Chelsea Recreation Center — Local services in New York

Peoples standards are so low nowadays, they'll rate a recreation center like this with 5 stars because it has HOT WATER. Lol. That says volumes!!

But here's another one that might help you understand the predicament. Everything you read about this being one of the rare and better facilities amongst the numerous others NYC Parks & Recreation centers is true, and yet it really is a 2 star facility. Huhhhh? Yeah, that rights. One of their best, still sucks, big time. Which should tell you about the overall status of affairs with not only the Parks Department recreational facilities and the staff and administration hired, but NYC municipalities across the board.

I actually could just leave my comments at that, but I'll be more specific for the rare Americans/ New Yorkers who haven't succumbed to the pitiful low standard of this greater society.

-Male locker room floor is regularly dirty and wet. -Big building, with a bunch of closed doors, some even designated as multi-purpose, yet serves no purpose for patrons. -Lingering unserviceable or decaying equipment. -Seemingly impromptu rescheduling of access hours. (I.e. When adults finally have a weekend off from work, ironically they are only allowed 1 quarter of the time allotted to non-adults). Seems they are scared to have adults in adult spaces and kids in kids spaces at the same time in the building, on the weekends, WHEN TAX PAYING ADULTS WHO ARE ALSO PAYING FOR THESE MEMBERSHIPS ACTUALLY NEED AND DESERVE THESE FACILITIES just as much of not MORE. Ridiculous, of course. Who else does that? They should just build public day care centers then and charge only parents whose kids use the space. -Decrepit pool table with no (serviceable) sticks. Bring your own. -Adult weight rooms, locker areas, showers and other adult spaces, all cramped. -The pockets of cramped adult spaces throughout the facility are located amongst several floors, but you'll be hard pressed to find a water fountain, anywhere, but on two floors. -Adult weights and equipment room contains only one of each machine, so come with patience, especially if you are really trying to train or are not used to sharing equipment with individuals who have little common sense, decency and know basic gym etiquette. Rather will sit there and hoard the one accessible machine as they peruse their phones. *-Manager Trever Merk (Confrontational, passive-agrressor, trigger happy to call the police, in hopes of escalating to the detriment of the patron).

Pros?: -Front-entrance was recently redone to give the appearance of a well maintained facility. -Lighting is good. -Decent ventilation. -(Financially) Affordable.

I'll leave it there. I've got things to do. They don't pay for my advise. And I'm trying to make a living giving it. Besides, since when has my penny-less veteran voice made a difference in...

This center closes at 8pm, however at 7:40 two separate staff members in the course of 3 minutes very aggressively kicked me off the elliptical, the first claiming that it closed at 7:30 and the second claiming it closed at 7:45 - both false and BS, and I will be reporting them to their supervisors and the city. The first encounter was also a man who whistled at me. Not only does the website and every public posting of the overall hours end at 8, but there’s usually programming scheduled right up until 8 as well. Also entirely unequal treatment - the people just playing billiards and ping pong were allowed to continue playing well past 7:50-7:55 (even though they’ll take longer to put things away and leave). I will finish the workout that my membership fees and taxes paid for, leave at 7:59 and be out of the building by 8. (city EMTs often get extended for several hours, if not 24, of overtime - you think in my much more difficult job I could just go “it’s 7:30, get out of the ambulance bc I’d like to lie and get paid to leave early” to a patient? You will survive actually having to do your job until 8:00. In every other normal business the staff don’t try to leave before their patrons leave at closing time.) And 8pm is already pathetically early for a gym to even close, and it’s much earlier on the weekends.

Additionally, the showers in the pool locker room don’t drain properly and overflow, which makes me wonder whether they’re cleaned & unclogged frequently enough. While this center has slightly more equipment and less run-down equipment than other city locations, it’s still quite dirty, and I wonder how much the rudeness of the staff...

Terrible place. If you come here be sure to bring a strong enough lock. Because if not your lock will get smashed and your stuff will get taken. And there's NO security cameras so once you lose your stuff you lose it for good, and especially if you play basketball, you wouldn't notice if your stuff gets taken. Because the lockers in the bathroom are further, so if you're lucky enough to be the first one there and manage to get the lockers by the basketball area You MIGHT be okay. But the recreation center people won't help you and they only care more about you being mad at them for the problem. Which wouldn't be a problem if they had proper security cameras! So even if you say "get attacked there" there's a chance that person could get away. Would not recommend...