What you wanted to do was go out on the lex side and up into the hotel, there are mens and ladies rooms on the second floor up the short escaltor. Or, you could have gone down into the Oyster Bar, the bathroom is just off the bar area.
A true New Yorker knows where a clean, safe bathroom is within any two blocks of any location in the city.
Thanks for the tip. I'll actually be in NYC in a few weeks, and will have my daughter in tow. My sister won't be around to scare off the freaks, and my sister-in-law is not much taller than I am...