YMCA Pool Party!

Saturday August 24th between 4pm and 7pm the Dodge YMCA, at 225 Atlantic Avenue, will be having a pool party.  Now most of the special events at this facility are open to the public but the flyer we saw said "bring family and friends" so we're not sure if you have to show up with a member to get in or not.  We just gave them a call to ask but the gentleman we spoke with wasn't quite sure.  You may have better luck getting an answer, (718) 625-3136.  If you are a member or know one then you'll definitely be able to enjoy this big refreshing pool.

YMCA Summer Deal.

The Dodge YMCA is promoting a summer deal right now.  The basics are join for the summer, which is now until September 2nd, and there is a flat fee of $200 for individuals and $275 for families.  No joiner's fee or monthly fees are added onto that, although you'll have to ask about whether you automatically get charged if you don't cancel membership with advance notice before September if you don't want to continue.  It's a really good deal actually, a lot less than the usual membership fees.  If you've wanted to check it out now is the time.

Follow Up on Brooklyn Bridge Park Pool.

We blogged about the opening of the public pool at Brooklyn Bridge Park and then about the pros and cons we saw trending on local blogs and such.  Now we have an insiders opinion.  A couple of friends went with their children a couple of weeks ago and here's what one of them had to say.

It was definitely clean and inviting.  We went on a weekday and it was crowded but not overcrowded.  The lifeguard told us it gets crazy on weekends.  The sandy area was nice, the food stand, albeit very pricey, was good.  Here's my complaint.  We heard that they give out wristbands to avoid long lines.  We thought 'perfect!'  We figured we could go grab a wristband and wander around the park and let the kids run around until our time slot came up.  Unfortunately the way they have it set up is that you still have to wait in line for a wristband.  At 1:30 they give wristbands for the 2pm slot.  So, we waited in line until 1:30 (we got there at 12:45 and they had run out of the 1pm slot).  The kids were restless and there wasn't a shady spot or any chairs available so we waited in the sun for nearly 45 minutes.  Then we still had 30 minutes until it was time to swim.  Not really enough time to go wander.  The set up doesn't make sense.  Why can't you just walk up and get a wristband for whatever the next time they have available is?  What's the point of the wristbands if you still have to wait in a line?  I hope they fix this for next year.  It was a nice pool but they've made it too difficult.

Brooklyn Bridge Park Pool!

We'd heard about the pool opening up in Brooklyn Bridge Park this summer and were extremely excited about the prospects.  We learned more after reading a recent write-up in Time Out.  We love our neighborhood pools.  If you've never been to the Red Hook pool you should give it a try.  It's a bit of a hassle getting in (make sure you bring a lock!) but the pool itself is really big.  Brooklyn Bridge Park is such a beautiful setting, though, and even though the pool itself will be....well...cozy, the fact that you can go swimming and then hang out in the park after or before makes it all the more enticing.  Here's what we learned.   The 1,500 square foot pool is only 3.5 feet deep (great for kids!), free,and will be opening in early July on Pier 2. 

Cool Off!

Recently we blogged about the Red Hook Poll at the Red Hook Recreation Center. If you're looking to cool off during these hot days, such as Tuesday's 100 degree weather, there's no better place to do that than one of New York's outdoor public pools. Red Hook isn't the only one in the neighborhood, however. In fact the Double D pool, on Nevins between Douglass and Degraw, recently opened for the summer after threats that budget cuts would be shutting it down indefinitely. After showing a lot of support to keep the pool open, including rallies and a facebook petition, on July 2nd residents in Boerum Hill and surrounding neighborhoods celebrated the victory with a good old fashioned pool party and BBQ. The Double D is open from 11am-7pm daily. Go take a dip!

Summer Swimming!

photo taken from nycgovparks.org

July 5th marks the first day of the outdoor 5 Borough Summer Swim Program and a great place to take advantage of this program would be the Red Hook Recreation Center. As you can see from the picture above it's huge. The price to join this gym, at 155 Bay Street, is $50 and their pool is said to be less crowded than most other outdoor public pools. This is year 29 for the swim program, which includes lessons, training for swim teams, and recreational swim, is an all ages and all levels program. And according to the events listing in the Village Voice, if you swim more than 25 miles you receive a free t-shirt. Click here to learn more.