Both the retirement and the pre-school years are free from 8 a.m. conference calls and frenzied project deadlines. Still, you and your grandkids do share a certain sense of urgency. When you gotta go, you've got to go.
Sure, you don't want to subject those darlin' kiddos to the gas-station horrors that taint your youth-inspired road trip memories. And, true, find-the-clean-loo scavenger hunts are often worthy of their own reality shows. But, they don't have to be. Uncross those legs and ask technology, "Where's a decent bathroom around here?" Then, let your cell phone and these Web sites feed you the answer.
Guidance on-the-Go
The Bathroom Diaries is the king of this throne. Created in 2000, the Web site identifies and rates more than 12,000 public bathrooms in some 120 countries, keeping the pipes flowing from Florence, Ky., to Florence, Italy. Founder Mary Ann Racin says she'll always have Paris to thank for the idea. A surprise rendezvous with a squat toilet there made her realize the need for such trusty pre-pee information.
For those who prefer to tinkle in style, keep your eye out for winners of the Golden Plunger, the site's award to the plushest flushes. Users can add the toilets they've encountered, rating them by cleanliness and amenities. For the Lookie Loos among you, check out the reviews inclusive of celebrity sightings. Handheld users (who must promise to wash those hands), can even download Vindigo city-guide software, stocked with The Bathroom Diaries, to cell phones or PDAs.
Although not yet big enough to start a pissing match with the Diaries, MizPee is making its mark in 12 cities nationwide, with a database of 500 restrooms. Current territory includes: Atlanta; Boston; Chicago; Minneapolis; New York; Oakland, Calif.; Philadelphia; Portland, Ore.; San Francisco; San Jose, Calif; Seattle; and Washington, D.C. Coming soon: Los Angeles and Toronto.
The mobile phone service works like so: Point your cell phone browser to Mizpee.com to receive an SMS link (also known as textspeak). Type in a street address or an intersection and — presto — you'll get a list of nearby places to relieve yourself in peace. Bonus: MizPee can also deliver the goods on which restrooms have diaper changing tables. Each toilet is ranked by cleanliness, from one toilet meaning "yuck" to five meaning "very clean." Again, it all depends on just how discerning you and your juice box-filled troops have time to be.
In the Comfort of Your Own Home
Want to research, in-advance, where you'll be able to sit down at, or around, your final destination? MizPee will soon enable Web access from computers. "We have had a lot of feedback from older adults who say they actively use their PCs, but not their cell phones, to surf the Internet," says Peter Olfe, president of Yojo Mobile, Inc., the San Francisco-based mobile marketing service that created MizPee. "So we're adding PCs!"
No Time Left to Call
Hotel bathrooms are this writer's refuge of choice. Stalls there are always located within scurrying distance of the lobby. You may not officially be on the guest list, but the bathrooms aren't officially for customers only. GP's Tip: Stroll in like you own the place (or even a tiny portion of it), and squatters' rights are yours to enjoy.
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