Young Men's Polish American Association

Young Men's Polish American Association

935 Herron Ave.

Pittsburgh, PA 15219

Grade: D-

This is a weird little bathroom in a weird little place. There's not much to say--the door locks, there is a single toilet with loose rolls of toilet paper resting on the back and one urinal (very low, probably due to the fact that this is an establishment for "young" men). The sink has decent water temperature control, which is pretty much negated by the fact that there is no soap to speak of. The paper towel dispenser interestingly enough is mounted to the door, though there appears to be plenty of wall space. Also, the trash bin is located outside of the bathroom itself. There were very few people present when I attended a DJ night at this place, but I've heard that it can become quite bustling. If that is the case, this bathroom probably gets absolutely disgusting.

The Pita Pit

The Pita Pit

2763 East Carson St.

Pittsburgh, PA 15203

Grade: D+

Considering the Pita Pit's corporate slogan ("Fresh Thinking, Healthy Eating"), you'd think they would be able to at least give off the illusion of sanitation with their men's room. Not the case. After eating my delicious, healthy and satisfying chicken caesar wrap, I was more than a little let down to find the bathroom a below-average hole. Everything was dirty--from the stained sink to the poorly maintained urinal--and the store-bought air freshener perched on the back of the toilet seemed like nothing more than a pathetic attempt at cleanliness and atmosphere. To add insult to injury, a decal on the paper towel dispenser implores food service employees to wash their hands with soap (which in this case is of the cheap, pink industrial sort and does nothing to ease my mind that those handling my food are properly sanitized). At least the door locks.

Ritter's Diner

Ritter's Diner

5221 Baum Boulevard

Pittsburgh, PA 15224

Grade: D

You could, I suppose, say that this bootleg excuse for a bathroom adds to the charm of this popular Bloomfield greasy spoon diner. Personally, I say be sure you relieve yourself elsewhere beforehand.

This restroom is graffiti-covered and absolutely filthy. There are three urinals and a toilet stall, though I can't imagine anyone ever willingly rests their bare skin on the seat. Inexplicably, a rather large opening is cut at the bottom of the stall (see picture below) that greatly diminishes privacy were someone to, in some state of emergency, absolutely need to use the toilet. There was no bag in the garbage can--though granted, it was past 3:00am when I visited--and the ceiling vents were caked in dirt and grime. Credit the place with a working sink and soap dispenser.

Given the diner's reputation as a favorite stop for inebriated youth after the bars close, I imagine that all sorts of excrement find their way to unsanctioned regions of this restroom. I would strongly advise against its use if at all possible.

Southside Works Furnace Parking Garage

Southside Works Furnace Parking Garage

East Carson St. & 28th St.

Pittsburgh, PA 15203

Grade: ???

Unfortunately, this mysterious room on the 2nd floor of the Furnace parking garage was locked. If I can ever find my way in there, you'd better believe I'm updating this post with a fully detailed exposé. For now, I can only drool in anticipation.

Firehouse Lounge

Firehouse Lounge

2216 Penn Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Grade: D+

Note to owners of various establishments: Hanging a chandelier from the ceiling does not a good men's room make, especially when said men's room lacks both light and class (the two things chandeliers are, by rule, supposed to provide). The stall was too dark for my pictures to come out, even with my phone set on night shot. The trash clearly had not been changed all night, as a giant mound of wadded-up paper towels spilled over the rim. There was no soap in the dispenser. The soap dispenser, three urinals, toilet, sink, and paper towel dispenser are all manually operated, which is not very appetizing considering how dirty everything is.

Envy

Envy

4923 Penn Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15224

Grade: B-

The Envy men's room gives off the impression of being a crappy restroom dressed up as a nice one. Traces of the hole the bathroom used to be--undoubtedly left over from the establishment's previous life as a "problem" bar in Garfield--remain in the rusting stall and the flimsy door.

Beyond these minor blemishes, though, the restroom has undergone a nice makeover. The floor/wall tiles are clean and more upscale than those found in your typical bar. The sink is an excellent Kenmore model, and the decorative mirror and lights add to the revamped atmosphere. The sink, toilet, urinal and paper towel dispenser are all manually operated.

The one major drawback with this restroom is that the soap dispenser is missing from its mount on the wall. The owners have compensated by placing a pump bottle of hand soap on the edge of the sink, but what little soap remained in the bottle was watered down. It would be nice to keep a few bottles of soap on hand to eliminate this issue until the dispenser is fixed.

Bloomfield BP

Bloomfield BP

4006 Liberty Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15224

Grade: F-

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