Staten Island Ferry Bathroom

I've been very lucky this fall; I have had a host of visitors! My family was here in October, my best friend from college, Loni, was here a couple weekends ago and my brother spent this holiday weekend with me. What does this mean? It means spending a lot of days sightseeing and wandering around the city. This also means a lot of public bathroom use. Yesterday, Will and I took a ride on the Staten Island Ferry. I've never done this before. It's free! So, if you are looking for a great and free way to see the harbor, this is definitely worth checking out. While there isn't much to do on the other side of the trip (meaning in Staten Island), there are certainly great views of the harbor and Manhattan from the ferry ride AND from the island itself. Will and I had a great $6 burger at a diner (Klipper's?) across from the ferry's terminal in Staten Island.

Not only does the ferry provide you with a great view of the harbor and the Statue of Liberty, the terminal has a pretty nice, clean bathroom. The terminal is located at South Ferry. You can take the N or 1 train down to Whitehall Station and the terminal is literally across a plaza.

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While I have not spent a lot of time downtown Manhattan, there are a plethora of activities for tourists. Battery Park, the boats to Ellis and Liberty Island and Ground Zero are all located within walking distance of the terminal. There are also some museums to check out and of course Wall Street is nearby. And yes, if you are wondering, there are probably public bathrooms near Battery Park, however, I am positive that they are as dirty as the park itself.

So, if you are in the mood for a boat ride that won't cost you an hours worth of work, then try the Staten Island Ferry. And, if you need to use the restroom, the terminal provides a great and sanitary option.

Later,

AEO

If you are interested in the ferry, check out this website.

http://www.siferry.com/SIFerry_Schedules.aspx

The Time Warner Center

I'll start off with a confession; I have a small bladder. Anyone who knows me personally can attest to this very annoying fact. Long car rides, airplane trips and Broadway shows make me anxious. The thought of not being able to get to a bathroom, or being trapped in a situation in which one is not available, makes me nuts. I also live in the greatest city in the world, New York. I spend a lot of time bumming around this fabulous city and have therefore come up with a unique set of helpful information. In pretty much any area of the city, I can tell you where there is a clean and usable bathroom.

After considering this knowledge, I decided to share it with the world. This blog will locate clean and usable bathrooms around the city and discuss the area in which the bathroom is found. It will be a travel guide of sorts. Thus the title, New York City: Bathroom to Bathroom.

And now for the bathroom which started it all...drumroll please! The Time Warner Center! Located at 59th Street on the West Side of the Park, it houses some of the nicest public bathrooms. When I first moved to New York in 2007, the Time Warner Center (or Columbus Circle) was one of my favorite places in the city and it remains so today. I know it's touristy, but it's so pleasant!

The bathrooms: There are several options in this center to choose from in this urban mall. There are public bathrooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors. There are two sets of bathrooms on the 2nd floor which I frequent often. They are clean, well kept and have TV's in the mirrors! There are also bathrooms at Border's and in the basement inside of Whole Foods. The bathroom in Whole Foods is nice because there is organic soap, however, there is usually a long line. The bathrooms on the upper floors rarely have a line.

While the mall itself boasts an array of shopping, the area around it is even nicer. The entrance to Central Park is directly across the street and Lincoln Center is a short walk north on Broadway. If you continue north on Broadway, you will run into my favorite theater in the city, Lincoln Square which is on 68th and Broadway. If you walk east along Central Park South, you will hit the Plaza Hotel, Tiffany's and the MoMa. There are also a variety of restaurants in the area, but you may have to wander a bit to find them. One of my favorites: Nanoosh, a hummus bar on Broadway and 69th Street.

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Thus begins my guide to New York. As I've said, I know where the bathrooms are and am willing to share. Hope you enjoy!

Until next time,

AEO