William F. Walsh Regional Transportation Center

131 Alliance Bank Pkwy, Syracuse, NY 13208-1297
Grade: D+


Another day, another below-average men's room in central New York. To be totally fair, I expected much worse. This is, after all, a train/bus station bathroom. But I did not encounter any babies taking drugs or sewer people, and in terms of bathrooms that are pretty much going to be nasty no matter what, it wasn't completely off the charts. If given the choice, though, I probably would not sit on any of the toilets.


A major bonus in a dirty bathroom is automatic facilities, and in that category this bathroom scores 80%, with an Xlerator dryer thrown in for good measure. The soap dispensers still need to be pumped by hand. Also, I think it's about time that someone invented an automatically lifting/lowering toilet seat. I would not want to have to use my hand to lower the toilet seat pictured below. 


There was a decent amount of garbage lying around: peep the plastic bag on the back of the toilet seat and the wadded up toilet paper on the floor of the stall. Several surfaces - the mirror and the chrome-plated dryer in particular - are covered with scratched graffiti.

University Building, 10th Floor

120 E. Washington St., Syracuse, NY 13203
Grade: C-


If a bathroom is going to be utilitarian and lack any sort of character whatsoever, all I ask is that it be kept clean. This one is clearly tended to every day, and it shows. Everything is manually operated, but the soap dispensers are always stocked and there are rarely any soiled surfaces to speak of (a certain Monday morning after a holiday party in the lobby notwithstanding).

But then it certainly isn't without its drawbacks. The water at the sink is always cold, though this can be somewhat excused considering it's the 10th floor in an old building. The knob is missing from one of the stalls, and while it still locks you can see straight through to the toilet, as pictured below. (A side note: oddly, dudes always seem to choose this stall first, though the other one is generally unoccupied. I have not yet pieced together why. Especially considering this next point...) The same stall's toilet seat has been loose for some time. It seems that it would not take a lot to tighten it. I could probably tighten it myself, but why would I do a thing like that? Also, one of the urinals does not flush very well, and as a result its water is always an unsettling shade of yellow.

The strangest thing about this restroom is that the men's and women's rooms, while obviously separated by their own individual doors, each lie at the end of a short, narrow corridor behind a single door marked "Restrooms." There is nothing quite like holding the bathroom door open for a female.

I feel as though I've been stuck in an endless rut of bland, average and generally unimpressive restrooms recently. Had I the money, I would take my girl out to some really fancy joint that would be guaranteed to have nice facilities just so I could write a gushing, appreciative review about it. Instead, I'll probably just walk into a nice place, go to the bathroom, flush the toilets, turn the sink on for a few seconds, take some pictures and leave.

Here is a picture of the secret 11th floor (seen from the 10th floor men's room window) in which a hobo may or may not be living:

Under the Sink

Grade: C-


Guest post courtesy of the mouse living under sink.

it's aiight in terms of places to crap but srsly what's with the skull dish towel? it's like 3 months past halloween right? whatevz i pooped on it

Al's Wine and Whiskey

321 S Clinton St., Syracuse, NY 13202
Grade: C-


Normally I don't come on quite so strong, but I'll just get this out of the way: I hate this bathroom. I really do. There is nothing particularly awful about it, and in all honestly I can't justify giving it a lower grade than I am. It's clean enough, I suppose. But for all of the kitschy library/smoking lounge decor in the bar proper - this is one of the only bars in Armory Square that doesn't give off a bland college, pub or chic ultra lounge vibe - the men's room seems as though it isn't trying at all. It's extremely dark, the walls are pained an uninspired shade of green, and it's disappointing that the sparse wall hangings are nothing but mirrored beer/liquor signs. Really? They couldn't do any better than this?


To add to the frustration, there is only one urinal and one toilet. On a crowded night, you're pretty much guaranteed to have to wait to use the facilities. And of course nothing is automatic.

Update 1/12: I just found a note reminding myself that Al's men's room is equipped with an Xlerator dryer. So my former statement about nothing being automatic is erroneous. Also, despite all of the hating above, I need to give at least some props in any instance of an Xlerator dryer's presence. Best inventions.