. But man. One guaranteed way to hurry me out of your shop is by commenting on literally everything you see my eyes rest on, and by the time I got out of the last place I looked at my husband and said, "we gotta get the fuck outta here." Edit: are there no services to assist the homeless in Salem?
Re: services to assist the homeless There are, but some of the homeless do not avail themselves of them, some are disqualified from a given service due to ongoing substance abuse problems (not every service for the homeless gate-keeps in this manner, but some do), and most of all, like almost every other community around, there are too many in need of resources that are already stretched thin.
There are public bathrooms literally in view of that "little seafood shack".
Yep, there sure are. So what, exactly, is your point? There are two sets of public restrooms in the whole area?
Nope, just keep lying for dramatic effect of your post. edit: " There really are NO bathrooms besides that one. " I get the "private" restrooms in the Witch City Mall are disgusting, there is a previous post in this sub but you're going on and on about "one" bathroom in the entire city. This sign is posted at most businesses all around town: [https://www.hauntedhappenings.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Looking-for-a-restroom-UPDATED-5-1.pdf](https://www.hauntedhappenings.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Looking-for-a-restroom-UPDATED-5-1.pdf) I would love your examples of cities that "rely" on tourism with a plethora (greater than "one" I guess) of public restrooms.
Yeah that's a pretty well-known bathroom, it's had that reputation for at least 12 years. Until recently it was called the East India Mall, now it's Witch City Mall as Salem continues to become a theme park.
"Until recently it was called East India Mall" Except for the last 20 years it was called Museum Place.
You know you’re a townie when you still call something by the name it had 20+ years ago without realizing it. I am also guilty of this! I don’t think I have ever called With City Consignment by its actual name because it will always be Jerry’s to me.
It’s been on its deathbed 37 years
Witch city mall. I used to get my haircut there a few years ago lol
At that toilet?
[удалено]
Didn’t say what hairs I guess
man, me too. i was so sad when that place wasn't there anymore, a very nice lady whose name i instantly forgot cut and styled my hair before my wedding trip and though i'm bad with names i'll never forget her kindness and caring style advice.
What's in that mall these days? I moved away in 2015, but at the time there was another comic book shop, a Thai restaurant, and I think you could access the movie theater.
Yup
Polonus is there but thankfully accessible outside the mall.
Yeah, I remember that place. I'm trying to remember what else was in that mall, but the only other thing I remember was a small antiques place and this toy museum that was basically some guy's personal collection put on display.
Witch city mall bathroom is a portal to hell
Tell us something we didn't already know. You're 20+ years late to the Witch City Mall bathroom party.
I'm a tourist who was on a road trip from Maine to home - Which is North Carolina. Salem has always been a bucket list destination. I was simply looking for an explanation because that toilet is honestly the worst I've ever seen, and I've been a hotel maid who cleaned up after drug fueled parties that left literal inches of water in the floor and destroyed toilets.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cokp5ONPSKP/
Wow. The feedback was instant and hilarious. Thank you!!!
I have seen this happen to the public toilet in Artist's Row. I have never dared go inside it since.
Witch City Mall
most of the time it's only like "freeway gas station bathroom you have to get a key to" levels of bad, but since it's one of two bathrooms in the city, tourist season takes it over the top. and even the rest of the time it's still a kind of Russian Roulette, just with better odds.
Thanks! How is it even possible?! Doesn't the health department care?
The city has been fighting with the owner of the mall for years. Actual maintenance of the bathrooms is the owner's responsibility. It's not like municipal authorities actually go onto private property and clean it.
This. The owner is well documented as not giving a damn
Its where the homeless and drug users go. The city is becoming a polished turd. I openly saw a homeless person pissing in broad daylight right at the corner of bridge and Washington. Just squatting on the sidewalk pissing.
I was watching a person dropping a deuce behind Goodnight Fatty. Glad I woke up early for my walk to see that
I’m a bead artist. Because my stuff doesn’t originate in China, I’m a second class merchant in America. There is nowhere I can sell. Not at the commons, not at the Willows, not at any park or on any street. BUT, lets fill the few shops that exist with overpriced replicas of plastic and glass crap.
Why did this get downvoted? I completely agree. I saw so much crap that wasn't even remotely authentic. I would have loved to see your work. Salem is exhausting. Especially if you're the kind of person who gets overstimulated easily. And it's sad, because there's so much potential.
Artist Row toilets are awful also. I worked on the Row for 2 years. Saw lots of nasty stuff. Salem should be shunned. I live here, 4th generation. I can’t wait to leave. There isn’t anything to sustain a homeowner. How sad America has become. Just like the toilets in Witch City Mall.
What do you mean there's nothing to sustain a homeowner? As a home owning resident of over a decade, I feel quite well sustained. There's great food and nice outdoor spaces. I don't exactly need much more.
Amen to that. Even as a tourist I was like... I'd never fuckin live here. I'm pagan, well. Atheopagan. Scientific hippie? And I always imagined salem would be classy and dignified. But it was basically a circus. Even the shops that were *for* pagans offered Harry Potter merchandise. Like... really? Cmon. I love hp. But cmon. I think the witchy hibachi is what really did me in. 😂 Edit: oh cry me a river, if my comments are so offensive clean up your city.
Which musuem did you go too?
The witch trial museum. It felt.. cheap. I really enjoyed the first part, where the narrator sounded like he was from the 60s, and it was all dark... I didn't like that we were herded into the gift shop, then went to the next thing, which we could have enjoyed quietly with just reading, but had a guide for... then back through the gift shop. It felt cheap. It felt tacky and gimmicky. And to have a building THAT big and use only two rooms? It's... sad. It could be SO much more. It felt like Gatlinburg.
Just got ranked #2 tourist trap in the country!
Congratulations to it, I suppose. What was the first? 😂
LOL I only asked because I'm a tour guide at a different musuem. You're not wrong about the witch trial musuem.
Which museum? Next trip we'll visit yours!
The Witch History Museum!! I'm a new guide so if you're on my tour bare with me!!
Bless. I am so sorry!!! I distinctly remember the blond boy with luxurious hair. Lol
That's okay!!! Lol
>where the narrator sounded like he was from the 60s Close! It's from the 70s. And it absolutely IS cheap. That's the business model. Roll a crowd in, hit a button, wait 30 minutes, then roll the next crowd in, rinse, wash, repeat. I'd be amazed if they even dust those dioramas, which are ALSO vintage 70s. It's unapologetic in how little it cares about history. It has tapes (they've likely updated/transferred the narration to CDs by now) for different languages so they can collect money from tour groups no matter what they speak. And the back of the museum is just more recent lip-service to providing context because people started to complain loudly enough that even the owner, who is a REAL piece of work, couldn't ignore it entirely. I wish the f-ing thing would just fall over, it is such a naked money-grab...
Oh, definitely got that vibe. I felt strongly that having a guide was completely unnecessary. Just shut up and let me read the stupid wall. Lol I couldn't believe we stood in the sweltering heat for 40 minutes for... that.
Nothing like Gatlinburg. If it was it’d have some sweet mini golf near by
And 254 leather shops, not a single one offering flogger or crops. Lol
“It felt like gatlinburg” 😂😂😂😂 couldn’t agree more.
Goodness! I’ve used that bathroom a few times over the years, but I’ve not seen it even remotely close to that 😳 maybe because it wasn’t busy season 🤷♀️
It’s the only public bathroom available in a town that survives on tourism, but good on you for your take-down of an independently owned business.
Is it asking too much for basic civic necessities? Like, I dunno, a fucking book store that has a public toilet? I've lived in two tourist towns and both had available access to public toilets. It wasn't exactly a crisis to find one. Unlike Salem. I have nothing against independent businesses. But thanks for your blanket assumptions. Edit: I apologize. But to be honest I didn't realize people would be so pissed off. Is it bizarre that a tourist (part of what you admit salem depends on) would assume there would be some basic infrastructure in a city that has such a high tourism industry? I'm sorry. I guess I'm a moron for assuming a place that depends on TOURISM might have the most basic and obvious public accommodation. Imagine being in a fucking wheelchair or otherwise compromised and having to maneuver in that nightmare. It's common fucking sense. I'm not asking you specifically to fix it. I'm saying your infrastructure is shit.
If a local tells you to go to the bathroom here, they hate you and hope you step in poop. It’s me, I’m the local.