Only in America…
That’s what I thought when I heard that the bathroom stall made famous by U.S. Senator Larry Craig’s arrest in a sex sting has become a major tourist attraction in the Twin Cities.
According to employees at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, thousands of travelers have been taking pictures of the infamous site where the prominent lawmaker claimed he was merely trying to pick up a piece toilet tissue that fell to the ground.
The Idaho Republican was arrested June 11 by a Minneapolis airport police officer and later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct. Since then Craig has gone public saying his plea was a “mistake.” (His request to withdraw his guilty plea will be heard next week.)
Regardless, millions of people file through Minneapolis’ airport each day and many of them have been actively seeking out the now infamous restroom stall. In fact, airport workers say they have been inundated with requests by flyers as to how to get to the bathroom where Craig came into contact with the law enforcement officer.
(F.Y.I.–It’s located next to the Lottery shop, right next to the shoeshine shop.)
The owner of the shoeshine place told news reporters he must field at least six-dozen inquiries about the stall each day.
“People have been going inside, taking pictures of the stall, taking pictures outside the bathroom door — man, it’s been crazy,” he said.
The shoeshine shop owner added that some flyers visit the bathroom twice in one week—-once when they land in Minneapolis and once before departing on their return flight home.
If you think that’s wild wait until you hear what happened to the King of the Wild, animal expert Jack Hanna, during his recent visit to an Ohio airport.
According to airport officials in Ohio, the director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo had to be rescued by local firefighters after he and an 11-month-old flamingo became trapped in an airport turnstile.
Hanna was reportedly trying to squeeze through the turnstile with the animal when the bird, who was in a crate, got lodged in the turnstile.
“I never thought about the crate being square and the turnstile being round,” Hanna told rescue workers.
The 60-year-old animal lover who is a frequent guest on nationally televised talk shows, was returning from a zoo fundraiser with a mongoose, a small leopard and the flamingo this past weekend. However, when he and his travel companions arrived at the Ohio State University Airport just after midnight Sunday they discovered the terminal was closed. Hanna said the only way to leave the tarmac was through a 10-foot-tall metal turnstile with several horizontal bars, which wouldn’t have been so bad if it weren’t for the fact that he was traveling with boxed-up animals.
Hanna says he pushed the flamingo’s 2-foot-by-3-foot compartment into the turnstile, and then continued pushing while straddling the crate.
“I was stuck like a worm. My eyes were as big as grapefruits,” he said. “I can’t describe the feeling in my stomach. I can’t move up or down. The bars are on your face.”
According to Hanna, he was eventually able to squirm free, but had to leave the flamingo wedged inside (meanwhile everyone else was trapped on the tarmac) while he walked to a nearby fire station for help. It reportedly took three firefighters to hoist the flamingo’s crate up and out of the turnstile, he said.
The animal aficionado says he has learned an important lesson from the incident. He joked with news reporters that the next time he flies, the biggest animal he’ll bring is a gerbil.
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