I hope you will indulge me for just a moment as I extol the virtues of the world's greatest water fountain. Now, I have to admit that I have not done an exhaustive search prior to bestowing such a designation on this particular spout, but I feel sure that it would be competitive for the title aside any other plumbing fixture you would care to name or describe. It sits in the first floor hallway of Hayes Hall on the south, or Main Street campus of my alma mater, the University of Buffalo (yes, I know that officially it is actually the University AT Buffalo, but any self-respecting native of Western New York should insist on using its pre-state-system-affiliation name). That's Hayes Hall in the shot above.
Here's a picture of the fountain. This particular fixture has been in the same place for at least 35 years, and I imagine even longer than that. I started hanging around the campus a bit when I was still in high school, and it was there then, dispensing its sweet, cold water whenever I needed refreshment. Typically I would need refreshment since I usually rode my bike to the campus (as I did this afternoon, for old times' sake), and the University is not only about a five mile ride from my parents' house, but sits at the top of a fairly steep hill covering the last three hundred yards or so of the ride. So, I'm generally ready for a drink when I get to the top of the hill. This fountain's water is always on (only once, when Hayes Hall was being renovated a few years ago did I discover it disconnected), always ice cold, and for some mysterious reason in light of its near perfect qualities, there is never a line. Even setting all that aside, it may be about the only thing, aside from the facades of several buildings, that remains virtually unchanged from my undergraduate days on that campus, and therefore never fails to provide a wistful tinge of nostalgia when I lean in for a satisfying draw on its sparkling water. It's kind of nice to have that experience every now and then-- the affirmation that some things can stay the same.
I hope you will indulge me for just a moment as I extol the virtues of the world's greatest water fountain. Now, I have to admit that I have not done an exhaustive search prior to bestowing such a designation on this particular spout, but I feel sure that it would be competitive for the title aside any other plumbing fixture you would care to name or describe. It sits in the first floor hallway of Hayes Hall on the south, or Main Street campus of my alma mater, the University of Buffalo (yes, I know that officially it is actually the University AT Buffalo, but any self-respecting native of Western New York should insist on using its pre-state-system-affiliation name). That's Hayes Hall in the shot above.
Here's a picture of the fountain. This particular fixture has been in the same place for at least 35 years, and I imagine even longer than that. I started hanging around the campus a bit when I was still in high school, and it was there then, dispensing its sweet, cold water whenever I needed refreshment. Typically I would need refreshment since I usually rode my bike to the campus (as I did this afternoon, for old times' sake), and the University is not only about a five mile ride from my parents' house, but sits at the top of a fairly steep hill covering the last three hundred yards or so of the ride. So, I'm generally ready for a drink when I get to the top of the hill. This fountain's water is always on (only once, when Hayes Hall was being renovated a few years ago did I discover it disconnected), always ice cold, and for some mysterious reason in light of its near perfect qualities, there is never a line. Even setting all that aside, it may be about the only thing, aside from the facades of several buildings, that remains virtually unchanged from my undergraduate days on that campus, and therefore never fails to provide a wistful tinge of nostalgia when I lean in for a satisfying draw on its sparkling water. It's kind of nice to have that experience every now and then-- the affirmation that some things can stay the same.
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