Laura
07-10-2007, 08:37 AM
there is also a book called Where To Go in New York, as well!
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/07/09/2007-07-09_gotta_go_whiz_biz_a_ny_relief.html
Gotta go? Whiz biz a N.Y. relief
BY CHRISTINA BOYLE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Posted Monday, July 9th 2007, 4:00 AM
A new cell phone-based service promises to help desperate New Yorkers with no place to go - by finding them the closest, cleanest public rest room.
Mizpee.com works on cell phones with a built-in Web browser: Plug in any street address in Manhattan, and the nearest public toilets pop up on the screen.
"I came up with the idea when I was in a public library [rest room] and had a splitting headache within two minutes because it was so filthy," said Peter Olfe, creator of Mizpee.
"I thought, 'Boy, if I only knew where there was a place within walking distance that I could just walk into.'"
Mizpee rates the rest rooms for cleanliness on a scale of one to five toilet paper rolls - setting up an "honor roll" and a "wall of shame."
It says whether the bathroom is accessible to the disabled, whether it has diaper-changing facilities, and - if in a store or coffee shop - whether it's only available to paying customers.
The city is notorious for its lack of clean and accessible public toilets - and while savvy New Yorkers have a mental map of their favorite pit stops, tourists can end up cross-legged and cringing.
City officials have promised since 1978 to install self-cleaning public toilets on busy streets around New York.
Mizpee is free, but users may be charged depending on their service plan, and currently it is only available in Manhattan. The service plans to sell ads and referrals to nearby businesses. It will be rolled out to other boroughs shortly, and will be accessible next month by text message and on desktop computers, Olfe said.
"This is truly a mobile need because you don't plan when you're next going to need the toilet," he said. "We've had tons of requests in New York. More than any other city, it seems there's a strong need for this."
cboyle@nydailynews.com
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/07/09/2007-07-09_gotta_go_whiz_biz_a_ny_relief.html
Gotta go? Whiz biz a N.Y. relief
BY CHRISTINA BOYLE
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Posted Monday, July 9th 2007, 4:00 AM
A new cell phone-based service promises to help desperate New Yorkers with no place to go - by finding them the closest, cleanest public rest room.
Mizpee.com works on cell phones with a built-in Web browser: Plug in any street address in Manhattan, and the nearest public toilets pop up on the screen.
"I came up with the idea when I was in a public library [rest room] and had a splitting headache within two minutes because it was so filthy," said Peter Olfe, creator of Mizpee.
"I thought, 'Boy, if I only knew where there was a place within walking distance that I could just walk into.'"
Mizpee rates the rest rooms for cleanliness on a scale of one to five toilet paper rolls - setting up an "honor roll" and a "wall of shame."
It says whether the bathroom is accessible to the disabled, whether it has diaper-changing facilities, and - if in a store or coffee shop - whether it's only available to paying customers.
The city is notorious for its lack of clean and accessible public toilets - and while savvy New Yorkers have a mental map of their favorite pit stops, tourists can end up cross-legged and cringing.
City officials have promised since 1978 to install self-cleaning public toilets on busy streets around New York.
Mizpee is free, but users may be charged depending on their service plan, and currently it is only available in Manhattan. The service plans to sell ads and referrals to nearby businesses. It will be rolled out to other boroughs shortly, and will be accessible next month by text message and on desktop computers, Olfe said.
"This is truly a mobile need because you don't plan when you're next going to need the toilet," he said. "We've had tons of requests in New York. More than any other city, it seems there's a strong need for this."
cboyle@nydailynews.com