North Brooklyn is celebrating the arrival of summer with a new outdoor swimming pool that promises to be one of the city’s best places to cool off.
Summer has officially arrived in New York, and north Brooklyn is rejoicing with a new outdoor swimming pool that promises to be one of the city’s best places to cool off.
Following a $50 million renovation, the McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn’s hip Williamsburg neighbourhood will host swimmers for the first time since 1984, beginning 28 June.
The new 37,570sqft pool will hold 1,500 people, paling in comparison to the original 55,440sqft pool, which opened in 1936 and held 6,800 people. A large section of the original pool has been transformed into a concrete plaza called “the beach”, which will spray cooling fountains during the summer and turn into an ice-skating rink in the winter. The original diving pool has been turned into a beach volleyball court.
A recreation centre with a basketball court, gym, dance studio and multipurpose community space have also been constructed, so people can enjoy the family-friendly complex year round.
Meanwhile, a temporary pool will be popping up this weekend at Brooklyn Bridge Park, just off the East River on the upland section of Pier 2. The 3.5ft-deep pool, which is surrounded by sand and food vendors, is planned to stay open for at least the next five summers and will hold 60 people at a time.
If you’re looking for a cooling swim outside of Brooklyn, here are some other free outdoor options in the Big Apple’s other boroughs. All public pools open this weekend and close on 3 September.
Queens
Astoria Park’s Olympic-sized outdoor pool is the largest in the five boroughs with capacity for some 2,000 swimmers, and it offers great views of the New York skyline and Triborough and Hell Gate Bridges. The park also has tennis courts, a running track, a bandstand, basketball courts and a children’s playground.
The Bronx
If you’re looking for something different, head to New York’s northernmost borough to the “Floating Pool Lady”, a seven-lane pool on a barge on the East River waterfront. Walk across a gangplank from Baretto Point Park, the pool’s location for the summer, and enjoy the fantastic cityscapes.
Manhattan
Located in lower Manhattan, the Asser Levy Rec Center has one of the island’s most accessible outdoor pools, which is free all summer long. At 120ft by 45ft, it is especially popular with families.