Jessica is a respected contributor to the Sampling America writing team, eloquently sharing tales of adventures across the country and beyond.
Traveling is full of new and exciting experiences… and some kind of inconvenient, run-of-the-mill ones. According to many visitors to New York City, it can be tough to find a bathroom when nature calls, especially if you are in town as a tourist and don’t know where to go.
This has created a bit of a panic on social media lately, with travelers worrying that they won’t be able to find a place to hit the head while they’re out and about in the Big Apple.
Luckily, not just one, but several companies have come up with a way to help those who are dancing in their pants (and not in a fun way): an app that shows you where the nearest bathroom is based on your location.
Bano.nyc
Have a history of not being able to hold your water? Then Bano.nyc is the app for you. Created by an independent software developer credited on the app’s website as @mattlovestech, this nifty little database contains not just a list of 1,000+ bathroom locations all over New York, but also labels and feedback from other bathroom users about how clean or accessible each pit stop is.
The app is also collaborative: you can pitch in and help others by adding restrooms you have found during your travels that don’t appear on the list. The bigger the list, the fewer people have to hold it in when they’re trying to have a fun day sightseeing!
Flush
Flush is another toilet finder app you can download to help you find what you need when nature is calling. All you have to do is open the app and immediately you can see a map of all the public restrooms in your vicinity. The easy-to-use interface gives you a map and directions to the facilities you want to use, and you can even see how other bathroom users rated them.
To make things even better, this app isn’t just specific to New York, so you can use it to access its 200,000+ bathroom-database no matter where in the world your travels take you!
What If I Can’t Use an App?
Having trouble with your data plan or just plain don’t want to rely on an app? No worries! New Yorkers suggest using the restrooms in Starbucks, McDonald’s, or even local hotels if you feel the need to go. Not all of them will be in pristine condition (and sometimes you might have to buy a scone or something to use the facilities), but the important thing is not to listen to the people on Reddit and other social media websites who claim that there is nowhere to “go” in NYC.