Finding a Bathroom in NYC Just Got Easier

An age-old problem for city dwellers? Where to find the nearest bathroom. During the pandemic, the dilemma deepened in New York City as libraries and the MTA closed bathrooms and retail stores shuttered. But out of many crises come solutions, and the City has been working hard to ameliorate the situation.

On June 3, 2024, Mayor Adams announced “Ur In Luck,” a new initiative to help New Yorkers locate the City’s nearly 1,000 public restrooms. As part of the initiative, the City introduced an interactive Google Maps layer that can be used on your phone to identify public restrooms operated by a wide range of agencies and civic institutions. Just be warned, West Side Rag did its own review of the locations and found that… well, not all bathrooms are created equal.

In addition to the map, the City is committed to increasing access to restrooms across the boroughs. Plans are underway to build 46 new public restrooms in parks and to fix 36 more in the coming years. There will also be a task force focused on speeding up the installation of 14 high-tech, self-cleaning public toilets.

Mayor Adams isn’t the only elected official worried about where to go when you need to go. Just a week after the “Ur In Luck” initiative was launched, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine’s office shared its own static map and list of bathrooms located in Manhattan. His office is also working to push the MTA to better announce and label subway stations with public restrooms, and with the City Council to ensure that 2022 legislation requiring City agencies to provide 151 new public restrooms across the five boroughs actually gets implemented.

Are you looking for a bathroom in Lincoln Square? Consider stopping by one of the following locations:

 -  American Folk Art Museum (2 Lincoln Square at W 66th Street)
 -  David Geffen Hall (10 Lincoln Center Plaza; on Columbus Ave at W 64th Street)
 -  David Rubenstein Atrium (1887 Broadway; entrances on Columbus Ave or Broadway between W 62nd and W 63rd Street, or on W 62nd Street between Columbus Ave and Broadway)
 -  The Shops at Columbus Circle (10 Columbus Circle between W 58th and W 60th Street)
 -  Starbucks on Amsterdam (141 Amsterdam Ave at W 66th Street)
 -  Starbucks on Broadway (1889 Broadway at W 63rd Street)

Photo Credit: NYC Office of the Mayor