Can you do a post about swimming pools with lap swimming? Finding an affordable pool (well, any pools really) with lap swimming in the city is a difficult endeavor.
Ok, we covered local gyms in the NY City area, it's only logical to discuss the options for getting your lap swimming in. Some of the gyms in the city have pools, but another option is to check out the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation website, which gives you a listing of pools throughout the city, and lets you know the lap swim hours.
Gothamist reader Jenny gave us this great information about the Red Hook pool.
"If you go to the pool in the middle of the afternoon on the weekend you'll likely have to wait in line to be let in, since they only let so many people in the pool at one time. I stood in line for about 20 minutes on Sunday and finally gave up - the line was very chaotic with people cutting and was in the bright sun which was making me feel woozy (a little girl fainted even). They are supposed to have adult lap times from 7am-8:30am and 7pm-8:30pm, but on Monday the pool stayed open for regular swimmers an extra half hour because of the heat and they ended up closing the pool at 7:30pm. They did the same thing yesterday night too, so I'm thinking that whenever the pool stays open a half an hour extra, they cancel adult lap hours. Also, yesterday they kicked everyone out of the pool for about 10 minutes because people weren't following the rules. I think this is common on high occupancy days."
She was also kind enough to point out that after a great afternoon of cooling off in the Red Hook pool, you can head across the street to the baseball fields where you can get cheap and delicious homemade mexican, Ecuadoran, Honduran, etc. food. Sounds like a good day to us.
If you are looking to swim with a United States Masters Swimming group, there are several throughout the city.
