New York City is a wonderful city to walk around in and explore. This city has numerous restaurants, cafés, bars, shops, and sights to take in, and every New Yorker has their favorite recommendation. One very important topic is rarely discussed openly, however, despite the fact that it is inextricably linked with the human condition. Here’s the burning question that needs an answer sooner rather than later: If I’m walking around and nature calls, where do I go without putting my health and safety at risk or buying something that I don’t need? Yes, knowing where there is a clean public restroom with little to no lines is actually useful information and people will be incredibly grateful to you for knowing and sharing it.

Before we get into the big city, let’s look closer to home, which is our beautiful campus. Obviously there are restrooms on the floor where you work, so we can skip those. Whether they’re clean or not, is mainly your responsibility. The point is, there are public restrooms on campus that are worth knowing about. One of my first discoveries as a graduate student was the “powder room” for women in Caspary’s coatroom. The wooden door leading to the coatroom is cleverly hidden and the signs are quite small, but once you’re there, you get three stalls with hardly any lines. It also saves you a trip downstairs to use the ladies’ room near Faculty Club (which unfortunately only has one toilet!).

Moving off-campus, I’d like to share a few places I’ve found while walking around the city. I can’t cover all neighborhoods and regions in Manhattan, but I can recommend places in areas frequently visited by New Yorkers and tourists. Starting nearby on the Upper East Side, Bloomingdale’s on 60th and Third Avenue has a good restroom but it is difficult to find. Borders Bookstore on 57th and Park Avenue has a very clean restroom as well and you don’t have to buy anything to use it. In fact, I find Borders has bigger and cleaner restrooms than Barnes & Noble.

The best public restrooms in Central Park are the ones by the Central Park Boathouse restaurant (recently modernized with motion-activated flushes) and the ones by the Recreational Center in the North Meadow. A friend of mine who is a runner also swears by the restrooms at the Delacorte Theater off the Great Lawn. While window-shopping along Fifth Avenue, the “lounges” (i.e. restrooms) in Tiffany’s (57th Street and Fifth Ave) are large and clean. They are located on two floors, so the lines are minimal.

If you’re enjoying a play or musical in Times Square, either get to the theatre early to use their facilities or use the restroom at your pre-theatre restaurant—otherwise the lines are a nightmare. If you’re just sightseeing or accompanying tourist friends or relatives, the Marriott Marquis Hotel at 45th and Broadway has good bathrooms in the lobby area above street level. In fact, I’d recommend checking out most hotel lobbies—the Four Seasons hotel at East 57th and Park Avenue has a great restroom in the lobby, but act like you belong there.

In Union Square, don’t bother with Virgin Records or Barnes & Noble as they are small and not cleaned frequently. The best public restroom in the area is in Circuit City (14th Street and 4th Avenue)—more than five toilet stalls and no lines. Around NYU, most of the public access buildings have restrooms—act like you belong there, and you can use them. Otherwise, you might have to resort to the Barnes & Noble at Astor Place, which is good enough when you need it. In SoHo, Old Navy has a good restroom as does the SoHo branch of Bloomingdale’s (both located on Broadway). Chinatown is mainly known for good eating, and all restaurants have a restroom, but Green Tea Café on Mott Street (between Bayard and Mosco Streets) has one of the cleanest ones.

Have a great time exploring the city and be sure you know where the restrooms are!