Downtown Minneapolis bathrooms

June 19, 2017 4:33 PM

I will be temporarily stranded in downtown Minneapolis sometime this week, and while I'm not particularly worried because there's a ton of food around the IDS Center, I'm more concerned about bathroom availability: Are there any public bathrooms around that area in downtown Minneapolis, or "customer only" bathrooms in cheap restaurants? Since I'll have to eat somewhere anyway, I can plan for that if necessary. Thanks!
posted by oion to Travel & Transportation around Minneapolis, MN (16 answers total)

Four blocks away is the central Public Library.
posted by saucysault at 4:44 PM on June 19, 2017 [1 favorite]

At least a couple of years ago, there was a public bathroom in the IDS center - second floor, take the escalator from the Nicollet entrance, turn right at the top, it would be on your left.
posted by Frowner at 5:00 PM on June 19, 2017 [2 favorites]

There's a Target store about a block away.
I'm sure you'll go in hoping to use the bathroom and buy a granola bar but instead you will leave with $185 in kitchen gadgets and towels.
posted by littlewater at 5:12 PM on June 19, 2017 [15 favorites]

Big chain hotels are great for this. Looks like there's a Marriott right down the street. If you walk in nonchalantly like you belong there nobody will look twice.
posted by something something at 5:25 PM on June 19, 2017 [4 favorites]

Baristas at coffee shops with customer only bathrooms are pretty cool with non-customers using them if you drop a tip in the jar. A buck or two is often the going rate for random bathroom use outside the US, so just view it as your relived bladder taking a trip to the Caribbean. Plus, buying more coffee just to get into a bathroom could start a loop you seem to want no part of.
posted by eelgrassman at 6:44 PM on June 19, 2017

I think the restroom Frowner mentioned is still there. Otherwise, you can probably go up to the 49th floor of the IDS tower and use the restrooms there. There are a number of separate offices on that floor and nobody really pays you any mind. The restrooms are to the left in the long hallway as you get off the elevator.
posted by mygoditsbob at 7:13 PM on June 19, 2017 [1 favorite]

Or come up to the 51st floor of the IDS Tower and use the restrooms up there. If you get busted (you won't) tell them you know me. My law firm offices on that floor. My name is posted on the Metafilter profile page if you click the mygoditsbob below.
posted by mygoditsbob at 7:18 PM on June 19, 2017 [5 favorites]

There are restrooms all over the place. There's a Target reachable by skyway, they've got a restroom. Gaviidae Common has restrooms, Target Center does, Foshay Tower does too. I can't confirm this online, but I feel reasonably confident that the skyway maps will have restrooms marked. In any case, there are a ton of restaurants and shops that will have restrooms, so you'll be able to take your pick.

BTW, you're arriving during a good week. The weather will be gently warm and very pleasant.
posted by Autumnheart at 7:19 PM on June 19, 2017 [2 favorites]

Ahahaha! I found this link:

https://minneapolisrunning.com/best-places-for-runners-to-poop-in-minneapolis/

Links to a map with all the restrooms marked.
posted by Autumnheart at 7:23 PM on June 19, 2017 [5 favorites]

There's a bathroom in the Macy's, but it's a bit hard to get to. It's in the basement, and you have to walk through almost the entire display area to get to it.
posted by LionIndex at 7:36 PM on June 19, 2017

Macy's is closed now, alas. But you can still walk through to get to other buildings via skyway.
posted by lakeroon at 8:37 PM on June 19, 2017

Also, for this and any other future trips, you can check out Refuge Restrooms, an app that maps public [gender-neutral or trans-inclusive] washrooms. It's specifically intended for trans folks, but would be useful for anyone looking for bathrooms, especially in an unfamiliar city.
posted by ITheCosmos at 4:39 AM on June 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

I am not familiar with Minneapolis but I am out around the city on appointments very frequently. When possible/necessary, I stop into business-traveler-focused hotels to use their facilities. Places like Residence Inn, etc have nice facilities and, while I'm sure they don't encourage it, they don't bother too much with people like me walking through their lobbies.

This is actually something that I learned from another parent who was road-tripping with a small baby. It's nicer to stop at a hotel to do diaper changes than at a gas station.
posted by vignettist at 9:10 AM on June 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

That second floor Crystal Court restroom wants a keycard now - just checked. The other options are still viable.

Good luck.
posted by mygoditsbob at 11:10 AM on June 20, 2017 [1 favorite]

Looks like everyone pretty much covered it, but there's plenty to choose from. The Barnes and Noble one was usually very clean. Plus books!! (That said...I heard they were closing down, but I don't know when, so this may be a moot point.) Also, I never had any trouble using the restroom in some of the smaller bars even though I wasn't buying anything. Dan Kelly's Pub on 7th. Clean bathrooms, nice little bartender that kept my water glass full.


(...Macy's closed?! What?!?! My husband used to joke that they'd close without me. We moved and well...looks like they did!)
posted by BlueBear at 11:11 AM on June 20, 2017 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Hi everyone.

I'm in the towel aisle at Target as I speak! But it's under construction and the entire Nicollet Mall is under construction too, my goodness. The skyway system is a little intimidating even with the maps so I ended up wandering outside where I could at least keep track of the streets.

I did look for the 2nd floor bathroom at the IDS Center and did not find it, though apparently it's now "private" (-mygoditsbob). However, since I was meeting someone in the IDS Tower office floors, I found out that I could go to certain floors to use their bathrooms since multiple offices share those floors--the person I was meeting mentioned this as well. Thanks mygoditsbob for the general tip there; I also happened to be dressed in business attire so no one gave a second glance. I'll be bookmarking the other resources shared in this thread for future reference, that's for sure.

Thanks all!
posted by oion at 1:57 PM on June 21, 2017