Fatherhood is new enough for me that I’m still refiguring my priorities. For example, when running errands with a child, a nice public restroom with diaper-changing amenities ranks higher now than, say, bars with patios and beer sold by the bucket used to. Which is why I was so impressed with NorthPark’s family restrooms. With one exception.
I’m talking about the bank of bathrooms upstairs, around the corner from the food court, down the hallway next to the pretzel place. There are three family restrooms, each one of them larger than my office. (Yes, my office is small, but still.) The room has two commodes, one for adults and one for toddlers. The countertop is vast and clean, and it has a thick pad for changing diapers. There’s even a helpful ledge to keep supplies like wipes and stuff. I wanted to hang out there the whole afternoon.
But it was time for me to go, literally and figuratively, which is when the Nicest Public Restroom in Dallas became (Almost). The flush on the vaccuum-powered commode was louder than any commode I’ve ever flushed, scaring my child almost more than it scared me. One of us started crying. It was like we were enjoying a nice, peaceful picnic on a hill somewhere, and then someone snuck up behind us and flushed a really loud commode. No fun.
Still, NorthPark’s bathroom is the nicest, diaper-changing-friendly one I’ve found in Dallas so far.
