Reprinted from the February 2-8, 2001 edition of

TOURISM: Heads Up

Many tourists heading to South Florida are looking for recommendations: it's the rule, not the exception.

For the unfamiliar, checking the ratings of a hotel or restaurant, checking the whereabouts of health care facilities, or calling the tourism bureaus for updated information can only pay off.

Now, a group which claims to have the public well being in mind, publishes Crappers Quarterly, with a recommendation list of public facilities in the tri-county area.

The mystery crapper has visited the most popular hot spots in South Florida to find the best and worst places to, well, crap. (Did ya hear about the Orange Bowl?) Check it out: their Web site: www.crappersquarterly.com.

In fact, at CQ, the authors continuously examine and review the best and worst public bathrooms around the country and the world. They encourage readers to send anonymous e-mail with a funny story or a restroom review.

Ratings are on a five roll scale, with five being the best. The criteria of cleanliness, privacy, user friendliness and facilities offered are used to come up with an overall crapper-friendly score.

Jan. 27 was the anniversay of the passing of Thomas Crapper, the Englishman whose name will always be synonymous with the privy. To mark the anniversay, CQ honored him with a special section containing information, history, special messages and interesting links to other sites of special interest.

- JP Bender