We’ve all been there: Walking around some busy Manhattan neighborhood, we realize we need to use the bathroom and can’t find anywhere to go. If you’ve lived in New York long enough, you’ve picked up few tricks: any Starbucks bathroom is a pretty reliable (if not reliably filthy) option, as is the Strand Bookstore’s, if you happen to be in Union Square. But there are plenty of instances where you find yourself shit out of luck.
Charmin has a temporary solution to your woes: the toilet paper giant is piloting the first-ever on-demand mobile bathroom in NYC. On Wednesday, June 21 and Thursday, June 22, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., two Charmin Van-GO vehicles will be making stops throughout Manhattan. Each van will have a private bathroom and for a special treat, ‘Black-ish’ star Anthony Anderson will also be aboard to charm you and allegedly crack a few potty jokes. (Don’t let being star struck give you stage fright!)
“When I learned about Charmin Van-GO, my first thought was, ‘Wow. New York City needs this! There have been too many times I’ve been on the go but couldn’t find a clean and convenient bathroom,’”Anderson said in a statement. “It’s literally a bathroom delivered right to your footsteps.”
Here’s how it works: Visit CharminVanGo.com to input your address and request a van. The vehicle will be making stops in some of Manhattan’s busy neighborhoods, including Midtown near Bryant Park and Herald Square, Union Square, on the West Side along the High Line, and more.
Because there are only two vans on the route each day, punctuality and availability could be an issue — which kind of defeats the purpose of fast, convenient bathroom relief. But if this were rolled out as an everyday option, widespread throughout the city with multiple vehicles deployed, it has the potential to be a reliable bladder-saver. Personally, we can’t imagine ordering a vehicle in which to do our business. Our current strategy is to steer clear of Manhattan bathroom deserts, with the Starbucks method as a last resort. Would you hail a potty, in a pinch?
