2005 Minnesota Favorites (excerpt)
by Maria Hidalgo, Minnesota Monthly February 2005
In the unpredictable world of porcelain urinals and metal stalls, Jon Thompson is your first line of defense against a public restroom nightmare. Call him the washroom watchdog, or the private eye of public plumbing.
We've all been there: that moment when you have to... er... use the facilities, perhaps with some level of urgency, only to find your destination besmirches with the personal idiosyncrasies of previous visitors. Minnesotans have an advantage over those in other states, however - we have RestroomRatings.com on our side, warning us of the worst bathroom conditions. More than 200 individual restrooms are reviewed in great detail, most along the route between the Twin Cities and Wisconsin, where creator Jon Thompson often visits relatives. The site also offers some of the best bathroom humor around, from the horrors described in "Man Cans of the Yucaton" to the helpful primer "The Top Ten Mistakes of the Public Restroom Patron". Some good has come from Thompson's efforts - a couple of poorly reviewed locations have updated and remodeled, then asked for a second... uh... look.
Got a public lavatory that you love - or one that would have Thomas Crapper spinning in his grave? Submit your own review, complete with photograph, and enter the hallowed halls of Bathroom Reviewer Superstar. (A tip for newbies: save the photo for last, and, if there's anyone else in the bathroom, run like hell after snapping.) - M.H.
