I know this might sound strange but what are the facilities for public loos in New York city? Having had a weekend in Amsterdam - yuk, horrors and I never want to wee there again! - I would just like to know that, should the need arise - we will be able to find the "little girls room" and it will be a comfortable and as pleasant an experience as possible. Are there places we should avoid? i.e. like actual public loos and only use hotels and the like.

I eagerly await your responses!

Esme

All PUBLIC facilities; museums, tourist attractions, libraries, large department stores, gas/petrol stations, etc. will have FREE bathrooms.
Hotels, restaurants USUALLY limit use of restrooms to their paying guests. When you are thirsty and need to go, look for a 'fast food' chain eating place. Get a cold drink 'to-go' for $1 and use their facilities.
The trick is not to wait till the last minute, especially at major tourist attractions because there are usually lines -- especially in the womens.
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My personal travel tip for anywhere in the world: never pass up the opportunity to use a clean restroom!

Trump Tower 57th and 5th

Department stores are another good place to find restrooms. I had little trouble doing so at Macy's and K-Mart (both within a couple blocks of Penn Central Station) in New York City last month.

See the following comprehensive web site:

http://www.besttoilets.com/nyc/index.html

The best toilets Web site is great. Always keep an eye out for Barnes & Noble bookstores. They are my favorite choice for public bathrooms.

Trust my sister to get down to the nitty gritty of life!! Thanks for the tips though (fancy there being an actual website on loos!!) at least now we know where they are we probably won't need to at all, if you see what I mean. Do the loo doors still have a wide gap between the edge of the door and the frame? Macy's loos had them but that wasn't sooo bad because they faced a wall but in another area, on Long Island somewhere, there was a HUGE gap and we had to strategically position coats and bags!

Oops! Hi Gytha, forgot you must've "been" in NY when you went before. Well, these things need to be dealt with, epecially with my advanced years and Mazzrat in tow!

Thanks guys for all your tips, I will be able to "rest"room in peace! And not worry until I get there. I'm going to try the loo-site now - it sounds like an enlightening area!!

Err, Gytha, I just had another thought - you opened this question too and I hadn't told you I'd posted it!!! Gotcha!

A trick that usually works in NYC if you're really desperate and can't find a public toilet is go into a restaurant, put on your most desperate face and tell the people who work there you are pregnant and can't help it. Even the most hardened New Yorker usually caves to this!

Marlena

Ah ha! A good reason for me to keep eating chocolate until we go - then I may look pregnant too! At least with chocolate being the substitute for sex the chances of me ending up "that way" for real would be slim, even if I'm not!!

Thanks for the idea!

I've never been turned away from a hotel or restaurant (even in NYC) when I ask, politely of course, if I might use a restroom. And if the hotel is big enough, you can just walk in and no one really cares if you're using the restroom or not.