Friday, December 31, 2010

Doug's Fish Fry

8 County Road 22, Skaneateles, NY 13152
Grade: A-


Considering that Skaneateles was crawling with soaking wet tourists (we were there for the Dickens Christmas festivities in the middle of a gigantic snowstorm), I was extremely impressed with Doug's men's room. First of all, this is not the sort of place I would expect to have a stylish, functional bathroom in the first place. So I was certainly pleasantly surprised to see the seafoam-painted walls, the potted plant, the decorative wood wallboards, the above-average floor tiles and the unique light fixture. The sink is automatic and the paper towel dispenser is easy to use without having to touch anything. There is a framed, typewritten note that claims to be from the editor of Playgirl turning down the restaurant's proprietor for a centerfold photo spread in her magazine. This is very funny. The one slight drawback is that the soap dispenser is set at a slightly awkward angle, and it's fairly difficult to pump soap using your right hand. But this can be forgiven considering all of the other nice touches.


What struck me the most, though, was how clean the facilities were given the busy situation and the inclement weather. I've said before that I don't give points for a restroom's cleanliness, as I have a reasonable expectation that bathrooms should be clean to begin with. I'm willing to make an exception here. The restroom at Doug's could have been excused for a slightly messy appearance given the number of people with dripping boots who must have passed through, but it's clear that the staff work hard to keep it clean anyway. For this I salute them.


(It should be noted that the reason for this cleanliness may be that no one uses the restroom. After eating all of that fried food, you most likely would not be able to go to the bathroom for a day or so.)








Thursday, December 30, 2010

The Syracuse Suds Factory

320 S Clinton St, Syracuse, New York 13202
Grade: D+


This isn't so much a proper post as it is a sort of a homecoming. I've been having problems texting pictures for some time now, and I've just worked around it so that I can get back to work. I assure you that there will be much more where this came from.


There's not much to say anything about the bathroom at the Suds Factory, anyway. Filthy, graffitied, missing a soap dispenser, no auto flushing or sinks, etc. The exposed pipes near the ceiling are ugly, but the exposed brick is a nice touch. I'm not going to give them too much credit for that, though. Also, a friend of mine said that he entered the men's room once to discover a man standing at the urinal and making... unpleasant noises. Sure it's not the establishment's fault, but you know. It doesn't help.