Nothing can interrupt an intriguing afternoon spent wandering the streets of Manhattan quite like the frantic search for a restroom. Although NYC can’t boast an overabundance of these, with a little preparation you will be able to locate a restroom open to the public.
Instructions
1. Spend a little time preparing a credit-card sized list you can slide into your wallet. After reading through the information in this article, check out the sites listed in the Resources section and then type up a list of possibilities based on the areas of Manhattan you plan to visit.
2. Plan to take advantage of midtown stops of Rockefeller Center, the United Nations Building and Grand Central Station where there are multiple restrooms available, some around the clock.
3. Find the locations for the new glass and stainless steel toilet kiosks. You pay a quarter and an automatic sliding glass door opens and admits you for fifteen minutes. As these are a recent innovation for New York, you will probably need a little last minute online searching to find out the newest location.
4. Consider stopping by a police station. Officers will not bat an eye if you simply stop at the desk and make a request. People do it all the time.
5. Stop by a museum. Of course, all museums will have restrooms, but here are some with no admission charge:-Forbes Magazine Galleries 62 Fifth Avenue (at 12th Street)-Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology (Seventh Avenue at 27 Street)-National Museum of the American Indian-George Gustave Heye Center-Goethe Institut (across from the Metropolitan Museum (1014 Fifth Ave)-Sony Wonder Technology Lab (56th Street and Madison Avenue)
6. Stop by a department store or other large store. Here are a few possibilities:-Bloomingdales (59th and Lexington) -Macy’s Herald Square (34th and 35th on Broadway) -Barnes and Noble (various locations around the city)
7. Stop by a hotel. You won’t get past the doorman in many of these, but there are some where, if you are dressed reasonably well and look confidently as if you know where you’re going, you can just breeze on it and look for a sign somewhere near the lobby. Other extremely large hotels—like the Marriott Marquis in Times Square—are used to hordes of tourists streaming in and out. Check the websites in the Resources section for details, but here are a few ideas.
8. Stop by a restaurant—but be prepared to be refused admittance to a restroom with the caution “For customers only.” If you are desperate, of course, you can always become a customer, but if a café or deli has take-out you can just buy a single item and be on your way after your restroom stop. There are some exceptions, of course. Starbucks, located all over Manhattan, will usually have restrooms open to anyone.
Tags: have restrooms, Resources section