Jan 25

One Positive Side Effect of Having Bulimia: Discovering Clean Public Restrooms in NY

When I first fell into the whole binging and purging thing it was confined to private spaces. The cycle only occurred in my tiny studio in Chicago. It made it easier to be like, this is not a problem. I can stop this anytime.

Ha. Ha. Ha.

Then I moved to Boston and had to get roommates. This meant sharing a bathroom. This meant my eating disorder was occurring in a shared space. It wasn't too long before my eating disorder finagled its way into my work space as well.

Then I moved to New York and would sometimes find myself "binging" while out running errands or before meeting up with people. This presented a problem.

When I ate what my brain deemed too much and knew I wouldn't be home for awhile, I would have to purge in a public toilet. Now, public toilet hygiene ranges from almost sparkling to "omg why am I in here I am going to catch a disease." When you're bent over a toilet throwing up you become even more aware of how gross a bathroom is. Staring directly into the mouth of a public toilet really makes you question your life choices. Maybe that's why I decided to do therapy in earnest.

So I started creating my own database of Acceptable Bathrooms to Throw Up In.

As therapy has started working and I've engaged in the binge/purge cycle less and less, this has turned into a regular ol' list of bathrooms for people out and about in NYC.

Bathroom Tips for NYC:
Nordstrom Racks tend to be reliably clean and not too crowded.
Avoid the Taco Bell/Pizza Hut bathroom by Union Square at all costs.
Not all Starbucks have bathrooms and this is very annoying.
Panera bathrooms still require codes.
Just because it is a Whole Foods does not mean it has a nice bathroom.
Athleta stores have very nice bathrooms as well as water fountains.
Train station bathrooms are eh.
McDonalds bathrooms are hit and miss.
Ditto for Targets.