Late Night Sightings

[gldenwetgoose 20,304]

As some people will know, I've recently been photographing a large international music festival which takes place in a UK city.  I work closely with the organisers to document the event which sees bands from all over the world (usually) playing at different venues across the city.  One such venue is a big old hotel which sort of acts as the epicentre for the event.

I'd been working from about 10am through to midnight, then had put camera batteries on charge, had a 'roadie shower' (squirt of deodorant and clean T-shirt) and headed to the bar where there was another three hours of music. There's literally dozens of people who know me one way or another and so plenty of people to have a drink with. That night was particular fun and somehow I found myself leaving at nearer 4am after a few pints of lager.

I'm a country boy these days and it's always a bit of a shock how busy the city is even at that time of night.  As I rounded the corner of the hotel towards the student tower block and my allocated room I walked past the queue for taxis.  Instantly my mind jumped to the accounts on here of late night desperation sightings and I wondered how much of it was going on.  The other thought that triggered it was the fullness in my own bladder in the cool night air - a comfortable level of fullness.

On a whim I turned around and decided to go on a quick round the block stroll.  Nothing as extensive as some of the experts here, and not putting myself at risk but a short amble before far too short a sleep and another long day.

I walked across the road from the hotel and weighed up my options. Lots of people were making their way across the brightly lit area in front of McDonalds, but I decided to head to the slightly older quarter of town - three or four streets running parallel with interconnecting streets between them. Lots of bars, clubs and restaurants and even at that time of the early hours lots of revellers about. Mostly young people either walking in small groups or as couples. A few girls clearly looking worse for wear walking on their own which was slightly worrying, but plenty of people about to hopefully keep an eye out.

As I walked fairly slowly I must admit I was enjoying a few of the sights passing me by.  Then I literally walked right past my first sighting - which I have mixed feelings about.  In front of me I noticed a woman sitting on a low brick wall with a guy standing over her.  Initial impression was maybe they were homeless or similar, they certainly weren't dressed to go to any of the trendy clubs. The woman had dark jeans on and was sitting leant forward, so all I saw was a bulky coat and curly hair.  As I got closer to pass by them on the pavement I noticed the signs of staining on the light coloured paving slabs, the shape of two rivulets from pretty much exactly where she sat. Now there was plenty of litter about, discarded soft drink cups and so on. As I passed by I glanced directly down and saw the pattern of wetness on the wall underneath her, evidently the source of the river across the pavement.

I say mixed feelings - the idea of a homeless person, maybe a drug or alcohol user being incontinent does nothing for me. But the sight of the puddle did trigger a certain thought. Had it been one of the many other people I walked past and had they not been too traumatised by their 'oopsie' moment that would have been entirely different.

Carrying on past I walked up and down a couple of streets, rapidly thinking it was well past bedtime and a busy day ahead. I'd walked past a couple of guys standing in shop doorways for a piss, and my bladder now was telling me it wanted relief too. I turned off one of the streets onto a smaller side street and spotted an alley way behing the shops with a row of large wheeled bins (dumpsters). I nipped behind one, unzipped and started to release a fairly powerful arc onto the ground.  Knowing that over the top of the bin I could see people walking past on the main street was quite exciting.  As I was finishing a small group of guys turned into the road, one of them also taking a pee just against the side of the building.

Once feeling much relieved I walked up the road before turning around to walk back to my room. As I passed my alleyway I glanced down it and spotted two figures further down it in the darkness. It was pretty much pitch black where they were and rather than venture into the dark I walked on a little, pausing and casually looking at my phone (even though its battery had died an hour or so earlier).  Sure enough in a minute or so, two young ladies in their 20's emerged and walked back towards the main street.  There's no guarantee they went down there for a wee in the concealing darkness of the alleyway, but it does seem the most likely explanation.

So - nowhere near as exciting or prolonged as some of the expert spotters, but still a pleasant walk and an even more pleasant pee in the busy city.

 

[Kupar 12,536]

Thanks for this Goose - sounds a good way to spend a few minutes at the end of a looong working day 🙂

[Alfresco 11,017]

Thanks @gldenwetgoose, glad to see that you managed to get a bit of the action - although I'm sure that if you'd spent a bit longer walking around then you would have seen plenty more.  Having said that, I fully understand the need for getting to bed after a long day and knowing that you need to get up in the morning.  I've had a few times where I've kept saying to myself "just another half an hour" or "I'll go after the next sighting" or similar things and ended up not getting to bed until 3am and only getting 3 hours sleep.   It takes a few days to catch up after that as I'm getting a bit older!

I agree that seeing people who are homeless peeing outside is a mixed feeling event - they are peeing there because they don't have access to a toilet, not because they have drunk too much and are passed caring.   I have seen this a few times and I always feel saddened that they are in that position - but I do still enjoy the view to an extent.

It was almost definite that the two girls down the alley had gone for a pee - not many other reasons for going and hiding in a dark area.