Restrooms in Key West?
November 4, 2012 2:10 PM Subscribe
How easy or difficult is it to find available restrooms when walking around Key West?
I will be staying on the 300 block of Duval Street and plan to spend time around Mallory Square as well as walking down to the Southernmost Point. How open are the bars, restaurants, and shops to letting folks off the street use their facilities? Any tips or advice is appreciated!
I will be staying on the 300 block of Duval Street and plan to spend time around Mallory Square as well as walking down to the Southernmost Point. How open are the bars, restaurants, and shops to letting folks off the street use their facilities? Any tips or advice is appreciated!
Best answer: Hotels! Hotels are my secret restroom weapon when I'm a wandering tourist. There is always a restroom near the lobby and nobody pays any attention to people walking in off the street.
posted by something something at 2:46 PM on November 4, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by something something at 2:46 PM on November 4, 2012 [3 favorites]
Yes, hotels! I can't believe I forgot about that one. Sometimes you'll find one where the staff are pushy and you have to ask, but just asking where the restroom is located is usually fine.
posted by Sara C. at 2:52 PM on November 4, 2012
posted by Sara C. at 2:52 PM on November 4, 2012
Bars everywhere are usually not paying that close of attention, so easy to walk in, use the the bathroom and leave.
posted by josher71 at 3:00 PM on November 4, 2012
posted by josher71 at 3:00 PM on November 4, 2012
Best answer: Don't know if you're smart phone enabled, but my (small-bladdered) dad used an app for his iphone that would give him the locations of the nearest restrooms. Here's a list of a few apps but I can't find the one he used to use specifically. Looks like there are public restrooms right on Mallory Square also.
posted by jessamyn at 3:52 PM on November 4, 2012
posted by jessamyn at 3:52 PM on November 4, 2012
Best answer: I'm all about hotels. The shops can be really small and the facilities can be dodgy. But I have an issue so any port in a storm. Also carry a small Lysol and tissue.
Bars and restaurants can be chill. There's a CVS in the area as well.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 4:27 PM on November 4, 2012
Bars and restaurants can be chill. There's a CVS in the area as well.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 4:27 PM on November 4, 2012
If the location of a hotel bathroom isn't immediately obvious, pace around while fake-using your phone and look like you're taking a Very Important Call -- while simultaneously undertaking crucial URINARY RECONNAISSANCE.
posted by threeants at 4:46 PM on November 4, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by threeants at 4:46 PM on November 4, 2012 [3 favorites]
Best answer: I've been visiting Key West yearly since I was a teenager (cough...20 years!). This summer we did this trip with an 8 month old, so I feel like something of an expert on this subject now!
As the man of twists and turns said, most bars on Duval are pretty easygoing about this, even during the day. We stay on the opposite end from where you'll be, so we do the walk you're describing almost every day when we're there to get to the fun. There are the public restrooms on Mallory Square that someone else mentioned, plus some good public restrooms in the indoor Clinton Square Market down in that area (upstairs, but there's an elevator if that's an issue). As far as bar/restaurant restrooms go, further down Duval we hit the weird cowboy bar often as it was a good halfway point between Mallory Square and the southern end, and easy to get in/out of.
There's only one hotel-hotel on Duval proper, and then some motels further down near the Southernmost Point. The rest are guesthouses & B&Bs, so in this case the hotel recommendation doesn't apply (though I agree it's a good one in general!)
Have fun!
posted by marmago at 8:46 AM on November 5, 2012
As the man of twists and turns said, most bars on Duval are pretty easygoing about this, even during the day. We stay on the opposite end from where you'll be, so we do the walk you're describing almost every day when we're there to get to the fun. There are the public restrooms on Mallory Square that someone else mentioned, plus some good public restrooms in the indoor Clinton Square Market down in that area (upstairs, but there's an elevator if that's an issue). As far as bar/restaurant restrooms go, further down Duval we hit the weird cowboy bar often as it was a good halfway point between Mallory Square and the southern end, and easy to get in/out of.
There's only one hotel-hotel on Duval proper, and then some motels further down near the Southernmost Point. The rest are guesthouses & B&Bs, so in this case the hotel recommendation doesn't apply (though I agree it's a good one in general!)
Have fun!
posted by marmago at 8:46 AM on November 5, 2012
Response by poster: I've marked a few best answers, but really they all have good info- thank you all so much!
posted by pupperduck at 1:19 PM on November 5, 2012
posted by pupperduck at 1:19 PM on November 5, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
I lived there for two years, meMail me for more info.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 2:24 PM on November 4, 2012