Costello's in JP

When he discovered me hanging off the couch doing impressions of Robin Williams in "My Favorite Martian" (Nanu! Nanu!), the German decided it was time to get me out of the house. So, off we went to Jamaica Plain, more affectionately known as JP, to pick up a good buddy and play some darts.

We played said darts at a wonderful local pub called Costello's on Centre St. This is a very cozy, very friendly sports bar. The food is great, and so is the waitstaff.

The bathroom, however, was anything but cozy. In fact, it was downright freezing. Everything about it suggests back-up meat locker. The room was cold, the water was cold, and the air from the hand dryer nearly gave me frostbite.

I literally froze my little tushie.

I can't really say it's cleanliness made up for the Arctic temperatures. In fact, everything about this bathroom suggested "Do your thing and get out as quickly as you can. We don't want you here."

My pal assured me that the ice men's room cometh, as well.

So, while the beer, the company, and the Hawiian pizza hit just the right spot, the bathroom left much to be desired. I thank my lucky stars I only had two beers, and I give this bathroom only two rolls.

Buff's Pub in Newton Corner

Buff's Pub won the 2009 Phoenix Boston's Best award for their famous wings, which come in several varieties. I had the hot wings and onion rings along with a generous glass of water. Can you say "fire in the hole"?

Needless to say, I eventually had to make my way to the back of this cozy neighborhood bar to use their facilities.

I must admit I was deceived on two fronts.

The first was it's double doors. I thought for sure the basic wooden door led directly into a one-toilet room. There was, in fact, a kind of foyer to this ladies room. A small anteroom lay on the other side, with another door. Had I fallen down the rabbit hole?

But no, the second door led into a surprisingly well-maintained and clean bathroom. This was the second deception. I had not expected a well-tiled floor without a speck of grime (save one spot of...yes I'll say it...blood. Ick!)

The sink and toilet were equally spotless (no pun intended), and there was plenty of everything. I could even open the door with a paper towel so as not to touch the door handle. For the second door, this wasn't so easy.

As I walked back to my table, I pondered the meaning of the bathroom anteroom. Was it a deterrent against embarrassing walk-ins? Or perhaps a waiting area to keep customers out of the way of the busy, yet friendly, waitress?

My friend and fellow editor had the answer right away: Make-out room.

Satisfied with this answer, I went back to my lip-numbing, but delicious wings, thinking to myself that this bathroom gets 3.5 out of 4 rolls on my scale.

Third Time's the Charm

Hello, folks!

I have now twice tried and failed to get this blog going. But what the hell, right? After all, the third time's the charm. . .That, and I'm currently unemployed. If I can't get it going this time, then someone please close the computer on my fingers to stop me.

So here's the spiel: I go about my daily life as a 30-something in the great old city of Boston. As I do, I stumble upon the good, the bad, and the ugly of ladies' rooms.

Now, I don't know about you, but I've found a serious lack of public restrooms (in particular, functional ones) in the Greater Boston Area. So, I have made it my mission to seek out the best of the best and tell you about them.

Like the Crusades, I have gone in, nerves steeled and colors flying, only to ride back a failure. But I promise you, not this time! This time, the blog will continue!

I'll post any interesting bathroom facts or anecdotes I might happen upon along the way. I'll also try my best to get some men's room reports, provided I can convince one of my male correspondents (i.e. boyfriend or best buddy) to report for me. This could take a few beers.

So, stay tuned for my first entry: Buff's in Newton Corner. I'll be there tonight with a full report tomorrow.