Another D.C. Bathroom Rater
I was thrilled to read about Lia Pendarvis’s blog, The Lavatory Lady, on DCist yesterday. The blog rates District bathrooms according to a precise system of criteria, including cleanliness, soap and smell, to name a few. Thank God, I thought to myself after scanning her blog. I’m not the only one.
I started rating bathrooms sometime after toddlerhood. My father, an amateur child psychologist, told me my interest in bathrooms was part of a Freudian stage. Around the time kids start to control their own plumbing, he said, they get fascinated with pipes and toilets. I haven’t read much Freud, so I took him at his word.
For awhile, I toyed with a semi-official rating system. I placed all bathrooms on a scale of one to ten, considering things like the color of the tiles, the shine of the sink, and whether there were flowers in a vase somewhere. I abandoned the system sometime in elementary school, a crucial step in my efforts to be less of an uber-nerd by the time I got to high school. But my interest in bathrooms persists. These days, I rate them on a need-to-go basis. I hate the bathroom at Kramerbooks & Afterwords Café. It’s isn’t pretty, and the fact that you need a token to get in just adds insult to injury. I also hate the bathrooms at the Regal Gallery Place movie theater. Have you used the hand dryers there? The wind-gusts are practically dangerous and the noise is deafening. I’m not sure what my favorite bathroom is, but I like the one at the Hay-Adams Hotel. I recommend entering the lobby confidently before ducking downstairs to the bathrooms below.
11:16 am
Kramer's charges so someone can mop up the pee from all the weekend drunkards who stumble in for breakfast.
11:17 am
Jessica Gould, do you have a bladder control problem as you seem to have a need to go to the bathroom everywhere you go!
11:30 am
How could potty woman have missed this City Desk item?
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/citydesk/index.php/2007/05/08/udc-still-has-really-nice-bathrooms/
I demand respect for City Desk!
11:44 am
Or this one:
http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/
citydesk/index.php/2007/04/30/dc-schools-have-crappy-bathrooms/
12:18 pm
That new sushi bar at whole foods has a really nice bathroom. It's really easy to get to and since the cafe is busy, no one notices if you just come in to use it and dip after not buying anything. Napoleon on Columbia Road--arguably the best in town.
1:11 pm
Jess, I just hope you've never seen the Worst Toilet in Scotland scene from Trainspotting.
1:17 pm
Thanks Jessica!! Actually Jules someone did comment on the condition of DC schools on my blog. I don't doubt it for one second, but I don't think they'll let me in to check it out.
The Lavatory Lady a.ka. Potty Woman
Do you really think you're the first to make fun of my moniker. :)