“Please, I really have to go.”
I watched my friend desperately plead her case to an employee inside a tea shop. The cashier looked at her sympathetically as he pointed to the bathroom located just a few feet away. It was fitted with a lock pad.
“I’m sorry. They’re for customers only,” he said.
That was the second time we had been turned down. After downing a cup of coffee, we were both in desperate need of a public bathroom, but those are rare to find.
Although other major cities around the world have already made restrooms readily available to the public, NYC residents are still begging Starbucks employees for bathroom access on a daily basis.
As a consequence of my constant search for a decent place to pop-a-squat, I’ve learned a few useful tricks that may be helpful if you ever find yourself in the same situation.
1. PUBLIC PARKS
Public park bathrooms aren’t exactly the cleanest, but they are free and conveniently dispersed throughout the city. A few notable ones include the facilities at Greeley Square and Bryant Park, which are gorgeously decorated with flowers. Bryant Park even has marble countertops and bathroom attendants who help keep the bathrooms clean.
For a full list of public park bathrooms, visit the Parks Department website here: nycgovparks.org/facilities/bathrooms.
Bathroom at Greeley Square (TOP); Ceiling inside (BOTTOM)
2. BIG STORES
In general, large bookshops, hotel lobbies and department stores have bathrooms that you can freely use without having to purchase something. Barnes & Noble, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Century 21, Apple stores and Macy’s are a few of your available options — if you can track them down.
Bathroom inside powerHouse Arena bookstore in DUMBO, Brooklyn.
3. TRANSPORTATION HUBS
Popular transportation hubs, such as Grand Central Terminal or Penn Station, usually have clean public bathrooms that can be found throughout the building and by the food courts.
4. APTs
Twenty automated public toilets are scheduled to be installed in all five boroughs, and a few are already open to the public. To use them, insert a quarter. That will grant you 15 full minutes of private access.
5. THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT
Believe it or not, there’s actually a mobile app that will help you track down the nearest public bathroom based on the criteria you set. Check out nyrestroom.com for a detailed map of accessible locations.
