Pishers' Guide to Ariel #1, Good Deal in "Supersol Deal"

This is a continuation of my public service posts, which review public toilets. Originally I titled the page "Pishers' Guide to Jerusalem," but now the ongoing series is called "Pishers' Guide to Jerusalem & Beyond."

Last week I had some time to spare in the new Ariel mall, which is across the road from the Ariel University. And I've already blogged about the dangerous situation due to the lack of a proper sidewalk. Besides that, there's a lovely health food store and a branch of the BIGA dairy restaurant chain.

The Ariel Mall is also very close to the various bus stops and hitchhiking posts in all directions, Tel Aviv, Shomron, Binyamin, Petach Tikvah and more, so convenient public toilets are extremely necessary. I wandered around the multistory shopping complex -it's an "open Mall," more like a modern version of a shopping center/strip mall. Usually I'm pretty good at finding public toilets, but besides at the not fully open gas station, I found nothing.

In my experience clinics and supermarkets always have public toilets. Since there was no clinic, I went to the "Super Sol Deal" and cased the "periphery." The WC won't be in the middle of the store, right? Success!

clean and equipped

This "Super Sol Deal" loo is nicer than most I've seen in restaurants.

I was also very impressed by the supermarket, layout, prices etc. No doubt that it's competing with Rami Levi, which is at the other end of Ariel.  For those of us in northern Binyamin, this is very good news. Ariel University and the mall are a lot closer than Sha'ar Binyamin. Besides the two malls in Ariel, there's an old "industrial zone" with lots of stores and other shopping areas. The Ariel malls have many of Israel's popular chains, which aren't yet in Sha'ar Binyamin. One needs to travel to Pisgat Zeev for them.

For those of us in Shiloh, there are two supermarkets to shop in, so if that's all you're looking for, there's no need to travel.

In terms of public toilets, this one in Ariel is the nicest.

Pishers' Guide to Jerusalem #31, Good Deal in "Supersol Deal," Givat Shaul

This is a continuation in my ongoing series about public toilets in Jerusalem. See #30, #29, #28, #27, #26, #25, #24,  #23, #22, #21, #20, #19, #18, #17, #16, #15a, #15, #14, #13, #12, #11, #10, #9, #8, #7, #6, #5, Saved by The First Station aka #4a, #4, #3, #2 and #1.

One night after attending a funeral in Har Hamenuchot Givat Shaul, I needed a WC 00 ASAP. Actually there are public toilets at the cemetery, but since I had a ride out, and the public transportation is infrequent at best...

My companion and I found ourselves on the main drag of Givat Shaul, by all the stores, offices and restaurants. We walked quite a distance looking for a restaurant open for dinner besides a public toilet. The usually bustling street looked more like Brigadoon as the mist covers before its long hibernation.

Getting rather desperate, I entered open the branch of Supersol Deal, since I have discovered that all the supermarkets in Jerusalem have public toilets. Most are hidden, like this one is, in the back storage area. Even though there were a few signs, I asked an employee, since I didn't want to waste time.


As I approached the welcome facilities, I saw a worker washing the floor. He asked that I wait until he finished, so I wouldn't slip on the wet floor.

The fact that the area smelled clean helped me wait patiently. I was happy to see that the public toilet, which no doubt is for the staff as well as the public, had paper and soap. It was in better shape than many restaurant loos.

I told the worker that I'd be writing it up and giving them high marks.

I did feel a bit guilty about using the facilities without purchasing anything. Unlike many (or most) restaurants, never has a supermarket told me that their restrooms are for paying customers only, nor do they charge an entrance fee.

If you have any locations, recommendations, warnings concerning public toilets, please let me know in the comments.