Uncle Willy's -- Kingston, NY

A narrow place, Uncle Willy's in Uptown Kingston has a comfortable vibe to it.  Once you squeeze your way to finding a seat at the long bar, you can have some snack pretzels with your beer while you wait for the live music to play.  As you look around, you notice that, apart from a couple of the bartenders (do they still call women barmaids?  Oy), and apart from people who came with the band, the age range for the bar is, shall we say, a little higher than most I've been in.  It's a friendly enough place, and Uncle Willy was there with a great taxi cab hat on, working away behind and in front of the bar.

After a beer or two, it's time to visit the commode.

There's something about this sign that makes it friendly.  It must be the curlicues.  I'm betting it wasn't Uncle Willy who wrote the sign.  I'm actually hoping so, because Uncle Willy doesn't need to be telling women not to throw "tubes with Ties" in the toilet.  Might come off a bit...off.

The sink is small, but fine.  Everything was reasonably clean and useable.  Nice mirror.

Nice mirro--wait, didn't I already say that?  There seems to be a plethora of mirrors.  At least they are all set high enough.

I'm still trying to figure out what the wire that's along the door frame is for.  It looks like a phone wire, but where's the phone?  It seemed to sneak in and sneak out without actually accomplishing anything within the restroom.  Maybe some sort of light cords.  Hmm.  Okay, nice hook, so I'm over the wire.

All in all, Uncle Willy's is totally fine to use.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Uncle-Willys-Inc/609963449041449

Home Depot -- Kingston, NY

Home Depot in Kingston.  Not much to say about the store.  We all know what they are like, and this one is the same as the rest.  Very handy when you need certain things. What we really need to know is, how is the commode?

Well, there is a hook, but it's not properly placed.  What if there were a shoplifter who wanted to lift my purse?  I'm also not sure about the fact that they feel the need to tell me they will prosecute shoplifters.  On the one hand, it seems a bit insulting.  On the other hand, there must have been a need.  Should I have to face these kinds of conundrums in the loo?

I do like the tiles!  I also like the fac tthat I don't have to touch too many things.  I'm against touching lots of things in the restrooms.

Nice and new looking, relatively clean.  I'd give it a go if I had to go if I were you.

http://www.homedepot.com/

The Smokin' Pony -- Saugerties, NY

Want barbecue?  The Smokin' Pony, right next to The Stone Pony right outside Saugerties, has some seriously good food.  The pulled pork sandwich (no, it wasn't pulled pony as we wondered) was tender and naked, waiting for me to choose a sauce from the bottles on the table and dress it up.  Came with sweet potato fries and a homemade peppery cole slaw.  Plenty of alcohol if you're into it, and old fashioned bottled sodas as well.  Friendly people.  Glass walls.  Papered tables that were perfect for entertaining everyone involved.  We drew animals, designs, math, cars, charts,... every table everywhere should be papered.

At any rate, on to the commode, which shall not disappoint.

To begin with, the hook is in the correct place.  And look at that light fixture!  That's pretty uber cool.

Continuing with the cool lights, and a really neat stencil!  The Smokin' Pony is on target!  My only complaint is that to get to the bathrooms, one must exit the restaurant proper and follow the wall in the almost-outside area to the 'Sows' door.  Being the Smokin' Pony, maybe it should have been fillies.  :)

http://www.smokinponybbq.com/

Mohonk Mountain House -- New Paltz, NY

<<<<Special edition!>>>>  <<<<One Time Only!>>>>

We'll see multiple commodes in this post as we explore the amazing Mohonk Mountain House!  If you haven't been there before and you live in the area, hurry as this week is Community Week, so you can explore the Mountain House itself and enjoy the art show from Wired Gallery!  This is a sneak peak that we take advantage of when we can because as Mohonk Preserve members, we're normally allowed on the grounds, but not to wander around the Mountain House itself.

After entering the property and driving the windy, narrow road, you are greeted by several buildings that are not the Mountain House.  Keep going.  When you get to the parking area, you will have at least one winding staircase to climb, so if you have someone who is not stair-worthy, you may want to drop them off at the top and then park.

The building itself is massive, with several different styles going on since they were built in different time periods.  Very impressive, quite beautiful.  When you go in, the halls are a bit narrow, but there are little touches everywhere that beg for picture-taking or at least admiring.  Old-fashioned light fixtures, stuffed chairs looking out from rounded windows at an amazing view, beautiful old carpeting and dark wood accents, fireplaces and, this time of year, holiday decorations.

Here we come to the first commode experience, which is the one down the hall from the Wired Gallery show on the second floor.  Wired Gallery is located in High Falls in a great building, but once a year, they do an art show during Community Week at Mohonk.

I don't know why, but I was very impressed by this.  Clean, neat, orderly.



Also, very clean.  I have to say, I'm a fan of flowers.  They can class up just about anything.  The wood stalls were also nice, but I'm tall, so they 'fell short' if you know what I mean.  I don't like being able to see out while I'm in there.  At least they weren't set too high.  That's worse.  Otherwise, perfectly pleasant, even if it didn't live up to my expectations of a seriously posh restroom.

So on we go.  Once you're done there, you can continue to one of the many decks at the Mountain House and admire the beautiful lake, or go to the gardens, or up to the tower, which we did.  On our way back, we stopped at the ice skating rink which was, despite it being insanely warm at 55 degrees, functioning.  They also had a fire in the oversized fireplace at one end of the rink, and I ducked inside the restroom next to the skate house to check it out.

Here's the skate house restroom:

Keeping in mind that this is primarily for skaters, I have to say it is extremely clean and streamlined.  Maybe a little exotic with the finishes over the mirrors.  I don't know what's with the pinkish color on the walls, but maybe they thought it needed some cheer.  Hmm.

After you check out the skating rink, if you haven't already, go have a seat in one of the many rustic little gazebos that hang out over the water.  Then, before you leave, you'll want to go back through the Mountain House one last time, maybe check out the gift shop, and go down the hall to the last bathroom:

I know what you're thinking.  Looks pretty dull, right?  Well, that's because I saved the best part of this restroom for last:

Much better..  Very nice countertops, pretty mirrors with beaded edging.  And, in the same space, this:

Now they've got me.  Flowers, antiques, one wall completely made of stone...This is what I was expecting.  The overall tone of the room with the sinks, and the little box and stuffed chair...this reminds me of the building I'm standing in, and makes me appreciate it all the more.

Overall, every restroom was fine.  No issues with usage, no problems with anthing.  The last one, however, more closely fit my image of what it should be.  The others might have been a tad too modern for such a grand old building.

http://www.mohonk.com/

Hardee's -- Kingston, NY

Ah, Hardee's.  Years ago, I lived in Illinois, and we used to love Hardee's.  So I was pretty happy to see a Hardee's open up in Kingston not too very long ago.  It's all a Hardee's should be, and I have to say the service is really good.  I have to admit I like the fast-food-but-we'll-bring-it-to-you approach.  Maybe I'm just lazy, but sitting with the family beats standing with everyone waiting by the counter.

On to the commode:  Hard to beat a brand new commode, eh?

Not a bad design.  Everything clean and spiffy.

They knew right where to put the hook.

This part is a little confusing.  Well, not confusing.  Confused, perhaps.  Like it didn't know what it wanted to be when it grew up.  A handle or a lock?  It decided to go with some sort of mutant.

Here's the only downer.  The toilet, as you can't see here, is very, very low.  This is one tiny toilet.  The kids will be alright.  For some of us, it's not that easy getting off the ground anymore.  But it is nice and clean!

http://www.hardees.com/

Dallas Hot Weiners -- The Stockade area, Kingston, NY

Dallas Hot Weiners.  Who doesn't like their sauce with little chopped onions and their cheap hot dogs?  Umm.  I'm married to a real fan, and one of my kids is a huge fan, too.  I like the ambience.  It's like a throwback to an old-style diner or 5 and dime.  It has an intimate feel one doesn't get from most restaurants today.  Judging by the number of people who flood in and out, I'm guessing a lot of people like both the food and the atmosphere.

One reason the atmosphere is intimate is because it is not a large place.  And with real estate within the eatery at a premium, they didn't waste a lot on the commode.

You might be able to see that it looks small.  Here's another picture that will clarify just how small the space is:

Yes, that's the commode in the lower right corner there.  Keep in mine that I have my back fully to the door.  If that isn't enough, here's a picture of the sink.  You can see my hand for scale.

Before it sounds too much like I'm complaining, I'm not.  I think it was adorable.  Not only that, but it was very clean, so I have no complaints.  Just remember not to go flying in there too fast or you'll hit something.

http://dallashotwieners.com/

Hannaford's -- Kingston Plaza, Kingston, NY

Hannaford's in the Plaza.  It's a foodstore chain, and you'll be seeing a part 2 in future, comparing this one, which is not in the most wealthy area, to the other one in Kingston, near the malls (technically in the Town of Ulster).

The store itself is well organized and laid out, relatively clean.  Though I've run into a character or two shopping, all the people who work there are pretty friendly.  That said, the restroom used to be an unmitigated disaster.  Then, a few years ago, they redid it, and now I'm not afraid to go in.  Here's the proof:

There's the hook.  They've got me already.

Nice tile, quite clean even compared to some restaurants I've been in.  A little issue with the paper towel dispenser, but honestly, I'm impressed.

Ah, there's what's going on.  The Restroom Log.  (Not a term I'd bandy about just anywhere, but...) It is well cared for as you can see by the columns that are all filled out.  While I've seen Restroom Logs (okay, I can't help snickering here) I've rarely seen one so neat and orderly.  Well done, and I'd use this restroom whenever I need to.