Boogers Found on Wall of Bathroom at Cinemark Festival Bay Movie Theater

Cinemark Festival Bay Mall
5150 International Drive
Orlando, FL USA
www.cinemark.com

Where is it?

There are several bathrooms located inside this movie theater. This one is located in the far right (eastbound?) wing of the theater itself.

To get there, enter through the lobby and, after handing your ticket to the usher, veer off to the right and down the main hallway there leading to the theaters in that end of the establishment.

As you go, you'll immediately pass the main concession stand on your left, as well as the entrances to one of the the theater's larger stadiums (there's another, similar one on the other end of the concession stand) then a small hallway leading to three or four smaller theaters (which will be on your right). Keep going straight, until you hit the back wall (you'll pass a smaller concession stand on your left as you walk, though this one is often closed), which itself places you dead center in another longer hallway, which has six or so theaters to each side.

Go left and you'll see the restroom sign hanging from the ceiling. Turn left when you reach the sign and go right for the men's room and left for the women's.

What's it like?

This is a decent, standard multiplex theater slapped at the very end of Orlando's International Drive, the city's primary non-Disney-based tourism strip. The theater itself is one of the cornerstone businesses in the Festival Bay Mall, which has several worthwhile stores and eateries (my favorite in the mall being Fuddruckers) but also houses a number of empty storefronts, which makes shopping there a touch on the unsettling side. (The mall itself is across the street from Texas de Brazil and Orlando's Prime Outlets -- formerly the Belz Outlets -- which covers several blocks of real estate with various stores.)

The theater complex itself is dimly lit and filled with golden hues and old-movie-parlor touches, even though you can tell it's a very new building in every respect. Seats are comfortable (though have a shorter back than what I would prefer) and all theaters themselves are setup with stadium seating, so you don't have to contend much with people blocking your view. Picture and sound quality are pretty good, and usually matinees are not very crowded (unless it's the opening weekend of a major release). It's also a good place to while away a few hours if you're in the area and don't feel like shopping but your friends, out-of-town visitors or guests do.

The bathrooms, upon first impression, seem pretty classy -- though that impression is ruined upon closer inspection.

At first, they are classy looking, with beige tile covering the lower wall, a wavy, textured off-white tile covering the upper wall and an ornately carved bronze-like tile forming a mid-wall divider between the two. A large-squared contrasting off-white tile covers the floor.

It's a large environment, long and stretching but not too narrow, and well-spaced. About eight or so urinals hang along the left wall (if facing the back wall), and a stretch of four or so toilet stalls stand opposite them in the far corner of the place. Brown metal dividers separate the stalls but the urinals have no privacy barriers between them, which leaves you a bit open to peepers if you're standing at them and someone comes in.

There is a multi-station vanity, with a bland brick-colored granite counter and some white porcelain embedded sinks, in the front right of the room. Three automatic hand dryers hang on the wall opposite the vanity. The vanity itself is nothing special, the same sort of setup as I've seen (most recently) at places like Animal Kingdom (at the bathrooms near the Flame Tree Restaurant, for example) and (on a smaller scale) Whole Foods Winter Park. This one has manual faucets and soap pumps though.

Spend a little time at the vanity and that classy first impression starts to waver. While I didn't find it waterlogged (perhaps because I attended the first screening of the day on my visit and seemed to be one of the first to enter the facility), I did find that one of the soap dispensers had become unglued from the stretch mirror behind the vanity and was laying dead on the counter, alongside bits of plastic that had broken off in the fall. Certainly this needs to be fixed.

The toilet stalls were clean, but the walls of the stall I entered were speckled with bits of goo, which I can only assume are boogers flicked on the wall from a previous visitor. Pretty gross.

If that weren't enough, the latches to the stall door I found myself behind was pretty greasy on the edges, as if years of finger grease has accumulated on it from people sliding it back and forth so many times.

These little things, I'm sorry to say, made the experience less than savory and made me hurry with my business, for fear of what other items the cleaning crew had overlooked might appear here.

Marks out of 10:

6. Would be an 8 if it were not for the greasy latch, felled soup dispenser and boogers on the wall.

Comments to the Management:

The soap dispenser is an easy fix -- just mount it right and move on. But the greasy latch and boogers make me think that your cleaning crew just focuses on the main target items (toilets, vanity, floor) and not the rest of the place. Time to do a head-to-toe scrubbing of the place.

Cozy Neighborhood Joint Basil Offers Cozy Bathroom With Some Odd Inclusions

Basil Ristorante & Pizzeria Italiano
920 US 1
Sebastian, FL USA

Where is it?

This is a small, narrow, rectangular dining room that seats maybe 15 or so tables at most. Guests enter from the far right of the dining room (with your back to the door); the kitchen and waiter stations are opposite the entrance, along the back wall, with the proper dining room opening to the left and extending the length of the place.

To get to the bathroom, turn left from the entrance and head through the dining room to the far back wall. Once there, turn right and slip into the short hallway located just beyond the back right of the dining room. The toilets are both there, as is a supply closet and the restaurant's air conditioning system.

What's it like?

This is cozy, humble little neighborhood Italian eatery serves some delicious, well-portioned and well-priced food that's a cut or two above the standard pizza joint fare or what you'll find at Olive Garden. It isn't a flashy place: Small, reliable and friendly, with a small staff that's from Italy and family based.

The menu houses a number of familiar items, from eggplant and chicken Parmesan to various pasta dishes to pizzas and calzones to Mediterranean-inspired fish, poultry and meat dishes. I've been here a few times and each time has been very good. The sauces here are particularly noteworthy, as they incorporate a touch of peppery heat to them that you don't expect. In most cases, places like these dwell on sweeter tomato sauces; here, they offer something more nuanced and textured, which I liked.

Service is attentive and down to earth -- you get the impression, once you step through the doors, that this is a place with many regulars. And for good reason. A pleasant stop worth making if you're in the neighborhood and in the middle for decent Italian.

The bathrooms are pretty straightforward affairs here. One-baggers that are simple and non-flashy, like the rest of the place. Dimly lit, with faux brick red tile on the floor and white drywall walls, white porcelain toilet, white porcelain sink.

The walls are pretty bare, except for two framed maps (those old-looking topographic ones you see everywhere), one of Italy and one of the world. Essentially, the bathroom is about the same as what you'll find at the nearby Long Point Cafe, only that one is all white and better lit (and has a Billy the Bass talking fish on the wall).

Decor-wise, I don't mind the simplicity of the place, but I wouldn't have minded either if the designers had gotten a little more creative with things. Not necessarily to the extent of what was seen at NYPD Pizza in Orlando, but perhaps something approaching the homeyness of the Burr Trail Grill in Utah. It would certainly suit the place well, I think.

Cleanliness-wise, the place was spot on, though at the same time it's showing its age in places -- areas are looking a bit dingy in spots, like the sink and the corners. Nothing drastic though. It was clean and odor free.

However, it did have a couple of oddities.

For one, the sound of the air conditioning unit down the hall created quite a rumble inside here when it was on. Good for privacy, but also it made me think at first that I was relieving myself while an earthquake was starting up.

Secondly, I found a bunch of loose tissues placed above the paper towel dispenser. Was a box of tissues not available? I hope the managers realize this is a bit creepy, as I doubt anyone will use the items because they are placed there loosely.

Thirdly, the paper towel holder is set remarkably high on the wall next to the toilet. About two feet up from the handicap assistance bar, making it a bit of a reach for people who are height-challenged, if you will.

Not the worst place I've ever seen such items placed before (the worst would be the third-floor bathroom at Bloomingdale's in Orlando) but you'd think it would be a little easier to reach, considering the circumstances behind it.

Marks out of 10:

6. Cozy, standard one-bagger, but its oddities drop it down from the standard 7 score.

Comments to the Management:

Not sure you can do much about the rumble produced by the air conditioning unit, as it is where it is and this Florida; not even sure if piped in music will help, because it would have to be pretty loud to drown out the hum, and in that case it might disturb your diners. As for the rest: You can always move the TP holder down a little if you choose, and the loose tissues can be easily discarded -- just leave a box up there in the future.

Montauk's Bathroom Mediocre At Best

Montauk Seafood Grill
549 E. Lionshead Circle
Vail, CO USA
www.montaukseafoodgrill.com

Where is it?

To get to the restrooms here, make your immediate left after you enter. When you get halfway down the hallway make a right, which will put you in view of Montauk’s bar.

To the right of the bar is a small hallway adorned with the replica of a large swordfish (or is it a marlin?). At the end of this hall you will find restrooms.

What’s it like?

This 19-year-old establishment prides itself on being one of the finer seafood/steak establishments in the tiny town of Vail. And just like most fine dining locales in Vail, it also comes with the higher than average price tag for your selections.

But this shouldn’t be a surprise. Vail is one of the more (if not the most) popular ski resorts in the world, and tourists do not mind dishing out the payola to play on its pristine slopes. So pricey fine dining is just part of the vacation package.

The exterior of Montauk adheres to the faux-Bavarian architecture that is the defacto standard in all of Vail. Yet, the interior is still quite welcoming.

It has a modern and warm environment with a hint of rustic throwback. The staff is very friendly, and they're open to all questions about the menu, the locale, the history of the restaurant, the town of Vail, Beatles songs, pH balance of the town’s water, and thoughts about past and present names of people.

Yes, they are awesome to communicate with!

Efficiency is a different matter, however, Each member of my party ordered a different dish from the menu. Of the five of us, I believe only one spoke up to talk about the great taste of the Chilean Sea Bass. But everyone else’s critique was less than stellar.

Salmon was dry/over grilled. Halibut tasted pretty plain, and my other two friends we’re not satisfied with the grill level of their steaks. For the average 30-some dollars a plate there, they could of done a better job.

But before hightailing out of Montauk, and into the cold Colorado air, I went to check out the bathroom. The doors to the bathrooms are simply gender-labeled with stickers you could find at your local arts and crafts store. It may be cheap, but there is no question on which door to go into.

The space inside the bathroom is equivalent to the size of a master bedroom closet (one found in most homes, not mansion sized). The bathrooms walls are lined with washed out grey-blue and white wall tiles. The colors don’t create any form of “wow” factor, but does make the aesthetics of the facilities mildly pleasurable. The floor though was dusty and small pockets of grime could be seen on the tile floor.

This was uncanny, since all the toilets, partitions, fixtures and mirror we’re relatively clean.

There was even a bouquet of flowers (didn’t check if they we’re real or not) in a snazzy vase to brighten up your post toilet experience! The hand towel wire basket with color matching stand alone cylindrical soap dispenser is a nice touch. I guess floor care was an afterthought.

Marks out of 10:

This gets a 6. Overall, the presentation of the facilities we’re average, just good enough to get your release and go. But nothing really memorable.

Comments to the Management:

Kitchen quality needs some upgrading. Bathrooms need to get some door signs for the bathroom and clean them floors!

-- Ayal Wolf
Guest Contributor

Amway Arena Bathroom Really Just a Cave with Lots of Urinals

Amway Arena
600 W Amelia St
Orlando, FL USA
www.orlandovenues.net

Where is it?

This bathroom reviewed here is located near the entrance to the seats in sections 103-104 and 203-204.

So to get there, find that area via the signs pointing to them, look across the hall from them -- you'll see a large tiled divider wall (almost monolithic in size, really). Go behind that wall and you'll come across the bathrooms.

What's it like?

Orlando's main arena, home to the Orlando Magic and big concert draws, this large stadium seats around 17,000 for most basketball games and concerts. It's a pleasant enough place to enjoy such an event, though the echoes and acoustics can be a bit of a strain -- as much sound seems to get stuck in its many upper corners.

Like most arenas, it has a number of attractions, from various gift stalls selling T-shirts and other wares, to an assortment of food vendors, offering an array of fast food and such. Seats are of the plastic fold-down variety -- not too comfortable, but not as bad as other venues I've been to.

The bathrooms here are enormous, multi-person and cavernous. In fact, walking in one it really looks just like a being in a cave -- only this cave is lined with urinals along its perimeter.

And it's not as dank as the cave-like bathroom at at Pulkovo International Airport in St. Petersburg, Russia, but that's only because it's much larger than that. Still, this is very much a cave and nothing else.

Essentially, the facilities here consist of one long room. A barrage of sinks (all white porcelain, with single mirrors over them) covering both sides of the walls greets you once you step inside. Beyond that is a long single room that has dozens of urinals fixed to its left and back wall and a long row of toilet stalls along the right wall.

The urinals have no dividers between them, and black metal makes up the stall divider walls. Various posters of upcoming events hang above the urinals -- which is better than nothing, I guess. The upper walls are covered in beige tile, the lower walls with a drab gray tile. That same colored gray tile (albeit smaller) covers the floors, which is also dotted with small black tiles for highlights -- similar to what was seen at Theo's Kitchen, only on a much larger scale.

What's amusing here is that a lot of the fixtures are dated. The sink faucets, for example, are the old-fashioned turn-on variety you used to see predominantly several years back. I haven't seen faucets this antiquated since visiting the Delta Crown Room in the JFK International terminal.

Also, this is the only place I've ever seen advertisement stickers placed around the piping of the toilets -- a very strange place to place an ad, I think, since you can never really see the entire ad. So far, I've seen business cards and fliers placed in the bathroom (like at that horrid CVS Pharmacy in Savannah, GA) and I've seen printed pieces of paper taped to specific areas of the bathroom (like at the scary Goyan Gip Korean Restaurant), but I never have seen stickers wrapped around piping. First time for everything, I guess.

That aside, the place was pretty clean as a whole -- though I visited during the opening minutes of a basketball game, so few had made their way to the bathroom by then. I've made other visits while attending other events and the bathroom was far messier then. For this one, I found some trash on the floor, some spilled water and pee and some foul odors in the air, but nothing too horrible. (It's been worse on subsequent visits.)

Still, outside of the sheer size of this cave, there isn't much that's memorable here. Utilitarian at best, and best experienced early on in the game than later as it gets pretty crowded during halftime and on the way out.

Marks out of 10:

6. Really a 5, but that one visit, where I was the only person in there, really added to the experience.

Comments to the Management:

Update the fixtures and keep it cleaner when the place is being swamped -- both things I'm sure you already know, though.

Avanzare's Creative Cuisine and Spirited Atmosphere Not Extended to Bathroom

Avanzare
1932 14th Ave.
Vero Beach FL USA

Where is it?

A little tricky to find and for many it will be best to just ask someone for help, as I got lost trying to find it on my own.

If you try to go it alone, do the following: The dining room is split into two distinct sections. When you enter, you will find yourself at the back of the right dining room. Head to the middle of that and look for a small hallway opening to your left (a kitchen station will be on the right, which will help you find this hallway; the hallway itself has several racks of wine in it).

Once there, turn left down that hallway -- this narrow passageway leads to the restaurant's other dining room.

Halfway through is a unisex bathroom. There is another bathroom at the head of the hallway, at the point where you turn into the hallway from the right dining room -- this is the bathroom visited for this review.

What's it like?

This friendly, charming Italian restaurant sits just south of downtown Vero Beach and is one of the better eateries in town -- quite an accomplishment considering how many quality places sit oceanfront.

From the outside, it looks like a typical neighborhood joint. The front windows are covered up so you can't really see inside and the glass is covered in a variety of words, hinting towards the comfort foods prepared inside ("pasta," "calzones," etc.).

Inside, the vibe takes a decidedly hipper turn. The dining room is filled with large tables, low lighting, red walls and loud conversation. It's a hectic scenario to step into, especially from the quiet street outside, but it's a fun place nonetheless. Waiters jet to and fro, people make toasts and swallow food. It's a scene that's also a comfort spot, if that makes any sense.

The food as a whole is pretty inspired and a definite cut or two above the standard Italian joint. The freshness of the ingredients, whether its freshly caught fish or in-house made sausage, really shows. On my recent visit, I had a wonderful artichoke appetizer, in which the veggie was lightly fried and matched with a fresh tomato sauce, that managed to highlight the flavors of the veggie and the sauce. Also worth noting was a fresh ricotta al forno, in which the fresh cheese was prepared in a brulee style that made it both rich, creamy and light. Likewise, a fennel crusted grouper was both meaty and complex but not over-filling, and the sausage bolognese proved to be an impressive spin on the traditional dish.

Service was good but also a bit too gregarious on the front end; and as a result there was some communication mishaps perhaps because the waitress didn't realize we weren't on her wavelength from the get-go. Our soup arrived lukewarm, even after being sent back twice for reheating, and a pasta dish came trailblazingly spicy even though we had asked it to be toned down for a member of our party that couldn't eat spicy food. Prices are good, considering the quality of food. It's just a fun place to visit, with lots of activity and good spirits, as well as some truly creative, well-prepared food.

The bathroom is a far cry from that, however. The single unit facility I visited was a narrow chamber and very long. The toilet sat in the far back corner, the sink in the middle, a urinal just beyond that, a trash can and paper towels in the front corner, behind the door. It's right at the base of that noisy, busy corridor, so you hear a lot of that while inside, which takes the privacy factor down a good notch.

The walls here are dark red in color, the floor covered in medium-sized off-white tile (smaller versions of what I've found at places like like Sharky's Shrimp Shack, Long Point Cafe and Pho 88, among others.

The walls are bare, except for a lone thickly framed stretch mirror hanging above the toilet and sink station. Of course, since the paper towels are on the opposite end of the room from the sink, getting to them is a bit of a stretch -- literally. To be honest, it's one of the worst placements I've seen of paper towel dispensers since my experiences at Bloomingdale's Orlando, which chose to put the towel dispenser in its handicap stall as far away as possible from the stall's sink.

The room itself is pretty dark -- approaching the levels of Shari Sushi, and as a result it makes the noise factor a little harder to swallow (kind of has the effect of noisy neighbors banging on walls while you're trying to sleep).

The toilet, urinal and sink are your standard white porcelain variety. The toilet seat is particularly strange as it has a plastic hair growing out of the bottom of it, which kind of pokes out at you when you've raised the seat to pee. Very unique -- most unique (unintentionally so) toilet seat I've seen since my trip to Thai Singha, to be honest.

Cleanliness-wise: It wasn't bad. Some spilled water on the floor -- no doubt because the towels were placed too far away from the sink and people had to reach for them with dribbly hands.

But at the same time, I couldn't help but be disappointed. The dining room is such a fun, boisterous environment, you kind of hope the bathroom here would follow suit -- be more like Greens and Grille, if you will, than the Ravenous Pig. The possibilities are there but the execution isn't.

Marks of out 10:

6. Really a 5, but I like the rest of the place so much that I have to give it a little more love.

Comments to the Management:

The rest of your restaurant shows lots of inspiration and personality, so why not include those same elements in your bathroom? Make it as much fun as your dining room. Add some fun decor, pipe in some music (so the outside noise isn't as detectable) -- do something other than the bare minimum. Also, it wouldn't hurt if you increased the lighting some. And moved the paper towels closer to the sink. And perhaps cut that plastic thread coming up from the bottom of the toilet seat -- it creeped me out some.

Compare and Contrast: Light Filled Pho 88 Has Dark, Cave-Like Bathroom

Pho 88 Vietnamese Restaurant
730 N Mills Ave
Orlando, FL USA
www.pho88orlando.com

Where is it?

After entering, you will find yourself at the back of the dining room. Take an immediate right, down the white-walled hallway there and you'll come to the bathrooms, which are down that corridor.

What's it like?

One of the city's better Vietnamese restaurants and specialists in pho, the traditional soothing beef noodle soup that features a clear but well-seasoned beef broth (usually with star anise and rau ram, or Vietnamese coriander), rice noodles, slices of beef (usually lesser cuts that require a long simmer time to tenderize), and vegetables like onion, bean sprouts and chili. Few places in town can match this spot for pho, really.

The restaurant's decor itself is a bit campy. The back wall is made of mirrors, giving the place the impression that it's larger than it is. (Not that it's small -- there are about 50 tables here, along with a stretch bar that takes up most of the west wall.) Windows form the other two walls, giving the people sitting there decent looks of the busy street outside.

A half-wall divides the dining room in two and serves as a mounting place for many of the dining room's decorations, which include various ethnic trinkets. More items sit in or around the aforementioned bar. A large flat-screen hangs high on that mirror wall, usually televising a sporting event or karaoke. The atmosphere is usually festive and family oriented, though there are also several people who come here just to hang out and watch TV -- and to be honest, for watching a big football game, this place supplies a better setting than a sports bar. Fewer distractions, a more in-tune crowd that isn't as overtly boisterous and delicious food. Watching football with a big bowl of pho from Pho 88 before you is one of this life's great pleasures.

Service is attentive, if a little cold at times, but also speedy. Prices are wonderful -- most bowls of pho run $6-$7 dollars and the regular-sized bowls are enormous (the larger are the size of volcano craters). Other dishes worth getting include the rice noodle bowls, which come with various grilled meats and dipping sauces, and the Vietnamese crepe, a large flourless crepe (it's really just a long, thin omelet) stuffed with pork, shrimp and veggies -- delicious.

Given the amount of windows and mirrors found in the dining room, you half-expect the bathrooms to be somewhat light and airy. They aren't -- they're dark and cave-like. Similar to what was experienced at the Pulkovo International Airport in St. Petersburg, Russia, only without the looming grime and stink.

White tiles cover the walls here, with diamond pattern placed sporadically for accent. The floors are covered in standard large beige tile, like what we've seen at places like the Long Point Cafe and Greens and Grille.

There isn't much else of note to report here, decor-wise. The place has one urinal, one toilet in a stall and one sink -- all white porcelain and with the standard basic add-ons. Wall-mounted mirror with no frame, stick-to-the-wall soap dispenser. Kind of bland, really, like Sharky's Shrimp Shack or the aforementioned Long Point Cafe, just with a little more heart, thanks to those accent tiles.

The place is somewhat clean, though I did find a good number of paper towels on the floor and some spilled water, especially around the sink and toilet. More troubling was the paper towels stuffed behind the piping on the urinal, which hinted to me that there's a leak there that needs to be fixed.

Otherwise, the place's most discernible feature is its dim lighting -- not enough to make it hard to see but enough to make the place seem a little seamy, even underground. Quite a contrast, considering the light-filled, airy dining room.

Marks out of 10:

6. Good enough for a 6, but the potential of leaky plumbing keeps the score in check.

Comments to the Management:

Fix that plumbing -- or if there isn't a problem, at least make sure there isn't a paper towel behind any of the pipes. Also, please make it a little brighter in here.