Download the Yelp and Toilet Finder Apps. Toilet Finder is essential in NYC as unless you know the City, it's tough to find public restrooms.

The Yelp App is also location based and will immediately locate restaurants within specified distances of where you are. Coffee shops, whatever, you feed the criteria and it finds. If you find a restaurant you probably find a toilet. The coffee shops are all over NYC especially downtown near NYU, they are on every block.

I would also suggest a stash of antispasmodics and imodium. When I train in to NYC, I take an antisspasmodic 45 minutes before eating and an imodium or 2 with the meal. Then I am usually good not to have to go, for a while anyway.

Thank you! I will download those two apps. I don't have any antispasmodics but I will ask for some at my next appointment in 4 weeks. I am headed up to western Massachusetts tomorrow and really would like to hike up Sugarloaf Mountain. They have a restroom at the top, thank goodness.

Marianne,
I tend to stick to animal protiens when traveling...the less residue in my pouch the better when I am away from home.
My pouch also seems to function nicely that way and I can always find a piece of chicken, fish or meat anywhere I go without too much difficulty.
I avoid any irritants, too many greens or fresh fruits but enjoy my juices and smoothies.
Its my default diet whenever away from home.
I carry little baggies filled with cheese chunks and nuts that I chew very well...they give me the energy lift that I need until I can find a meal that suits me.
Sharon

Every Starbucks in NYC has a public bathroom, and they are pretty much everywhere. Not always the cleanest but definitely better than Port Authority.

And by downloading the location based Yelp and Toilet Finder apps, you will locate the Starbucks closest to you. If you are on the southwest corner of 42nd and Lexington, for example, looking north, and open your Yelp App and search "coffee shops", it will send you to the Starbucks on Lex between 42nd and 43rd. My guess is if you are on the southeast corner of 42nd and Lex it will say 0.1 mile.

With these Apps, you can walk anywhere in NYC and there will probably be a toilet within .1 or .2 miles with directions available from your App if you can't figure it out based on how the City is plotted.

Another trick if you lose track of east, west, north or south and are anywhere south of 42nd is to always look for the Empire State Building which I think is 34th and 5th or so. When you see the ESB look at the street you are on and it will tell you where you are and in what direction you should be walking. Obviously if you have a smartphone these Apps have links to GoogleMaps GPS and it will walk you there if the ESB "eye test" doesn't do the trick. The only areas where I tend to get lost is down in Soho and Nolita and I have used my Apps to get me on track a few times when I couldn't see the ESB. BTW- my avatar pic was taken in Nolita.

The Port Authority toilets should never be touched by your butt cheeks! Totally unnecessary experience.

Yes, Port Authority was gross. I think I used a whole roll of toilet paper to cover the seat. I did what you said and used my iphone. If I didnt know the direction, I would just start walking and it would show me the direction I was going in. I'll use the ESB trick the next time.

Next week will be 6 months since my takedown and I am starting to feel so much better. I even managed to go for a run today. Maybe by this time next year I'll be able to go back to NYC, worry less and enjoy it more.