I really like Rice Village. Great shopping, great restaurants, plenty of places to wander around,…read moreand enough stores where you can apparently convince yourself that $80 workout shorts are a perfectly reasonable financial decision.
But Houston, we need to talk about bathrooms.
First, the good. Rice Village is a really cool shopping area. There's a great mix of stores, restaurants, coffee, and other places, and you can easily spend a few hours walking around. It's busy, lively, and definitely worth visiting.
Parking, however, is congested and annoying. There are paid lots around the area, but when it's busy, be prepared to hunt for a spot and then walk. Honestly, that part doesn't bother me that much. It's a popular shopping district. I get it.
What I don't get is the almost complete lack of accessible public bathrooms.
You have an area filled with stores that would happily let you spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars, but apparently asking for somewhere to pee is a bridge too far.
Maybe businesses are worried about people coming in just to use their bathrooms. I understand there are legitimate issues businesses have to deal with. But there has to be some middle ground where the person buying expensive pants can also pee when nature calls.
Pro tip: Starbucks has a bathroom. Of course, it was locked, there was a line, and you needed a code. At that point, finding a bathroom in Rice Village started feeling like a side quest.
When you're standing in a shopping district with a parking lot full of $100,000-plus vehicles, surrounded by high-end stores and restaurants, and everyone is apparently on a scavenger hunt for a toilet, something has gone terribly wrong.
Come on, Houston. Do better.
Still loved Rice Village. Still recommend going. Great shopping, great food, and a fun place to spend an afternoon.
Just use the bathroom before you get there.