McCarren Park Pool — Attraction in New York

PROS and CONS list. Let's start with the cons, followed by the pros:

HOURS: Limited hours with break in between. Open 11-3 (you have to leave the water at 2:45). Reopen 4-7 (out of the water at 6:45). RULES: So many rules. And you better know them and abide by them, or you will be spoken to like a child. STAFF: Rude and surly - just what you would expect from underpaid city employees. LOCKS: You MUST have a lock. You won't even be allowed past the gates until you show your lock. SECURITY THEATER: You will wait in a long line so they can "check your bag" before you get in (they are doing nothing, it's a waste of time and a total show). METAL GATES: Metal gates are everywhere, making you have to walk as far as possible from the pool to the locker rooms. Again, total security theater. (Don't even get me started on the 6 or so cops stationed there at any given time.) PHONES (electronics): Once you are past the gate, do not show (or use) your phone for any reason. If you do, you will hear about it. Loudly. Must be stored in locker. And don't dare think of even looking at it in the locker room! LOCKER ROOM: Womens' changing area/lockers/restrooms are inexplicably as far as possible from the kid's pool. It baffles me how this design was implemented. No forethought. LOCKERS: NYC exceptionalism strikes again - we found the world's worst lockers. They're so difficult to open and not at all intuitive. Terrible, pitiful design. RESTROOM FLOOR TILE: The entire entrance and pooldeck are cement. But the bathroom tile floor is not. Another disasterous choice was made by the city in selecting a beautiful but slippery, slate floor tile. Why? Why would you do that? People are WET. Water will be everywhere. And this is incredibly dangerous. I don't understand who made this many poor decisions. BATHROOM DOOR HOOKS: Many stalls are missing hooks. But you can see the holes where the hooks were once attached. Couldn't they install new hooks? BATHROOM MIRRORS: Your typical NYC public school bathroom mirrors - metal, not glass. CHAIRS: You may not bring a chair (or floaties), but a smattering of chairs are provided (usually around 18). However, to get one, you'll need to be among the first in line waiting for them to open, so you can be one of the lucky few to score a chair. PEOPLE: Keep in mind you will be surrounded by people in the pool that have no sense of awareness or personal space, and will be splashed no matter where you go to escape these rowdy jerks - Because they are everywhere! (You will unwittingly become included in several Marco Polo games) LIFEGUARD SHORTAGE: You never know if the lap section or other (or which) sections will be open (due to lifeguard shortage). WATER CLEANLINESS: In less than a week, the pool is full of hair. FULL! OF! HAIR! Not just a random single strand but many, many strands and revolting CLUMPS of hair! Hair is everywhere and it's so disgusting. I've also seen other random objects in the water like bandaids and other disgusting things. They should mandate swim caps.

PROS: It's a free pool.

As usual, NYC takes something fun and turns it into an...

The pool is very large and spacious to accommodate a huge crowd and you don't feel like people are on top of you. Arrive early if you want a locker by the family restrooms or a sun chair. The pool is clean and chlorinated. The crowd is a mixed bag depending on the time of the day you go. Go to the morning session for less crowding later sessions pool is crowded and crowd is very different. L train to Lorimer St. you can walk but it's several blocks from the train station if you don't want to walk in the heat B48 leaves you in front of the pool building (Lorimer & Bayard St stop) There's a deli down the block from the pool (Blue Star Deli) Negatives: Lockers aren't in good condition and need repair and maintenance. I had issues opening my locker had to ask for assistance that was met with an attitude. Staff in the locker room area can be rude and unprofessional. I've seen them block the bathroom door so people can't get inside which I think is ridiculous not everyone feels comfortable changing in front of others and I may actually have to use the bathroom. If you do stay till end of the session the lockers will be crowded and they're rushing you out. You must have a bathing suit on or they won't let you in. All bags are inspected by park staff before going inside. There are several cops around the pool area. They only allow a towel white t-shirt lock for the lockers sunblock water. No phones food or swimming toys are allowed in the pool area. Swim diapers are required for infants and toddlers that aren't potty trained. They check guy's shorts to see if they have lining only swim...

This place is very unfair. First, I waited like an hour in line to get into the pool. The reason why it took me so long is because the people who worked there let their families or friends in and make the other people wait in the blazing sun. 20 - 30 people come out from the pool, but yet they only let 5-10 people into the pool. It's unfair that we have to wait outside in the sun because the people who work there let their families / friends in. If we wait on line to get into the pool, so should their families/friends. Then, staff are terrible, they talk to you with disrespectful and rude way. Lady was at the enterance, her supervisor and another man" they refused to say their names. They all come to us to urge and fight. They wanted to kick us out as they apply the rule. What rules you apply" we were wearing white short and white as its required and as the First Lady said at the beginning. After that she brought her supervisor and her guard to let us get out the pool area and kids were in the water. They do that because due to a religious reasons I can't wear swim suit and we were appropriate( white) she kept urging and fighting and they didnot leave unless they saw me fainting and lose my conscious. When I went to file a discrimination case I found that lady the supervisor in office and said you can't make a complaint here against me. If you want call 311. Any way now I reached to the highest authority that manages this place and gana continue with filling a discrimination case against those people" that they need to learn how to respect and accept all people regardless their beliefs...