Jia J.
Yelp
***REVIEW FOR POOL***
Ever since I heard its fame whispered amongst swimmers during the summer, the pool of the Riverbank State Park was like the Holy Grail for me.
Unfortunately last July, the infamous sewage plant fire and explosion of 2011 shut the entire park down during the prime of the season. The new swim schedule was posted in early fall (http://nysparks.com/parks/attachments/RiverbankAquaticsComplexSchedule9-29-11through6-27-12.pdf), but I could never find the right time to go.
I did, however, call 212-694-3664/3665/3666 several times. During one of these phone calls, I found out that the lanes are only open at the pool's full length of 50 meters during the time slot that starts at 6:30 am. However, this time slot is available seven days a week, until 8:15 am on weekdays and 8:30 am on weekends.
Still, weekdays were too difficult. Especially after I moved out to Far Rockaway, the idea of getting up in the dark at 4:30 am to try my luck with the sporadic nighttime trains was just too much. On weekends, I was always away or doing anything other than getting up at the crack of dawn to travel twice the length of time I would actually be able to swim.
My day finally came this morning after sleeping over at a friend's house in Upper West. I forced myself up at 6:06 am. From 86th and CPW, it took me until 7:00 am to reach the facility, which speaks volumes about its accessibility (or lack thereof).
Even on a basic map, the park looks as remote as it seems pleasant. Sure enough, the only way to get there is to walk Westwards to the nearest 1 train, and board the local engine that couldn't up to 137th-City College. From there you hang a left towards the Hudson and walk down an incongruously San Franciscan hill for the last block before the West Side Highway.
Take care not to miss the set of steep, crooked granite steps up to an overpass. Otherwise, you'll end up by the train tracks...and I mean TRAIN tracks, not the subway line, situated on the same forlorn strip of land that the young, pre-corrupt Robert Moses walked along when dreaming of ways to improve the infrastructure and architecture of the city. There's a gate at the mouth of the overpass to confirm that you are in fact on the right path.
Upon crossing the pedestrian bridge, you are rewarded by what is a psychedelic hallucination compared to the rest of New York. Again, the comparison of San Francisco (in particular, SFSU) springs to mind...even on a dreary morning, the basketball field gleamed green and the red track popped out from the lush lawns where low-flying geese landed to squawk ominously at me. Joggers from god-knows-where (or, ok, Columbia) occasionally flit by; the image of health and wholesomeness.
There are several buildings in this $100 million park, so make sure you hang a left on the path immediately after Simpsons-like sewage plant chimney and the basketball courts. Or, overshoot by about half a mile and get a good view of a pristine and completely empty ice rink before cursing twice and doubling back.
A box-office is at the entrance, to take your $3 in cash for admissions. Thank god they have change.
The lockers are rusty at the edges and often lack locking pads, so make sure before you pile all your winter shit in it. It's a good thing that my friend had outfitted me with a bottle of water at her place, because I almost ralphed when I got a mouthful of iron (aka rust) infused water from the bubble.
One side of the bathroom was closed for repairs, but the other side was clean, save for a few early flies buzzing around and even a juvenile cockroach standing vigil on the sanitary disposal tin. The sinks were also clean looking, but you had to basically masturbate the motion sensors in order to get a steady stream of water.
The showers were like snowflakes; not one operated the same way. I walked into about four of them (too weak, not working, no knob, freezing cold) before finding one that was wastefully running. Meanwhile, a lady whispered that the handicapped stall was warm, and that it was "great." As she started having her great hot shower, mine got a little cooler.
It's a lot easier to sum up the pool itself. Aside from the fact that you can't rest anything (flip flops, towel, water) on the grating at the perimeter, it's awesome.
It has the cleanliness but not the austerity of the Asphalt Green facility, and the modernity but not the raucous crowding of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.
It's silent because the water's so large that you can't hear the splashing.
The windows of the hangar-sized space present one giant uninterrupted view of the Hudson River and the daylight.
The whole thing is a uniform 4 feet deep so it's bright everywhere from both natural and overhead lighting.
There's so much space that even if you do share a lane, you feel very alone.
It is an unparalleled indoor swimming experience, not just here but anywhere. Too bad it's 45 minutes or more from everywhere!
