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Summer is here and despite the marine breeze that sneaks around the skyscrapers, it´s incredibly hot in New York during this time of year. Although the air conditioning makes it a bit easier, it´s not great to stay at home, so going to a public pool and taking a dip is a great idea. Since there´s not a lot of space there, here´s a list of the best pools and their address. These are not all the free open-air pools in the city but some of the best ones. They are in all the districts in the Big Apple and most of them aren´t suitable for those with agoraphobia, such is their size.
Asser Levy Sports Center. Behind the facade of this impressive neoclassic building and the advertisement of ´Free Public Baths´ are two open-air swimming pools that are completely free to enter, as the advert says. There´s another one that´s covered and great to swim in, but you have to pay for it. They´re open every day and the complex is located on #23 West St.
Dry Dock Sports Field. Located on #408 East St, this is a clean swimming pool without a tree or shadow in sight, with a small game park annexed for the young kids. It´s totally free.
Hamilton Fish Center. Also adequate for kids because it has two open-air pools, one of them exclusively for the children. Located on #128 Pitt St, it also has a gym, table tennis tables, weights area and swimming lessons for free. The pools are enormous, proportionately to the size of the Big Apple, and they also have lifeguards.
Vesuvius Sports Field. Another pool for the little ones, since it has a shallow pool, a green area and a recreation field. It´s also totally free and they´re open from 11am. It´s located on Thompson St and it´s one of the oldest in the city, having been open to the public since the 1950s.
MacCarren Swimming Pools. They´re open from June to September and everything here is immense, from the surface of the water to the theme parties that are organized here. Inaugurated in 1936, they´re located in Brooklyn, on #93 Berry St. It´s also completely free and they have all the places that are there to eat and drink pointed out on their website, so you can stay longer enjoying the water.
Tony Dapolito. It has an outside and inside area, with the latter ideal to swim a few lengths, although you have to pay for it. However, the outside one, is totally free. Located on Clarkson and 7th Avenue, it´s open very early, from 7am on weekdays and from 9am on weekends. It also has gym and sports areas.
Frederic Douglas Sports Field. It´s a small pool suitable for children and for people with reduced mobility. It´s located on Amsterdam Ave. and it has a beautiful small and enclosed children´s park for the kids to play in.
Wherever your apartments in New York are, if it gets too hot, here you can find a free open-air pool to cool down, so there are no more excuses to stay at home.
