<p>There are very few dorms where the bathrooms are in the basement. More common is for there to be a men’s bathroom on the first floor, a women’s on the second floor, or something like that, since virtually all dorms on campus were built before the dawn of co-education. That being said, it’s definitely not a big deal to walk up/down stairs to get to the bathroom. Although I don’t have the personal experience of walking in stairwells with towels on, I know many people who do, and they don’t really seem to mind.</p>
<p>In regard to the U-Store: definitely, definitely join the U-Store now. You get 5% off of almost everything they sell (exceptions include Pequod packets and prepared foods in U2, since the U-Store doesn’t actually own this stuff though they sell it) after paying just $25 to join (I think it was only $15 when I joined last year). So, assuming you spend more than $500 at the U-Store over the course of your lifetime, you’ve already paid for the membership. The 25% off sales that mzhang mentioned are members-only, so a $100+ purchase will pay off the membership fees.</p>