Palatial NYC Public Restroom Battles To Be Crowned Nation's Best

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Bryant Park is a great place to spend a summer afternoon in New York City. The lawn is a lush green, the birds are signing and the elegant main branch of the New York Public Library is just steps away.

But the park's public bathroom is the real star. The palatial facilities feature self-flushing toilets, fresh flowers and classical music expected more from a five star hotel than a park's public convenience.

It's no surprise that the restrooms made a list of 10 finalists for Cintas Corporation's "America’s Best Restroom" awards.

Bryant Park will face restrooms from cities such as Chicago, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Hollywood for the right to claim superiority for 2017, the business services company said in a press release. All the bathrooms in the competition must be open to the public and the winner will be decided by a vote.

"From coast to coast, this year’s finalists highlight how restroom cleanliness, artistic design and sustainable features can leave a positive, lasting impression on customers," Sean Mulcahey, a marketing manager for Cintas, said in a statement.. “With vibrant colors, picturesque views and creative architecture, there’s a perfect restroom for everyone with this year’s finalists."

It will be tough to beat Bryant Park's restrooms, which reopened in April of 2017 after undergoing a $300,000 renovation. Compared to the city's dread-inducing public restrooms, the facilities at Bryant Park have the power to make every New Yorker feel like royalty.

Among the improvements: imported floor and wall tiles, coffered ceilings, crown moldings, all-weather temperature controls, energy-saving LED lighting, self-flushing toilets that have alternating seat covers, fresh flowers and a sound system playing classical music.

The decked-out bathrooms are, unsurprisingly, some of the most popular in the city. In 2016, 3,266 people used the facilities per day, adding up to a total of 1.2 million flushes in a year.

Here's the full list of finalists for the 2018 Cintas America’s Best Restroom award:

• Barrio restaurant: Chicago;
• Bryant Park: New York City;
• Dream Hollywood Hotel: Hollywood;
• Green Bay Botanical Garden: Green Bay, Wisconsin;
• Hotel La Jolla, Curio: La Jolla, California;
• J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Reserve: Sanibel, Florida;
• MI VIDA restarant: Washington D.C.;
• Morgan Manufacturing: Chicago;
• The Mud House cafe: St. Louis;
• The Progress restaurant: San Francisco.

Vote for your favorite by following this link.

Photos courtesy Jane Kratochvil/Bryant Park