South Street Diner - Boston, MA

South Street Diner - 5.3


One of my favorite parts about living in the northeast is the variety of old fashioned diners. Suburban New England is full of great diners, but it is often tough to find one right in the city. The South Street Diner is open 24 hours and located right by south station at 178 Kneeland St.
The diner, built in 1947, has tons of history with scenes from Hiding Out with Jon Cryer (classic 80's film) and Second Sight with John Larroquette and much more importantly, Bronson Pinchot!

For Bronson Pinchot moment of zen, click here.

Location: The bathroom is right where you'd expect it to be after walking in. It's at the far end of the diner, in between the counter and the tables. In other words, next to the jukebox. Pretty intuitive.
Grade: 7 out of 10

Accessibility: There's a lot of people coming in and out of the south street diner, especially late at night. During the slower hours, it should still be reasonably easy to make your way in and use the rest room.
Grade: 7 out of 10

Number of Stalls: As far as I could tell, there are no stalls. More accurately, there is just one room. And that room is both the men's and women's bathroom. eek.
Grade: 1 out of 10


Stall Quality: Ahem? Do you mean room quality? OH! RIGHT! The room is a bit on the small side, with a toilet that is off centered. That usually worries me. There is an effective lock though.
Grade: 3 out of 10

Toiler Paper: Could be an issue here. There was one roll and it wasnt covered up. I did not see other rolls readily available and in an emergency, yo might need to tap into that extra roll.
Grade: 4 out of 10

Cleanliness: During my visit, the bathroom was clean. It was not during their peak hours. There will be normal wear and tear when theyre busy, but this seems like a good sign.
Grade: 7 out of 10

Scent: Nothing noticeable - BUT - as it is one restroom for the whole diner it could be a nightmare if someone unleashes.
Grade: 5 out of 10

Flush: The flush started out with a fury and teeters out somewhat after that. It should get the job done.
Grade: 6 out of 10

Aesthetics: Surprisingly, there was some effort put in to make the bathroom a bit interesting. There's a nice mural on the back of the door as well as some framed art, somewhat in the style of a layered diorama. I like the effort and the art itself.
Grade: 8 out of 10



The Bottom Line: There are some plusses and minuses here. As for the plusses, walking in is easy and the restroom will likely be functional. However, there is just one restroom for the whole restaurant. The diner is great, but I wouldnt necessarily use restroom unless I had to or it wasn't busy in there.

Music to listen to whilst one "Has A Stew Goin"

First off, my sincere apologies for the lack of updates to Poopin' Around Town over the last few months. That said, look for more frequently updated content along with some new features - not just reviews.

Ok. Onto much more serious matters. I have put together a playlist that might come in handy should someone "gettin' down to business" need a little extra......motivation? Who knows, maybe you're one of the folks who likes to leave the water on while making a deposit. On a side note, I think those are probably the same people who sleep with noise machines.

Feel free to check out the Muxtape below and let me know if it suits your need. None of these songs are really about the subject matter at hand, so it'll take a bit of imagination.

If you're not familiar with Muxtape, just click on the link below and the mix will pop up. You can stream it and won't have to download any software. It's super easy.

http://poopinaroundtown.muxtape.com/

Enjoy!
The Shit Critic

Burlington Mall - Burlington, MA

Burlington Mall - 7.6



This might be the finest mall in the Boston metro area. There is really one reason for this:

Chik-Fil-A

Don't bother going on a Sunday - They're closed! You'll still be able to walk around the mall and eat from the other restaurants in the food court, but let's face it, it wouldn't be the same. If you eat fast food, and it's safe to assume that if you read this blog you do, Chik-Fil-A is an experience that you need to.....experience? Yeah something like that. The Burlington Mall is located at 75 Middlesex Turnpike in Burlington, MA about 20 minutes out of Boston where I-95 meets up with Route 3.


Location: When you're in a mall and in need of the facilities, head to the food court. Pretty logical! This should be pretty easy to find, located on the upper level.
Grade: 8 out of 10

Accessibility: Since you're in a mall, everything is accessible!
Grade: 10 out of 10

Number of Stalls: They have ten stalls (two handicapped) and a bunch of urinals. Even on a busy Saturday you should have no problem finding a seat.
Grade: 10 out of 10


Stall Quality: The stalls themselves were pretty decent. A bit more than you'd expect from the mall restroom. I'm guessing that they're new within the last 10 years or so.
Grade: 6 out of 10



Toiler Paper: Two rolls of two ply industrial. Locked up nice and tight. Just the way we like it!
Grade: 8 out of 10

Cleanliness: While the bathroom wasn't spotless, there were two mall employees there mopping and generally taking care of business. I'd bet more often than not it's pretty decent in here.
Grade: 7 out of 10

Scent: Over the time that this humble site has existed
Grade: 7 out of 10

Flush: The flush here was nothing to write home about. I think that as long as you don't make it work too hard, you should be all set.
Grade: 6 out of 10

Aesthetics: Again, for a mall bathroom, it didn't seem all that bad since it was reasonable new. What would you expect? Beer posters? No. This isn't a bar!
Grade: 6 out of 10

The Bottom Line: Mall bathrooms seem like a decent option. Chances are you'll find an open stall and hopefully one that isn't too messy. Access is certainly easy and you can hope there might be a Chik-Fil-A nearby. Just not on Sunday. Jesus!

Pizzeria Regina - Boston, MA

Pizzeria Regina - 4.8


Boston is known for a lot of things. The Freedom Trail, Harvard, The Sox and Pats, Great Beer, the list goes on and on really. One thing Boston does not have is great pizza. Frankly, the pizza around Boston sucks with very few exceptions. The biggest exception to the rule is Pizzeria Regina. This octogenarian establishment has some of the most authentic and tasty brick oven pizza that this critic has ever had. Pizzeria Regina is located at 11 1/2 Thacher Street in Boston's North End.


Location: After walking in through the main entrance, the men's room is in the back left corner of the restaurant. It's pretty much where you'd expect it to be though isn't visible from the front.
Grade: 6 out of 10

Accessibility: So, Boston natives and tourists alike really seem to like coming here. That said, there is often a line down the block - literally. There isn't room inside the restaurant for folks to wait, so people wind up waiting outside. Also, one of the biggest tables where large parties sit is by the bathroom. Basically, it's not the easiest to get to.
Grade: 3 out of 10

Number of Stalls: One stall here. Well, It's really half of a stall. there is also one urinal. Would love to see a restaurant that has this many customers have more, but that's the nature of being in an old fashioned building.
Grade: 3 out of 10


Stall Quality: A bit of a smaller toilet in this tiny, tiny stall. It couldn't have been more than 15 inches tall which is a bit awkward. There's hardly room to stand up and turn around. At least the lock works, right?
Grade: 3 out of 10


Toiler Paper: This was well guarded, industrial one ply. Nothing wrong with that!
Grade: 7 out of 10

Cleanliness: The restroom was reasonably clean, though it didn't feel particularly clean. Of note is a card that they have available in the restroom that states "If this restroom needs attention, please give this card to any employee". Hey, you see something new every day.
Grade: 6 out of 10

Scent: It seems like a lot of effort was put into making the restroom pleasant as far as the scent goes. In all, it was pretty normal. Perhaps they could let some of the fine scents from the kitchen in there?
Grade: 7 out of 10

Flush: The flush here was nothing to write home about. I think that as long as you don't make it work too hard, you should be all set.
Grade: 6 out of 10

Aesthetics: Nothing. Plain and boring. industrial. Zero effort here.
Grade: 2 out of 10

The Bottom Line: If this were a blog about pizza, we'd be close to a ten. Since it's a blog about poopin' around town, this place isn't looking so hot. Just not that accessible and the restroom itself is tiny and awkward. I'd look for other options if in dire need and on the outside looking in.