I love pools. I love swimming. I don’t say these things lightly. I am obsessed. I will take any chance to swim. When at the beach I am the first person in the water, when visiting relatives I’m in the pool before all the bags are out of the car. I do not mess around. River, pond, lake, lap pool, as long as I can do a stroke, I’m in it. It’s not that I am a “swimmer,” I don’t often swim laps (though in a pinch, I will). I just love being immersed, moving through water. I prefer outdoor experiences, but I will happily do handstands in an indoor pool. My husband, because he is sweet and understands me, refers to me as his selkie girl.
I say all of this so that you understand the full weight of the following statement: The Brooklyn Bridge Park Pop Up Pool sucks. You don’t want it to, I know. It seems like such a cool idea: a mini beach, a high-quality snack bar (Lizzmonde), a view (when not looking in the direction of the BQE) that will make you fall in love with New York City, and of course a pool to cool off in. What could be missing? What could be wrong with this scenario? Let’s start with the 45 minute swim limit.
To be fair, what else can they do, it’s a popular spot. But having a window in which you are allowed to swim sucks the enjoyment from all other aspects. First, one must wait in line, sometimes for as long as the aforementioned swim window. Then you are given a wristband indicating your group’s time slot, and you must then wait for said group to be called. During this time you may be lucky enough to snag a spot on the “beach.” These spots are rare, most likely you are hanging out at the picnic tables by the snack bar where there is very little shade. The popularity of the “beach” has always puzzled me. Isn’t the purpose of sitting on the hot sand to then, periodically, jump in the water? But this is impossible since you can only swim during your assigned slot. So they call your group and in you go, joining the crush in what seems to be a tea cup painted blue.
But, you are still in water, you say, and what about the view? While I’m all for unique NYC experiences, ones that come at the price of comfort and convenience (I usually love public pools), the cost of this one is too high. Just wait until you are dragging your chickpea and all your pool gear the everlasting mile back to the subway, and you will hear my voice saying, with love, I told you.
In case you can’t resist the hype, here are all the relevant deets:
PLANNING: Try to arrive 15 to 30 minutes before wrist band distribution to be sure you get into the slot you want (see swim slots and distribution times below). There are bathrooms and changing areas on site, but they can get crowded, so come prepared with easy, quick-change outfits for post-swim. Don’t forget the towels and the hand sanitizer. Lizzmonade has a full menu and, after 6:00pm, a full bar.
RULES:
Children under 4 feet 2 inches must be accompanied by an adult in the pool.
Bathing suits are required on the deck and in the water
Follow the directives of lifeguards, Park staff and the police
SWIM SESSIONS: The pool capacity is 60. Wristbands for each session are distributed first-come, first-served.
10:00 am –10:45 am wristbands distributed at 10:00 am
11:00 am – 11:45 am wristbands distributed at 10:30 am
12:00 pm – 12:45 pm wristbands distributed at 11:30 am
1:00 pm – 1:45 pm wristbands distributed at 12:30 pm
2:00 pm – 2:45 pm wristbands distributed at 1:30 pm
3:00 pm – 3:45 pm wristbands distributed at 2:30 pm
4:00 pm – 4:45 pm wristbands distributed at 3:30 pm
5:00 pm – 5:45 pm wristbands distributed at 4:30 pm