I’ve been working remotely and outside of the apartment for the past week, and have toggled my time between coffee shops and libraries. I drink a lot of water and coffee throughout the day, and inevitably need to use the bathroom a few times over work hours. One thing that has become glaringly obvious over this time is how hard it is to find a public restroom that is accessible without the expectation of a purchase. The following is a sample of city-owned restrooms in the vicinity of LES, and their current status:
Seward Park - temporarily closed
Tompkins Square Park - temporarily closed
Sara D. Roosevelt Park - open
Seward Park Library - open
Mulberry Street Library - temporarily closed
Tompkins Square Library - restricted access
Chatham Square Library - branch is temporarily closed
That is five out of seven city operated restrooms that can not be used within a fairly large vicinity. This is absurd! It’s disgusting when I see people pissing on the street, but considering the circumstances, I can’t say I blame them as much as I used to. Access to public restrooms should be a basic human right, and the city is failing us.