Uncomfortable Seating Insults My Intelligence

As we all know, restaurants and tourist attractions make their money by shuffling the maximum number of people through the premises while extracting money from them.  Profits are tied to the number of paying visitors.

In most places, you’ll find basic wood stools or other obviously uncomfortable accommodations, but some destinations try to hide the seating to prevent people from stopping.  For instance, check out this arrangement at Gaudi’s Park Guell in Barcelona:

Do you see anywhere to rest your tired feet after walking along that long and winding road?  Look closer:

Gaudi was a master, knowing full well that hiding the seats between the giant lanterns would discourage anyone from sitting on them.  And they look so much more comfortable than the standard cheap bench.

I’m sure your butt is just itching to try it out.

Of course, there’s another cause for that itch.  I like to call it subliminal anti-marketing.  What enters your mind when you look at this?

Why yes, there’s a cactus sprouting from the top of that lantern.  I sure hope those needles didn’t blow onto the benches.  If you didn’t already have hemorrhoids, a few needles might give you a good bout of them.

Moral of the story: The mark of true artists resides in their ability to incorporate profit-making motives into the smallest details of their work.