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Ridgewood Coffee Company – Ridgewood, NJ

September 29, 2010 in coffee shop, New Jersey by andrew | 5 comments

Do you like your drip coffee individually brewed?  Do you like to choose your coffee based on wine-like descriptions? Do you like to go to the bathroom after drinking your cup of El Salvadorian brew with hints of melon and berries?

Design – 2 Surprisingly none, since the front of house has enough personality.  The shabby chic table gives you something to put the key on, but that and the cabinet-doors-as-mirrors isn’t enough to overcome the trailer-ness of the space.  And yes you need a key to go to a high end coffee shop in Ridgewood, NJ.  Don’t ask me why.

Cleanliness – 5 Dingy but not disgusting.  Thanks to the key.

Layout – 7  Really wheelchair accessible, not just a tiny cramped room with a handrail.

Extra Credit – 10 If you are unhappy with the design of this bathroom but you answered yes to all three questions above, you can purchase this shop for $299,000 and renovate the place to your liking.

90 East Ridgewood Ave, Ridgewood, NJ 07450

Recipe – NYC

September 6, 2010 in narrow, New York, restaurant, tiny by andrew | No comments

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Recipe is my kind of restaurant.  Intimate space, a menu that I’d want to go through from beginning to end, and all the promise of a well designed, interesting bathroom experience.

Let’s get to it then.

Design – 9 Slide the door open, lock it behind you, and do your thing.  Easy enough, until its time to wash your hands.  What you may think is the faucet is actually just the soap holder.  If you are familiar with science labs then perhaps you don’t need to check the instructions on the wall – its an eye wash sink.  Too bad the water hardly dribbles out of the faucet.  I ended up essentially rubbing my hands against it to get the soap off.

Cleanliness – 8 I guess everyone here knows how to use the sink.

Layout – 7 Tiny and tight but not awkward.  The lab sink and mounted soap are used very well to make the most of a tiny space.

Extra Credit – 8 Maintaining the discreet Bunsen burner rustic aesthetic without being geeky about it.

452 Amsterdam Ave New York, NY 10024

Acropolis – Athens

August 30, 2010 in Uncategorized by andrew | No comments

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Yes that Acropolis.  And no this is not a 5th Century relic.  What it is, is an underground restroom for tourists behind the Parthenon.  My most recent visit was the perfect day to hike up here, cloudy cool and breezy – in July no less.  But that doesn’t mean that I didn’t need a pit stop.  Well I didn’t but once I saw the sign, I saw the sign.

Design – 5  The best part of this design is putting it underground.  In fact it’s likely the only acceptable option.  How would you feel about a WC kiosk with cigarette and snacks available next to the Sanctuary of Zeus Polieus?

Cleanliness – 4 Perhaps in part to its subterranean nature, call it dank.

Layout – 6 Made for the masses, at least the sinks.  Urinals are uncomfortably close and the door is always open.

Extra Credit – 10 Step outside and walk the grounds of the Acropolis.  Check out the ladies at the Porch of the Caryatids.  Look out over Athens, walk down and get on a ferry for the islands already.

Acropolis Athens Greece

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