Today, Redditors are taking on the controversial and, how shall we put this delicately....somewhat graphic issue of public urination. The spirited debate centers around whether or not New York should install public urinals in areas with a lot of bars, a la Amsterdam or Brussels. So...should we? more ›

Earlier today, we mentioned probably the most bizarre happening in last night's gubernatorial debate: GOP candidate Carl Paladino's grand exit in the middle of the closing statements to find himself a bathroom. And like the professional crazy person he is, he showed no remorse over the gaffe. He said in a radio interview, “Eh, stuff happens in life. What are you going to do?" When asked how bad he had to go, Paladino replied "Oh, my God," so good to know he'd only disrespect his fellow candidates over a real emergency. more ›

amNY visited all of the subway system's 129 bathrooms, reporting, "Many of the 129 restrooms in 77 of the system’s stations are overflowing with filth — if they are still open at all... Odors from the Astoria-Ditmars Blvd. station on the N caused an amNewYork reporter to feel faint during a recent visit." Specifically, at that station: "The smell of waste in this station was intolerable, plus the ceiling leaked." When you throw in regular eau de subway—shiver. more ›

Commuters on the Staten Island Ferry fear that without bathroom attendants the facilities will go from sparkling to unsightly, especially during weekend "drunk boat" hours. At a budget hearing yesterday the Department of Transportation announced it would eliminate the jobs of eight women's room matrons and a dozen deckhands that clean the men's rooms, reports the Advance. Though the attendants cost the city $1.4 million per year, ferry passengers were distressed by the decision. "There's going to be drunk people in here and a mess," said Jessica Sosa of Dongan Hills. more ›

While those space age automated public toilets—or A.P.T.s, as they're known in the business—have been getting all the attention lately, one atavistic bathroom experience is still quietly savored by the public at Herald and Greeley Squares. It involves actual human attendants, who clean and inspect the restrooms 15 to 25 times a day. Their continued employment is sort of a John Henry victory over the rise of the machines that will soon be operating every train, controlling every taxi, and flushing every toilet. more ›

Noooo! When the old sheepfold occupied by Tavern on the Green is taken over by a new operator in January, the notoriously mediocre tourist trap will lose the one thing that justified its existence: immaculately maintained public restrooms. The alternative, for the uninitiated, is the gross public restroom in Sheep Meadow, but since the '70s Tavern's facilities have served as a idyllic alternative. A spokeswoman for Tavern tells the Times, "We’ve always had the position we’re on public land, so certainly the bathrooms are open to the public." The new leaseholder, Dean J. Poll, who runs the Central Park Boathouse, isn't such a populist, but he actually spins the upcoming privatization as a thoughtful gesture for the bathroom-starved rabble: "Going past the bride or groom or people dressed to go to dinner, maybe that’s not what someone wants to do, and feels uncomfortable about it." Also, he adds, "the people in the restaurant feel uncomfortable." Good Heavens, Thurston, hoi polloi are in the powder room wearing short pantaloons! As a sop to the masses, Poll promises to construct a food concession stand outside the building with public restrooms, but nothing will ever, ever replace the satisfaction of using Tavern for its toilets. more ›

Anyone who’s ever declared, “You couldn’t pay me to eat at Caliente Cab Company” should consider the case of Khadijah Farmer, whose humiliating experience at the West Village tourist trap netted her $35,000 today. While patronizing the restaurant after the Gay Pride parade last year, Farmer was ousted from the ladies room by the bouncer, who interrupted her while she was on the toilet because he thought she was a he. more ›

The 61-year-old Stamford, CT man accused of sexually abusing three children in two different Brooklyn park bathrooms begged for mercy as he was being apprehended, but pleaded not guilty in front of a judge. Michael Martin was arrested after allegedly molesting three children at two Brooklyn parks. After the second incident, Martin was quickly caught by civilian patrol officers at the park and begged them not to call the police. He allegedly yelled, "I know what I did! I'll seek professional help!" more ›

A 61-year-old man from Stamford, CT, Michael Martin, was arrested Thursday afternoon after he allegedly abused three children at two separate restrooms in Brooklyn parks. The first incident occurred at a park in Gravesend, Brooklyn Thursday, when Martin is accused of following an 8-year-old girl and a 4-year boy into a public restroom where he sexually assaulted them. Later, he is accused of attacking another 8-year-old girl in the bathroom of a Kensington, Brooklyn park. Cops say that Martin ran off on both occasions when the children began to cry. more ›

The hunt for a bathroom in Central Park gets even more desperate for the next week, as a troupe of Irish actors have commandeered the public bathrooms in Central Park's Bethesda Terrace to present their play Ladies & Gents. The noir thriller is acted out near the sinks and urinals, while audience members pay $25 a head (sorry) to stand along a row of stalls for the 40 minute play. more ›