Thursday, June 6, 2024

Mapping the public restrooms in the East Village

ICYMI: On Monday, Mayor Adams announced the arrival of "Ur In Luck," which is "a new effort to expand New Yorkers' access to public restrooms across all five boroughs."

Per the announcement: 

• The Department of Parks and Recreation will build 46 new restrooms and renovate 36 existing restrooms, including 28 in Manhattan. (No word how many may be in our area.)

• The city also made "wayfinding to the city's public restrooms better in time for summer by introducing a new Google Maps layer that New Yorkers can activate on their phones to easily find the locations of every public restroom operated by a wide range of agencies and civic institutions citywide." 

So, if you have a laptop or phone, you can find the map here. 

In all of the East Village, there are three public restrooms listed:

• McKinley Playground, Fourth Street, between Avenue A and First Avenue 
Open Year Round 
Hours of Operation:
  • 8am - 4pm, Open later seasonally 
Fully Accessible 


• Tompkins Square Library, 10th Street, between Avenue A and Avenue B 
Open Year Round 
Hours of Operation:
  • Sunday: Closed 
  • Monday: 11am - 7pm 
  • Tuesday: 11am - 7pm 
  • Wednesday: 11am - 7pm 
  • Thursday: 11am - 7pm 
  • Friday: 10am - 6pm 
  • Saturday: 10am - 5pm 
Fully Accessible 

• Ottendorfer Library, Second Avenue, between St. Mark's Place and Ninth Street 
Open Year Round
Hours of Operation
  • Sunday: Closed 
  • Monday: 11am - 7pm 
  • Tuesday: 11am - 7pm 
  • Wednesday: 11am - 7pm 
  • Thursday: 11am - 7pm 
  • Friday: 10am - 5pm 
  • Saturday: 10am - 5pm 
Limited Accessibility

And the map with some helpful arrows...
There are also restrooms nearby in East River Park at Sixth Street (until it's demolished sometime this year), Union Square Park and Sara D. Roosevelt Park just below Houston. 

We'll also have more restrooms once the renovations of the Tompkins Square Park field house are complete later this year. 

A reader who saw the map earlier opined that a neighborhood this size could use a few more public restroom options. Yes? No? 

12 comments:

  1. Aren't the the Tompkins Square library restrooms open for children and caregivers only?

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  2. For a comprehensive map of open restrooms in the city, go to secret.nyc [not so secret anymore, I guess.]

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  3. Tompkins only has bathroom upstairs in the children's area, and they are not for adults - you need a key from the librarian. as much as we need public restrooms for adults, I do hope this one can remain only for kids. Maybe there are some on the downstairs/bottom floor that can be for all, but have remained private till now. At ottendorfer, there are public restrooms for all but i appreciate the kids one upstairs for the kids... it feels very safe and clean.

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  4. This city is the WORST for finding a restroom. I took a walk the other day from the EV across the Manhattan Bridge. I had to go on the other side, but the only public restroom to be found was inside the marketplace in DUMBO (public restroom at Pier 1 in Brooklyn Bridge Park is closed). The line for the restroom in the market was insane and there were only 4 stalls for women. Walked back to the EV via the Brooklyn Bridge and there are no restrooms along the way.

    I've been traveling recently along the east coast (every state south of NY) and there are public restrooms everywhere that are large and clean. There is no excuse for this in NYC with the population that we have.

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  5. If you find yourself in lower Manhattan, the SI ferry terminal is a good option. It's cleaned regularly and is much more reliable than Battery Park, where bathrooms are often closed or too disgusting to use.

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  6. Tompkins Square has a sign right by the door that states there is no public restroom at their location.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Trader Joe's is always an option if mother nature calls. Not the cleanest bathroom, but much better than other places. I only used it once and tried not to touch anything.

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  8. During school hours McKinley playground 4th st isn’t open to the public. It’s reserved for the 2 schools in the building next door.

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  9. Tompkins Sq Library is NOT fully accessible, their elevator is not working at the moment. Also, it is only for children and caregivers and honestly, it’d be cool for it to stay that way.

    Hotels have great bathrooms. And sometimes you can use a restaurant bathroom by pretending you’re meeting a friend there and need to pee while you wait. Or you can use a coffee shop and not make eye contact with the barista.

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  10. Unfortunately, Trader Joe’s restrooms are being used predominantly by the denizens of the 14th Street bazaar and the homeless for everything but their intended purpose. This is not the store’s fault as they try very hard to keep those bathrooms clean and orderly. Those bathrooms actually have receptacles for medical sharps, sad to say, if you catch my meaning. I know, I work there

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  11. The Stuyvesant Town Oval bathroom is for residents only, smart card ID required for entrance.

    ReplyDelete

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