Potty Parity Comes to the House

Six months after the U.S. House of Representatives held hearings on ensuring bathroom equality in government buildings, the lower chamber is now getting its due. They will be converting the space currently used by the Office of the Parliamentarian into a women's restroom.

"According to an announcement from the GOP transition team, the woman's restroom will be adjacent to the House floor to accommodate the 71 female members in the next Congress, something current female members live without."

I'm going to refrain from praising the move, but I'm surprised to find out it hasn't happened yet especially since this incoming House delegation will have 5 less women than the outgoing one.

Oh, and wondering what happened to the other potty parity legislation? Yup, you guessed it. It's stalled.

UPDATE: The bathroom was apparently attempted before but was blocked because of costs. It'll run Congress $200,000.

Potenza - Washington DC

Monday, 11/22/10, 9 pm - Downtown

The bathroom seemed a bit severe for the restaurant - red and black everywhere. There were three stalls with full length red doors. Behind it was a black toilet surrounded by red glass tiles on most of the walls.

Clearly the restroom hadn't been given much attention in a while because in the sink area since one of the lower mirrored cabinets was totally shattered. Black sinks usually work well in restaurants since they hide many things and probably are easy to upkeep. Here's more on Potenza.

P.J. Clarke's - Washington DC

Friday, 11/12/10, 9 pm - Downtown

This New York staple just opened in DC so we decided to try it. The restrooms interrupted the pubby style into a subway theme with white tiles and a black and white floor. Again two single stalls for the whole place. And, like the rest of the restaurant, the walls were covered with DC-themed photos and memorabilia.


















I'm sure they're still working out the kinks since it wasn't the neatest restroom on a busy night, despite having multiple trash cans in the stall. Here's more on P.J. Clarke's.

Distrito - Philadelphia

Sunday, 10/31/10, 10 pm

The restaurant was one of the most integrated into a restaurant I've seen in while. The only division of the coed restroom area from the dining area is a wall that holds the long trough sink.

The pastel colored wash area seemed didn't seem to have the same modern Mexican flair as the rest of the restaurant, but I guess it was a little kitschy. Opposite the sink was a row of pink doors which led to single unisex stalls. The magic eye faucets didn't have a soap dispenser next to each - always a bit of pain.

Behind those stalls were restrooms with plenty of Latin flair - back wall was covered with the same motif that's repeated throughout the restaurant. I was surprised that it wasn't a magic eye toilet but the stall was clean and well kept.

Here's more on Distrito.

Chifa - Philadelphia

Saturday, 10/30/10, 9 pm

I have to say I'm continually surprised by the number of larger restaurants that only single stall restrooms. Chifa has two single stall but that doesn't seem to be sufficient for the place, but I didn't have to wait. The dark interior mirrored the rest shadows in the restaurant. Not sure if the sink was indicative of any other decor in the restaurant but I liked it. I don't get the branches in corner, but I guess they felt they had to put something there.

Here's more on Chifa.

Fig and Olive - New York

Sunday, 7/25/10, 12 pm - Meat Packing District

First, I should say I didn't know there were two Fig and Olives and, aside from their menus, the restaurants couldn't be further apart. The one in midtown is in a narrow building, set on several floors, while this one in the meat packing district is a sprawling single floor divided by a large square bar (in fact there was a separate "private party" there when we ate). While the restaurant looked on the new side, the bathrooms looked like they'd been there for a while.

I will say the sink area was an improvement on the other Fig and Olive, and perhaps the space helps. Each sink had its own soap dispenser next to the raised bowl and single-spout faucet. I remember thinking things looked a little messy for first thing in the morning but perhaps it was just the exposed paper towels. Here's more on Fig and Olive.

Blue Duck Tavern - Washington, DC

Saturday, 7/3/10, 8 pm - West End

Another pleasant surprise! My mom returned from the restroom telling me I must visit. I waited until the end of the meal and wasn't disappointed. Although Blue Duck Tavern is in the Park Hyatt, the bathroom is separate - in the most literal sense. Walking into the women's restroom, each "stall" is completely independent. Total privacy. In the picture, the actual bathroom might seem tight, but it wasn't. It was pristine with marble everywhere. Definite thumbs up to the separate cubbies.

Here's more on Blue Duck Tavern.

Zola - Washington, DC

Saturday, 6/26/10, 9 pm - Chinatown

I talked about not judging the restrooms of restaurants in hotels, mostly because they're out of the control of the restaurants. For the few restaurants I've been to in museums, this has also held true. Thankfully that wasn't the case for Zola, which is a part of the Spy Museum, offering promise for the bathroom. And I wasn't disappointed. The stalls were completely private with a frosted porthole. The sleek chrome was offset by lights that ran the height of the wall. I don't remember a purse hook, which is one thing that would bother me.

Of course the modern sinks with a streamlined faucet were a nice touch. There was also a full length mirror on the way out - always helpful and keeps the sink area from getting overcrowded.

Here's more on Zola.

Palena - Washington, DC

Tuesday, 6/22/10, 8 pm - Cleveland Park

For a special occasion, I visited Palena, a classic restaurant with a traditional decor. But the detail in the bathroom was a bit odd. The two stalls were white with molding and delicate drawings all over. I think the hand paintings were supposed to look detailed but to me it was just a little juvenile.

The details at the sink definitely said quaint country. It was definitely a unique take. Here's more on Palena.

Cafe Atlantico - Washington, DC

Friday, 6/18/10, 9 pm - Penn Quarter

I had been wanting to try this restaurant for a while and finally got the chance. We ate outside so the only restroom I had the chance to see was the one on the first floor by the bar. It was just a single stall but they tried to do what they could with the little space. It was interesting to see the double toilet roll holder on the wall I don't think I've seen that too often.


The textured wall was a nice touch and while I can't remember exactly what the trash can looked like, I remember thinking it was quite out of place.

Here's more on Cafe Atlantico.

Racks - Miami, FL

Sunday, 6/6/10, 2 pm

This modern pizzeria had a sleek bathroom to match. Two black stalls are set off by white tiles. The square sink had clean lines and a simple mirror. It was clean and well kept.

Here's more about Racks, but I have to put out a warning about the website - they think the best way to advertise the restaurant is having girls in bustiers putting pizza in brick ovens. So maybe it's not as tasteful of a place as I thought.

Commissary - Washington, DC

Saturday, 5/29/10, 2 pm - Logan Circle

With the wooden American flag on the wall, the horse shoe coat hook and farm animal toilet paper holders (you can't really tell, but they are there in the picture), they were really taking the all-American idea to an extreme in at least the right single stall restroom. It's quite a dark room with slate floors and black walls. The orinate over-sized mirror offset one wall.


And you can't take the Logan Circle out of even the bathroom - there was a free condom dispenser on the wall. Bon Appetite!

Here's more on Commissary.

Potty Parity

I should note that is the U.S. House of Representatives' term, not mine. I know it's been a while since I've posted and while I promise to update soon, this hearing was too good to ignore. About a week and half ago, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing on "potty parity" in federal buildings.

I'll admit, while I've brought up this issue in other venues, I've never considered the shortage of women's restrooms a huge problem in office buildings, but hey, it's not the worse use of taxpayer dollars. As one witness put it, it's an issue "near and dear to the hearts and bladders of women and children all across the United States."

Not at the top of my action lists, but others might feel differently. If that's the case, it's HR 4869, the Restroom Gender Parity in Federal Buildings Act. What, no funny name?

Magnolias at the Mill - Purcellville, VA

Saturday, 3/13/10, 2 pm

This adorable and yummy restaurant had just as cute a bathroom. The two stalls were shielded by doors of half frosted glass in a farm wood frame.

The white titles provided a very clean look, with the curved porcelain sink also offset by the wooden-framed mirror. For a bathroom that just had two stalls, it was quite spacious. While I didn't have to wait long, perhaps room to wait was incorporated in to the layout.

Here's more info on Magnolias at the Mill.

Al Tiramisu - Washington, DC

Friday, 1/15/10, 7 pm - Dupont

After a great restaurant week where I slacked off grabbing pictures (sorry for no Tenpenh, Chef Geoff's or Vidalia), I'm back on track.

If I just showed you these pictures and didn't mention the name of restaurant, would you be able to tell which one it was?


This old world Italian restaurant certainly felt modern in the restroom. Just above the black tile is the mirror, which covers half the wall. The chic sink and soap dispenser were nice, but I'm still confused as to why this would be the decor of choice. Check out the accent wall with the bizarrely placed hand dryer.

Find out more about Al Tiramisu.