New Bedford’s Public Restrooms for When You’ve Really Got to Go

When you gotta go, you gotta go – but sometimes it's tough to know where to go when you have to go. My mother always said, "Make sure you go before you leave the house," but somehow, I still needed to go wherever we went.

As I age, I find I have to go with greater frequency. They tell me it's the coffee. I think the plumbing is just getting old.

When I leave the house these days, especially on foot, it helps to plan for where I might go in an emergency.

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Small stores and restaurants aren't keen on letting you use their facilities unless you buy something. Even then, they might refuse you access to the toilet.

Some of the coffee shops lock the restroom doors and make you ask for the key.

There once was a time when New Bedford City Hall had public restrooms accessible from the outside. The public parks had bathroom facilities, too. You are lucky today to find a porta-potty.

READ MORE: Massachusetts Businesses Can Deny You Restroom Access

I find gas stations attached to convenience stores, supermarkets and box stores have restrooms and are less likely to care if you use their loo.

My buddy Gazelle even found a couple of out-of-the-way bathrooms while shopping for food.

READ MORE: New Bedford and Fall River Market Basket's Best-Kept Secret

I worry about folks arriving in New Bedford onboard the new South Coast Rail. How will they know where to go should they have to? I hear the two New Bedford MBTA stations have facilities, and the commuter trains will also have johns.

Make sure you go before you leave the train!

For those strangers wandering the streets in search of a place to relieve themselves, BathroomAccess.com is a handy resource for locating at least a couple of restrooms, should one be needed.