We love it when local bloggers take it upon themselves to explore the nooks and crannies of our city and report back to us. Today we were introduced to a new blog by Lia Pendarvis with the promising (though hilariously unflattering) title, The Lavatory Lady. As a mother of two young boys who are not only always on the go but often have “to go,” Lia confesses she spends an inordinate chunk of her daily routine hunting down public bathrooms in the metro area. But instead of privately complaining (or gushing) about the state of the many facilities she comes across, Lia’s started sharing her impressions with the rest of us.

My husband and I love going out and pretty much get a date night once a month, also around this time of year we have tons of family gatherings in restaurants around the city and these two events allow me to gather bathroom intel. Now that I’ve started the blog, I take about an hour each week to rate a few of the downtown places before I pick up my children. My M.O. is walking in, sitting at the bar and ordering a club soda with lime. [If I ate or had a drink at all of these places I’d have to change my name to the Overweight Alcoholic Lady]. I then excuse myself to the rest room and take a few minutes to rate it based on criteria I have come up with over the years.

Those criteria include Cleanliness, Soap Quality, Hot Forceful Water, Drying Apparatus, General Smell, Trash Receptacle, Door Locks, Lighting and Decor. The result of Lia’s efforts is a growing database of brief bathroom reviews, handily referenced in the right column of her site. We’re still clicking our way through, but highlights so far include the nomination of Sonoma as having the worst restaurant bathroom in the city and photos of what might be mold inside the john at Rumors. Of course the more positive reviews are probably more helpful to her readers, but the negative ones are by far more entertaining. What are your nominations for the best/worst bathrooms in the city?

Photo courtesy Lia Pendarvis