It’s official! The pools are open here in NYC, but every time I suggest we go swimming in the neighborhood pool, I get an “ew. I don’t want to be swimming in a see of pee.”
Well, I tried it last year, I did not get sick and in fact, I survived and would do it again (and you have until September 3 to try it too!). Â Before you turn your nose up and get ready to sweat it out in the heat this summer, let’s revisit my trip to Astoria’s pool, shall we?
Yesterday, I spent the day at the pool. Â As someone who has lived in New York for four years, I realize how weird it sounds to say that.
You can swim in more than 54 free pools in NYC.  The pools are open from 11am – 7pm, and are closed daily from 3-4 pm for cleaning.  Since I found myself off this week from work, I decided to check out the pool at Astoria Park, which is one of the oldest in the city.  At 330 x 165 feet long, it’s also one of the biggest in the city.
We showed up at about 1 pm, and there was no line to get into the pool. Â I had tried to stop by on the weekend, but the line was outrageous and wrapped around the building. Â My advice: go on a weekday if your schedule allows it, or consider showing up during the pool cleaning time to get in line, or right before it opens.
I’d check the rules of the pool you want to attend, but in Astoria, you cannot bring anything on to the pool deck but your sunscreen, a book, a towel, sun glasses and flip flops.  Otherwise, they will make you lock everything up – so don’t expect to bring a picnic lunch (or eat it beforehand like we did!).  My advice is to bring the minimal amount of stuff you think you’ll need as well as a combination lock, since there are lockers available.  I locked my items up and took a mandatory shower since they make you rinse off before heading to the pool.  I carried out my towel and sunscreen to the pool deck (aka the cement) and found a spot to lay down my stuff while I headed into the pool.
It was 93 degrees out, so the pool was certainly refreshing.  There were about 10 lifeguards on duty, and the pool was about 4 feet deep.  For me, it was a great way to beat the heat without breaking the bank.  And to my surprise, I thought the pool was really clean – there was nothing gross floating around and most people behaved themselves (although I did get splashed from time to time).  I will say however, it did feel like a mean summer camp towards the end of my stay at the pool.  Around 2:45 pm you are asked to head to the locker room so they can clean the pool, and essentially, you are kicked out of the facility.  I was rushing to change into my clothes, but the employees keep yelling at you and telling you to hurry.  If you can ignore the yelling, you are fine, but just note that this isn’t the friendliest staff.
If you are worried about cleanliness of some of NYC’s public pools, check out this story from the New York Post.  When the water was tested at the Gansevoort’s rooftop pool a few weeks back, they found traces of possible fecal matter, while the public pool water in Astoria, Red Hook and more was nearly drinkable!  Hope you all get a few swims in this summer.
