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I do want to make one other point- NYC DOES have a lot of public bathrooms. You guys just might not realize it because they're all in the parks/playgrounds, and not right there on the streets.
So what you are saying is, the 1 million people or so roaming around Times Square should either go to Central Park to use the restroom (good luck finding it in the park), or maybe the 2 stalls in Bryant Park? They can also walk to Madison Square Park and use the 1 pay toilet!
NYC does have a lot of public bathrooms in places nobody can use them.
You can walk into any hotel in Times Square and use their immaculate bathrooms. Stop at the hotel bar while you're at it.
An idea for the city to provide legit public bathrooms would be to grant a modest zoning bonus to developers who provide and maintain them in their new buildings. This is how those semi-public plazas (POPS) in front of private buildings work, and there are dozens of those.
I do want to make one other point- NYC DOES have a lot of public bathrooms. You guys just might not realize it because they're all in the parks/playgrounds, and not right there on the streets.
That's what I'm saying. Especially in a place like NYC where even at the Mandarin Oriental you could be a tourist wearing jeans and a t shirt to go out and about. If the hotel staff stopped every single person that came in the door that hotel would go out of business.
There are plenty of bathrooms around, like others have said, they're not on the streets. There are bathrooms in most of the super markets and big box stores - Whole Foods, Pathmark, Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, Macy's, the Big Kmart, Barnes & Noble, the Container Stores, Bloomingdale, Rockefeller Center basement level (where the fast-food restaurants are), Crate & Barrel, West Elm, the Apple Store, Starbucks, etc. You just need to know where to look.
This is not a NYC problem, you will find this problem in many major cities around the world.
Without public bathrooms Starbucks has been the go to spot in NYC.... only if you really are desperate it's not fun to be standing in line behind 15-20 people.
I have a mental map of spots to go to in nearly every neighborhood in Manhattan. There was a great website that listed every non crowded and clean bathroom you could use in Manhattan (ironically it was inspired by George's list of the best bathrooms in Manhattan from Seinfeld) but it shut down.
For hotels walk in like you are a guest there, no one has ever stopped me at the at upscale hotels or department stores. Bryant Park has a nice public bathroom I can think of (it also staffed by people who clean it and is shockingly nice) As other said many NYC parks have public bathrooms but some of them can be a bit sketchy...
Quote:
Originally Posted by vision33r
don't share bathroom locations on the internet
It's kind of like telling everyone about your favorite neighborhood spot to grab coffee or dinner, the owner will love you spreading the word for them but some regulars wouldn't be so happy. Happened to the Crate & Barrel at Houston and Broadway; which was a secret spot (the bathrooms are somewhat hidden in the back) word got out and now it's becoming like a Starbuck's.
Can you really walk into a hotel and use their bathrooms?
BTW, public bathrooms aren't really common in other American cities either. It isn't just a NYC problem.
NYC should pass a law requiring eating establishments that have a certain number of seats allow the public to use its bathrooms.
I worked in a hotel business for 2 years. In our hotel as long as you came in, said hello and informed us, you were allowed to use the bathroom as pleased.
PLEASE stop claiming there are plenty of bathrooms in NYC..WE GET IT...just look at all the apt buildings..PLENTY OF BATHROOMS. But that is not what this thread is about and simply a deflection from the basic and simple question: Where are the PUBLIC bathrooms. It is irrelevent whether you can sneak into a Pathmark, Hotel, Target, McDonalds, or any other PRIVATE establishment....these are for customers. People have to use those bathrooms BECAUSE there are no public bathrooms around.
Stop listing every business in NYC that has bathrooms for employees and customers!!!!!!
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