7 ms·

I've joked around with this idea before, except I called it Püber. In all seriousness, this is an issue I deal with frequently in NYC. I'm out and about in Man

by kyro 13y ago

I've joked around with this idea before, except I called it Püber. In all seriousness, this is an issue I deal with frequently in NYC. I'm out and about in Manhattan all day, get struck by the need to pee, and then run around trying to find any place with a restroom. Paying a buck or two would be a negligible cost if it meant immediate relief. If they expanded and got enough supply, I'd definitely use their service.

vrikis 13y ago
I went to visit NYC in 2012 and was so surprised by the lack of clean toilets around... I would've paid $5 for a good, CLEAN toilet. Usually I just go to Starbucks (works well in Europe), but I found them pretty horrible in NYC.. I'd use a service like this.
- garethsprice 13y ago
  McDonalds appears to have a policy of allowing non-customers to use their bathrooms too. Starbucks or McDonalds are my go-to toilets in NYC.
  - vrikis 13y ago
    Very true. If anyone ever comes to the UK, I find McDonalds to be amongst the cleanest toilets!
- aestra 13y ago
  I go to New York City all the time (but I don't live there) and I've never had an issue with finding a clean bathroom, ever. Boston is a different story though I've only been there a handful of times. Walk into Starbucks or McDonalds, always worked for me. Never had a cleanness problem. I usually only pee when I am in an establishment as a customer though.
memset 13y ago
somewhat-related: I recently learned that there are public restrooms in Penn Station! So if you're out and about in midtown, there's an option.
- yungether 13y ago
  Clearly you have not used the restrooms in Penn Station yet.
- krishy 13y ago
  I usually refer to this reddit thread for NYC bathrooms - http://www.reddit.com/r/nyc/comments/1q9pvh/secret_bathroom_spots/ http://www.reddit.com/r/nyc/comments/1q9pvh/secret_bathroom_...
- tdees40 13y ago
  Just to be clear, there are rooms that get peed in. Whether they meet the technical definition of "bathroom" is up in the air.
  - derekp7 13y ago
    So not all public facilities have a bathtub in them, is what you are saying?
    - tdees40 13y ago
      I'm saying that the bathrooms in Penn Station mostly consist of homeless people peeing on the walls.
- JeffJenkins 13y ago
  You're better off going to a hotel in terms of cleanliness, and they are located all over midtown. I've never been refused from a hotel when I searched for or asked where the restroom was
vqc 13y ago
If you're in NYC, you might want to check out http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2014/02/soon-youll-be-able-pay-use-luxury-bathroom-middle-nyc/8456/ http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2014/02/soon-.... At http://www.clnli.com http://www.clnli.com we're a big fan of the subscription idea. But we source our bathrooms differently.
morley 13y ago
I think there are a few restroom directories online. One of them (which I'm unaffiliated with) is Diaroogle.com.
mikeyouse 13y ago
I have a fairly small bladder and I like beer, coffee and soda, so I've had to develop a bit of expertise in this area. My standby move is to find a decently busy restaurant that's upscale enough to not have a lock on the bathroom like a big-city Starbucks / McDonalds. They'll almost always have a host / hostess stand at the front where people intercept you and prevent you from using their restroom unless you're a customer. So I've started just walking straight past the stand while 'scanning' the restaurant. If they slow you down (they probably will) to ask if they can help you, just tell them that you're meeting some people and are going to check if they've already been seated. Walk straight to the bathroom, do your business, and right back out the front. "I didn't see them, I'm going to wait outside." It's never failed me. Use responsibly.
- TheAnimus 13y ago
  Or be like plenty of places in Europe, chuck 50c in the basket outside the toilet. More if it's a number 2. Or if it was really clean. One of the worst moments I had was in a rural part of Belgium, I had a call of nature whilst in the cafe, after completion I realised I had no euros left. Walk of shame to my table, the waiter notices nothing went in the basket and says something about Englanders just loud enough for me to hear.
oh_sigh 13y ago
Protip: Find the neighborhood police station. It's free to use, and always very clean.
voltagex_ 13y ago
Try having the same issue on your first time in NYC, with the added difficulty of being in a wheelchair! I did, and I'd even pay a monthly fee for something like this if I could get at a list of confirmed wheelchair-accessible bathrooms.

by kyro 13y ago

vrikis 13y ago

I went to visit NYC in 2012 and was so surprised by the lack of clean toilets around... I would've paid $5 for a good, CLEAN toilet. Usually I just go to Starbucks (works well in Europe), but I found them pretty horrible in NYC.. I'd use a service like this.

garethsprice 13y ago
McDonalds appears to have a policy of allowing non-customers to use their bathrooms too. Starbucks or McDonalds are my go-to toilets in NYC.
- vrikis 13y ago
  Very true. If anyone ever comes to the UK, I find McDonalds to be amongst the cleanest toilets!
aestra 13y ago
I go to New York City all the time (but I don't live there) and I've never had an issue with finding a clean bathroom, ever. Boston is a different story though I've only been there a handful of times. Walk into Starbucks or McDonalds, always worked for me. Never had a cleanness problem. I usually only pee when I am in an establishment as a customer though.

memset 13y ago

somewhat-related: I recently learned that there are public restrooms in Penn Station! So if you're out and about in midtown, there's an option.

yungether 13y ago
Clearly you have not used the restrooms in Penn Station yet.
krishy 13y ago
I usually refer to this reddit thread for NYC bathrooms - http://www.reddit.com/r/nyc/comments/1q9pvh/secret_bathroom_spots/ http://www.reddit.com/r/nyc/comments/1q9pvh/secret_bathroom_...
tdees40 13y ago
Just to be clear, there are rooms that get peed in. Whether they meet the technical definition of "bathroom" is up in the air.
- derekp7 13y ago
  So not all public facilities have a bathtub in them, is what you are saying?
  - tdees40 13y ago
    I'm saying that the bathrooms in Penn Station mostly consist of homeless people peeing on the walls.
JeffJenkins 13y ago
You're better off going to a hotel in terms of cleanliness, and they are located all over midtown. I've never been refused from a hotel when I searched for or asked where the restroom was

vqc 13y ago

If you're in NYC, you might want to check out http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2014/02/soon-youll-be-able-pay-use-luxury-bathroom-middle-nyc/8456/ http://www.theatlanticcities.com/neighborhoods/2014/02/soon-.... At http://www.clnli.com http://www.clnli.com we're a big fan of the subscription idea. But we source our bathrooms differently.

morley 13y ago

I think there are a few restroom directories online. One of them (which I'm unaffiliated with) is Diaroogle.com.

mikeyouse 13y ago

I have a fairly small bladder and I like beer, coffee and soda, so I've had to develop a bit of expertise in this area. My standby move is to find a decently busy restaurant that's upscale enough to not have a lock on the bathroom like a big-city Starbucks / McDonalds. They'll almost always have a host / hostess stand at the front where people intercept you and prevent you from using their restroom unless you're a customer. So I've started just walking straight past the stand while 'scanning' the restaurant. If they slow you down (they probably will) to ask if they can help you, just tell them that you're meeting some people and are going to check if they've already been seated. Walk straight to the bathroom, do your business, and right back out the front. "I didn't see them, I'm going to wait outside." It's never failed me. Use responsibly.

TheAnimus 13y ago
Or be like plenty of places in Europe, chuck 50c in the basket outside the toilet. More if it's a number 2. Or if it was really clean. One of the worst moments I had was in a rural part of Belgium, I had a call of nature whilst in the cafe, after completion I realised I had no euros left. Walk of shame to my table, the waiter notices nothing went in the basket and says something about Englanders just loud enough for me to hear.

oh_sigh 13y ago

Protip: Find the neighborhood police station. It's free to use, and always very clean.

voltagex_ 13y ago

Try having the same issue on your first time in NYC, with the added difficulty of being in a wheelchair! I did, and I'd even pay a monthly fee for something like this if I could get at a list of confirmed wheelchair-accessible bathrooms.