Like your DD, I often have need of a loo! Living in NYC has forced me to become more flexible in my usage, and I manage to make out just fine.

I would agree with the recommendations to stay away from Subway restrooms. They exist in about 50 of the stations, but are often locked and are in terrible condition. (the exception to this is in Times Square, where there is an attendant the bathrooms are cleaned by a private contractor).

Whenever you are on a street corner, you're guaranteed to see a Starbucks, Au Bon Pain, or other cafe/coffee shop/diner type place. Almost all of these will let you use the restroom.

Don't worry!

I like the idea. In fact, I think that every citizen should be required to let strangers use their home bathrooms. Better yet, require them to leave the house unlocked so that strangers might not be inconvenienced.

thank you happy train!

I have been to NYC a number of times in the last 12 months and dd was there with me in August but we managed with our hotel restrooms and the resturants we went to... but I was concerned *if I was on the subway and she decided she needed to use one I would simply walk her over to the closest one not knowing any better.

Thanks for all the feedback.

Book stores like Barnes and Nobles and Border's are always good options, too.

oh good one Greenhouse!!!

Didn't the city install some automated (self cleaning) "portables" awhile back.

I guess it didn't work out.

I have never heard anything so idiotic as making an analogy between a restaurant, bar making its facilities available in a time of need with a personal residence.

If they can do it in Toronto, they can do it in New York (and London and Paris and...)

Well, apparently, you're the only one

Apparently, you don't believe in private enterprise? There are costs involved with having a restroom. Whose paying the additional maintenance costs? Insurance?

Back to where to find bathrooms...

I highly recommend a trip to the Forbes Gallery, at Fifth Avenue and 12th Street. It's a great collection of toys and art.

But the best surprise there is the quality of the public bathrooms on the first floor. Marble facilities and gold fixtures! Pee like a capitalist!

Some day I hope those of you who think it is so terrible to have a law requiring restaurants, bars and hotels not to restrict use of their facilities to customers only have an urgent call of nature and get turned down till they soiled themselves and wonder why people are the way they are.

During one visit to NYC I was on crutches, non-weight bearing on my left leg. So, ok I got around but slowly. The biggest shock was how unaccessible a lot of places are in NYC were - especially restaurants in older buildings. The bathrooms often were down a flight of narrow stairs (dimly lit wasn't unusual) with no elevator. It gave me a real appreciation for what "accessible" means.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the bathrooms in Grand Central, they are clean, well maintained and well lit.

One of the city's best bathrooms is in the lobby of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in the Time Warner building - very elegant!

Some suggestion on this site....

http://www.thebathroomdiaries.com/us.../new+york.html

I agree the bathrooms at Grand Central are now fine to use.
When I was growing up in the Ct suburbs in the 1960's, my mother always used the bathroom at the adjacent Commodore Hotel (now Grand Hyatt) instead of GC
One time my sister almost got crushed in the revolving door when it went off its track as we were going through.

"get turned down till they soiled themselves and wonder why people are the way they are."

been there, done that, got the tshirt.

Saw a program about bathrooms on Modern Marvels (History Channel) last night. They pointed out that New York has about 3000 public toilets while Singapore, with a smaller population, has 30,0000. I'm not talking about restrooms in hotels or restaurants, just "public" as in available to anyone passing by with some loose change.

"about 3000 public toilets"

To me public means provided by a municipality. Like public school. Is this what they mean?

or open to the public. Like a restaurant is open to the public.

As vjp writes, "public" as in public school, "public" as in "open to the public", but there is also a third possibility, which is public, as in intended for use by the general public walking around the city and not housed within a private establishment, such as the JC Decaux "toilet kiosks" in San Francisco.