Great research and information. I have a category to add. Luxury Hotel Bathrooms. The Four Seasons on 57th between Fifth and Madison was always my "go-to." But you can also use the Pierre (say it aloud) on 61st and Madison.
Walk in as if you're staying there and you won't be stopped.
These surveys are great. My brother and son did a Philly Cheesesteak survey fro a number of years. They awarded a plaque to the winner.
David, I am very surprised that these fancy hotel lobby bathrooms are available to the public! I am going to give this a try. If they stop me I'll just say "David sent me."
Thanks for this important public service. In the future — if there is a future — you might want to include exterior shots of the buildings, plazas, atriums, etc. so that those of us in need and under pressure can triangulate quickly. And since it’s the holiday season you might want to add department store bathrooms to your portfolio. Then again, you’ve already gone above and beyond the call of doody.
OMG That is the worst pun I've heard in a long time, Mr. Gardner. You win!
If you want to take the trouble, the spreadsheet I linked to has links for each site to a full description and photos of the plazas, atrias etc. put together by APOPS (Advocates for Privately-Owned Public Spaces) and the Municipal Art Society of NY.
Try NYC public bathrooms and they will dynamically display -- before Google Maps there was Google Earth which was a mix of public / private and there were a RIDICULOUS # of layers you could turn on turn off -- crazy hobbyists used to draw digital diagrams of buildings and you could overlay them on a cityscape and they often allowed you to "walk in" -- lots of crazy hobbies in this world. I think the bathrooms are tied to reviews believe it or not :) I think Google has kinda turned this into an advertising thing with Google Reviews. This query should work.
I am not surprised our intrepid reporter who polished her skills with the Cheektowaga Times would tell us more than some Google map :) Now some propaganda from Minnesota. This is a well known women's bathroom built along one of the chain of lakes parks in Minneapolis. It was built in 1892 -- yep a fireplace in the anteroom :) https://www.reddit.com/r/Minneapolis/comments/1ek0hlh/nicest_public_restroom_on_earth/
I bet b/c a California company I suppose. I have a 2nd cousin who lost their home near Santa Barbara about five years ago. She described it being a very fast path from yeah fire to wow we gotta get out of here. Just a guess though.
Today’s spit-take chuckle was brought to me by “A tall stack of toilet paper atop the sink adds a touch of whimsy”. Who knew? Such an informative account. And honestly, what good is a bathroom with a mirror if it doesn’t have flattering lighting?
55 comments in, and not one mention of you casually deploying the P-word into this survey? This is the first time I have seen or heard of the word pudic. Now that I know what it means, you can be sure I will be doing my best to drop into casual conversation around the Thanksgiving table later this week.
Also, I recently downloaded the FLUSH app which uses GPS to show all public bathrooms in your vicinity—game changer.
There's brand new public bathrooms in a new office building in the city here (Adelaide, Australia) so I was pleased to take a friend on a tour recently She works nearby but didn't know about them. Definitely my pick as they're clean although last time I ducked under the "Closed for Cleaning" sign which was up too long.
But what you reminded me about was a public bathroom stop on the bus from Addis Ababa to Hawassa (in Ethiopia) which I've done a few times though not lately. The bus pulls up in the middle of nowhere and men go to one side of the road, women to the other. Best to be wearing a skirt but I never remembered...
My superpower is the ability to not pee for about 24 hours. ( yes I hydrate but I perfected this in medical residency when I had no time for a bathroom break). It has served me well over the years. But now that I know there are 4 ⭐️ star glam toilets in NY, I may have to just check it out the next time I visit. This is truly a public service. I feel bad for people to “have to go” and might encounter the no fun, no TP, no nice smell, scary 😱 ones. Thank you, Anne.
24-hour Toni! That is amazing. Now I am curious. It sounds like you trained yourself? Is that really possible? I am going to see what ChatGPT has to say about this...
OMG ChatGPT just explained "bladder training" to me. It's a thing!
I'm tempted to enter a rabbit hole of photo archives to find the one I took in the Addis Ababa airport with signage demonstrating that the toilet was not to be used for bathing.
Anne, once again, it was a riot to tag along with you. Wait, do I have toilet paper stuck on the heel of my shoe? Thank you for sharing your marvelous musings in 3D and 2-ply.
This is ACTUALLY VERY helpful for the many people (like Bike Messengers or political canvassers [are there any in Manhattan?], food vendors, or others who work in NYC all day without facilities.
The best semi-public bathrooms I’ve found in Manhattan are inside of Restoration Hardware at 9 9th Ave because each bathroom is an ad for the luxury materials they sell!!!
Clearly you are flush with the success of Cafe Anne when you are able to involve bi-coastal participants in such a pisser of a survey.
I've expected for awhile that broadcast bathroom tissue ads will involve live human displays, and I think this edition of Cafe brings us one frightening step closer to that reality!
What fun! Well, maybe not quite that high a rating, but definitely a solid four stars. Thank you all for going above and beyond. An interesting read despite the topic!
I wish I could have shared this with my friend before he (dressed in full Harry Potter outfit, mind you) peed in public (with immigrant families walking by, stunned) in Times Square!
This newsletter is a public service!
Haha thank you Amelia!
100% agree!
Great research and information. I have a category to add. Luxury Hotel Bathrooms. The Four Seasons on 57th between Fifth and Madison was always my "go-to." But you can also use the Pierre (say it aloud) on 61st and Madison.
Walk in as if you're staying there and you won't be stopped.
These surveys are great. My brother and son did a Philly Cheesesteak survey fro a number of years. They awarded a plaque to the winner.
David, I am very surprised that these fancy hotel lobby bathrooms are available to the public! I am going to give this a try. If they stop me I'll just say "David sent me."
You always look chic in all black. I bet they won't stop you.
We'll see. I am for sure going to try this for next week's issue. So fun! Is there a third lobby you'd recommend? Three would be better than two.
St. Regis on 55th just off Fifth is somewhere I’ve used before.
Thank you CL! I'll include that in my itinerary!
Thanks for this important public service. In the future — if there is a future — you might want to include exterior shots of the buildings, plazas, atriums, etc. so that those of us in need and under pressure can triangulate quickly. And since it’s the holiday season you might want to add department store bathrooms to your portfolio. Then again, you’ve already gone above and beyond the call of doody.
OMG That is the worst pun I've heard in a long time, Mr. Gardner. You win!
If you want to take the trouble, the spreadsheet I linked to has links for each site to a full description and photos of the plazas, atrias etc. put together by APOPS (Advocates for Privately-Owned Public Spaces) and the Municipal Art Society of NY.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CCJWGLwa7YM60I9BzAJ_lgCCwDvd1zJVVFu7GgJ7-Q8/edit?gid=0#gid=0
Anne -- is your list of bathrooms included on the public bathroom layer on Google Maps or are these quasi-public-private?
I did not know of the public bathroom layer on Google Maps, Mr. Dolan. Looking now!...
Okay I am seeing a "wildfires" layer (which strikes me as weird as how often is that a worry?) and a "traffic" layer but no bathroom layer.
Try NYC public bathrooms and they will dynamically display -- before Google Maps there was Google Earth which was a mix of public / private and there were a RIDICULOUS # of layers you could turn on turn off -- crazy hobbyists used to draw digital diagrams of buildings and you could overlay them on a cityscape and they often allowed you to "walk in" -- lots of crazy hobbies in this world. I think the bathrooms are tied to reviews believe it or not :) I think Google has kinda turned this into an advertising thing with Google Reviews. This query should work.
https://www.google.com/maps/search/NYC+Public+Bathroom
Thank you Mr. Dolan. The map appears to include just a couple of the restrooms in our survey.
I am not surprised our intrepid reporter who polished her skills with the Cheektowaga Times would tell us more than some Google map :) Now some propaganda from Minnesota. This is a well known women's bathroom built along one of the chain of lakes parks in Minneapolis. It was built in 1892 -- yep a fireplace in the anteroom :) https://www.reddit.com/r/Minneapolis/comments/1ek0hlh/nicest_public_restroom_on_earth/
I bet b/c a California company I suppose. I have a 2nd cousin who lost their home near Santa Barbara about five years ago. She described it being a very fast path from yeah fire to wow we gotta get out of here. Just a guess though.
Thanks
Today’s spit-take chuckle was brought to me by “A tall stack of toilet paper atop the sink adds a touch of whimsy”. Who knew? Such an informative account. And honestly, what good is a bathroom with a mirror if it doesn’t have flattering lighting?
Right? The WHOLE POINT of a mirror is to remind me how great I look!
There is a restaurant here (Boston) that has a mirror that reads “you look great today”
Now we're talkin' Felicia!
Public bathroom mirrors should be (1) shatterproof (2) make you look skinny -- really a thing :) (3) explosion proof for the super rich
55 comments in, and not one mention of you casually deploying the P-word into this survey? This is the first time I have seen or heard of the word pudic. Now that I know what it means, you can be sure I will be doing my best to drop into casual conversation around the Thanksgiving table later this week.
Also, I recently downloaded the FLUSH app which uses GPS to show all public bathrooms in your vicinity—game changer.
Oh Mr. Stephenson, THANK YOU for noting. You really are the best.
Please update me on your Thanksgiving conversation adventure.
I'm already having second thoughts...
There's brand new public bathrooms in a new office building in the city here (Adelaide, Australia) so I was pleased to take a friend on a tour recently She works nearby but didn't know about them. Definitely my pick as they're clean although last time I ducked under the "Closed for Cleaning" sign which was up too long.
But what you reminded me about was a public bathroom stop on the bus from Addis Ababa to Hawassa (in Ethiopia) which I've done a few times though not lately. The bus pulls up in the middle of nowhere and men go to one side of the road, women to the other. Best to be wearing a skirt but I never remembered...
OMG I love the fact that although there is no bathroom, there is a Suggested Peeing Area (SPA). Imagine the bus is in between to shield the view?
Definitely.
SPA!
My superpower is the ability to not pee for about 24 hours. ( yes I hydrate but I perfected this in medical residency when I had no time for a bathroom break). It has served me well over the years. But now that I know there are 4 ⭐️ star glam toilets in NY, I may have to just check it out the next time I visit. This is truly a public service. I feel bad for people to “have to go” and might encounter the no fun, no TP, no nice smell, scary 😱 ones. Thank you, Anne.
24-hour Toni! That is amazing. Now I am curious. It sounds like you trained yourself? Is that really possible? I am going to see what ChatGPT has to say about this...
OMG ChatGPT just explained "bladder training" to me. It's a thing!
I need to learn this
I'm tempted to enter a rabbit hole of photo archives to find the one I took in the Addis Ababa airport with signage demonstrating that the toilet was not to be used for bathing.
Anne, once again, it was a riot to tag along with you. Wait, do I have toilet paper stuck on the heel of my shoe? Thank you for sharing your marvelous musings in 3D and 2-ply.
Very glad you enjoyed, Jules. And of course you were with me the whole time!
This is ACTUALLY VERY helpful for the many people (like Bike Messengers or political canvassers [are there any in Manhattan?], food vendors, or others who work in NYC all day without facilities.
The best semi-public bathrooms I’ve found in Manhattan are inside of Restoration Hardware at 9 9th Ave because each bathroom is an ad for the luxury materials they sell!!!
Will check that out for sure, Cara!
Best phrase - "a stack of toilet paper on the counter add a touch of whimsy."
I will now always check out the whimsical nature of good old TP!
Clearly you are flush with the success of Cafe Anne when you are able to involve bi-coastal participants in such a pisser of a survey.
I've expected for awhile that broadcast bathroom tissue ads will involve live human displays, and I think this edition of Cafe brings us one frightening step closer to that reality!
The end times are near if an advertisement decides to present the merits of folding vs bunching. Oh the horror
OMG the bad jokes coming out of this issue are a fitting pun-ishment, for sure.
Love the TP idea, Chris!
There is nothing better than a full stall door.
It's very weird, Nicole, that this is a recent invention. WHY has it been okay all this time for us to spot each other in the stalls?
It is so weird.
What fun! Well, maybe not quite that high a rating, but definitely a solid four stars. Thank you all for going above and beyond. An interesting read despite the topic!
Despite the topic. Haha, thank you Beth!
I wish I could have shared this with my friend before he (dressed in full Harry Potter outfit, mind you) peed in public (with immigrant families walking by, stunned) in Times Square!
So funny SC. We all need a friend like this. Maybe?
anytime there's a spreadsheet I know I'm in for a treat. Wonderful!
Ah, a fellow traveler!
Also your spreadsheet is very impressive and fascinating! I am not seeing link to atrium photos tho. 🤷🏻♀️
Thankl you! You can click on the address link at the top of each column.