Great pool, well managed, lots of fun. I took my seven-year-old daughter and we both had a blast…read more It was clean and safe. Exceeded my expectations.

Open 7 days 11am-3pm and 4pm-7pm Lap Swimming Mon. - Fri…read more from 7:00 - 8:30 AM & 7:00 - 8:30 PM Rules: * Bring your own towels and lock * No electronics in the pool area- must store in locker * No luggage locks, only Master Locks allowed. * All bags frisked before entry Pros: * Enormous pool * Very clean and cold water - you can tell they constantly clean it * There is a lot of space to lie down, but its mostly uncomfortable concrete surfaces. Good thing there are about 10 plastic lounge chairs (that are heavily padlocked and chained to each other) at the back that go quickly Cons: * Because it's a public free pool- there are tons of rules and staff is very strict. Honestly I'd prefer rules and strict versus total chaos at the pool * Changing rooms and showers are gross!! It smells and there is never any toilet paper. Make sure to wear flip flops because the floors are disgusting. Tips: * If you want quiet, don't come to the Friday morning session because there are a million kids running and screaming.

Half the place continues to be under construction, including the pool, for going on 5 years.read more

The NYC Parks Department maintains a bunch of recreation centers in the city that are often refered…read moreto as City Gyms. These include Community Centers, Field Houses, and Nature Centers and offer services such as indoor pools, weight rooms, basketball courts, dance studios, boxing rings, art studios, game rooms and libraries. The Hansborough center is mostly a gym/sport destination (though they are opening a computer room soon). I go here to work out - lifting weights, cardio on the machines, walking on the track, and sometimes swimming. They have a few classes and offer some after school stuff for kids. I don't know how crowded this place gets on evenings and weekends since I come in the middle of the day, but it seems well-used and therefore well kept. Plus, it's in a historic part of Harlem. The best thing is the price. $50/year for most centers, $75/year for ones with a pool. If you get a membership to one, you can visit ANY rec center in the system in any of the 5 boroughs. If you're looking for a place to work out and have basic needs, then a City Gym is a good choice. This one in particular if you live uptown. They're not all this nice, and the one in Chelsea is rumored to be even nicer. I'd do some investigating to see if the center near you is a place you'd spend time. If you come here, don't be fooled by the 134th street address. What you want to do is walk east along 135th (if you're coming from the B/C or 2/3 stations) until you come to Lennox Terrace apartment complex (just east of Malcolm X Blvd./Lennox Ave.). You'll see a little street that runs behind the building along the parking lot. Turn in there. The Rec center is on the left on a tiny strip of street labeled, helpfully, 134th. Don't confuse it with the Joseph Kennedy rec center at the end of the street.

This review reflects my experience during a facility orientation tour at Asphalt Green this morning…read morewith Fritz, a member of the customer service team. I hadn't visited the facility in many years, despite having been deeply involved in the original community mobilization efforts that ensured this property would be preserved for much-needed neighborhood fitness and cultural programming, successfully pushing back against proposals for additional luxury high-rise development. The Asphalt Green team went out of their way to accommodate me as a walk-in, encouraged by a neighbor who regularly swims at the pool and speaks highly of its state-of-the-art design. While waiting in the lobby, I also ran into a fellow runner who is a frequent gym user, a spontaneous moment that speaks volumes about how embedded Asphalt Green is in the local community. I was impressed not only by the facility itself, but by Fritz's knowledge of membership services and the institution's history, especially as I shared personal memories of my own connection to its development. The tour included the locker rooms, pool, and fitness center. The pool is truly stunning and stands out as a best-in-class facility, thoughtfully designed to incorporate accessibility for users of all abilities. Experiencing it firsthand was unexpectedly emotional, a powerful realization of visionary community leader Dr. George Murphy's hopes for the Yorkville community brought to life. The fitness center was active and welcoming, with members of all ages engaged in individual workouts, stretching, and training sessions. The equipment appeared well maintained, well used, and reflective of a vibrant, inclusive membership. As a community-based nonprofit, Asphalt Green, like many NYC nonprofits, does the best it can with the resources available. From my perspective, the facility is exceptionally well run, thoughtfully maintained, and clearly fulfilling its mission to provide a neighborhood-based, state-of-the-art fitness center that truly serves its community. Thanks to Fritz for her kindness and generosity.

Very poor management of the swimming pool schedule and member communication…read more I'm very disappointed with Asphalt Green's management of the swimming pool. Their website states that on Tuesdays, members can swim until 3:30 PM, but staff required us to leave at 3:00 PM. If the posted schedule is not accurate, it should be updated so members can plan accordingly. Another major issue is the lack of advance communication regarding pool maintenance. Members were charged for their membership and only afterward informed that the swimming pool would be unavailable for an extended period. When I asked about a refund or having my membership placed on hold for the time when the pool cannot be used, they refused to provide a refund or hold the membership. I also specifically asked them to stop charging me for the following month since I cannot use the pool, but my email has not been answered. Members pay for these services and deserve accurate schedules, advance notice of closures, and reasonable customer service. I hope Asphalt Green improves its communication and management of the swimming pool so members are not charged for services they cannot use.

Normandie Club gets Five Stars now. They really invested my membership money into the latest…read moreequipment. I'm enjoying my treadmill walks more and more! Some training might be nice but I'm figuring it out. I just use the basics Quick Start and set my pace. If you live in Normandie Court I suggest you join the Club. There's lots of perks for members. Free coffee and WiFi. Spacious lounge and beautiful city views. Five Stars it is!

New cardio machines!!! Finally, last month (Jan'23), Club Normandie got new elliptical, treadmills,…read moreand Peleton bikes for the area outside the pool room. Marianne posted a bunch of photos so I won't do it again, but this definitely brings the Club up to at least normal standards. For my needs (cardio, strength training, lounge for work, and attentive staff), I'm updating my review to 5-stars. (My only caveat is that I don't really use the locker rooms, sauna, or pool so I can't speak to those facilities. And the roof decks are closed while the building facades are being repaired, so disregarding that now as well.)

What happened with the basketball pickup games? They were great, but they apparently fired the guy…read morerunning them (for very dubious-sounding reasons) who was great, and now they're really terrible. Hope management investigates what went wrong here....

The trainers at this gym are jerks and bullies. They make the experience miserable. Equipment is…read moreoutdated. Do not recommend

My first impression here was positive as the gym had a unique non-traditional layout, but coming…read moreback often, my overall verdict is that this gym all in all is too small for the Columbia population. *For first timers, the gym is to the right after you scan in.* Pros: -Clean -Plenty of locker space -Lots of showers -Two floors filled with treadmills and ellipticals Cons: -Not enough free weights, especially lighter ones -Can ideally only fit ~30 people in weight room assuming everyone is working on a different part -One court for basketball/badminton/etc. -Track space can get in people's way and inclined sideways -Towel and lock service costs extra (for summer at least) Well, had to make do with what I had. I think over the summer it doesn't get overly crowded on non-peak hours, but I can't imagine what it's like for the upcoming school year.

After being spoiled with the huge, but still decently priced, gyms in CA this gym was just an…read moreextreme disappointment. I paid for 2 semesters access, but probably only went a handful a times -- needless to say, I seriously wasted my money. After doing some research for other gyms in the surrounding area, this gym started to look better -- price, location, amenities, and options-wise. I, once again, paid for access for 2 semesters but this time went quite often. I've come to understand that this gym takes some getting used to. The top one being the issue of signing up for machines. I find that if I go during off-peak times, I can usually sign up for the machine I want with no issues at all. You just have to be open to options if you're going during the busier hours; i.e. running on the track instead of going on the treadmill, etc. They offer lots of classes as well, but I haven't gotten a chance to try them yet. I'm planning on trying to catch a Zumba class one of these days. The BF plays basketball a lot here, but that is definitely where this gym lacks order. There are sometimes groups of people that will hog the court and not be fair with allowing everyone the chance to play. It gets a bit "heated" and I feel like one day may break out into a huge fight; which could easily be prevented by just setting up a type of list that makes things fair for everything there ... like how they do the machines. Unsure why they haven't had anything set in place for that yet.

This is my favorite gym. Reason is simple: tenant pay 100/Mon which is a great deal considering the…read moreenvironment and convenient. I personally enjoy the gym a lot. It's great! Pool is clean. Equipments are clean as well. The vibe is energetic and the movement you walk in, you want to exercise and move around. Great gym! My tips are avoiding rush hours! lol it's a bit crowded sometimes tho

A luxurious and exceptionally clean facility, Mercedes Club even surpasses Equinox with its…read morefantastic three-lane lap pool, smart-sensor hot tub, and pristine locker rooms equipped with electronic locks. Members get full access to the common lounge, outdoor pool, and sun deck, which are huge perks in the warmer months. The staff is incredibly friendly, and the absolute best part is how peaceful and uncrowded it is--no waiting for machines or lanes! At $129 a month (or $119 on a promo rate), it feels like total gym heaven, and I'd join in a heartbeat if I could.

My child went here last year because we like the pool in this particular building. Other than that,…read morethis place has nothing going for it. You can't enroll online, so you call them and call them and call them. You leave messages, which they don't return. Fill out online requests, which they also don't respond to. Finally someone answers and says you can't enroll until after such and such day. Because although they can't seem to get anything else remotely professionally, they're real sticklers for hard dates. So you wait. You call back and no one answers another 3 or 4 times. Finally they pick up 4 days after the date they told you has passed and now they don't have any classes left. When you do manage to get a class, forget about doing a makeup because they just sell whatever's available to whoever wants to do a drop in with no preference given to people who already pre-paid for all the classes. This is exactly the kind of crappy and unprofessional business that will hopefully be a thing of the past when people start reacting to being treated badly while simultaneously paying out the nose for it. You know what year it is. Fix your stupid website. If you can't get it together enough to have online enrollment, try to get someone to answer your phones. If that's too hard, at least maybe bother to update the locations, dates, times, anything at all so every piece of relevant information isn't completely WRONG.

Took my 2 kids there for a trial lesson. Lessons are given in a residential building that has a…read morepool. The pool and facilities are fine. There were a handful of lanes in the narrow pool, yet at least 2-3 classes given in one lane at a given time. So, even though there was 1 instructor and 3 kids, it was crowded and they had to course around each other. Not great when you're learning how to swim. The worst part was that the instructors and even supervisor had ZERO enthusiasm or knew how to make the class exciting for kids. It was a trial class, and the instructor nor the supervisor even introduced themselves to the my kids. The woman instructor, I think her name was Danielle, never even smiled once. The kids got in the pool and she said "do the backstroke" to my 7 year old. My son, thinking he's a good swimmer and giving it a go, tried to swim or float on his back but only sank. She didn't say anything like, "OK good try" or "let's work on your form". She just told him to swim to the other side of the pool. Meanwhile, he can barely swim. I spoke to the supervisor about my concerns that the instructor is not giving my kids any pointers or tips on how to improve their swimming. Just barking orders. He said, "oh, she must be off today, she's usually good." After 30 min watching her completely destroy all the excitement my son had in learning how to swim, I complained again to the supervisor and even spoke to the Take Me To the Water office on the phone. They said they will speak to the instructor after the class and that we won't be charged. No apology. No other solution. And, they even said that instructor was one of the senior ones. This is a swimming farm that has no business teaching young kids. You're lucky if you're instructor is nice. I ended up booking at Asphalt Green. They have great kid-friendly instructors.

No time for seniors to do laps at John Jay Park pool; they used to be popular for -as I recall- 2…read moreevenings a week but died off with Covid. Full of kids cannonballing into pool. Maybe open 2 lap lanes in middle?

First time swimming in a public pool in NYC! I was initially I was worried about the crowds and…read morewater quality but it all turned out better than expected! After a quick bag search, I went upstairs to the women's locker room which was cleaner than expected. Staff were nice in reminding us to lock up our stuff. As a former competitive swimmer, it was extremely difficult to do flip turns, not only because they closed half of the pool horizontally due to lifeguard staffing issues, but also because there were multiple people moving in different directions. It was busy when it first opened in the morning but then calm downed a bit and folks were able to do more lap swimming. Water was pretty clean and temperature was good; chlorine levels weren't too bad. Sounds like they close for the fall/winter so I'm hoping to come back before it gets cold.

Awesome park in the heart of Harlem. Always lively with something for everyone. Tons of seating and…read moredecent lawns for laying out a blanket. Folks tend to play loud music here, so it can be hard to find a quiet nook, but it's not too bad. The amphitheater is huge and a great place to catch a show in the open air in the summer.

Marcus Garvey Park is a great community resource in the neighborhood. They offer many free…read moreactivities and a nice green space for the neighborhood. This summer, they had the Charlie Parker jazz festival at the amphitheater. This was a great free event for everyone to enjoy. They have various performances throughout the year at the amphitheater, and the best part is that most are free events for the community to enjoy. In addition to the free events, this is a great park for families to enjoy. There are playgrounds for the kids, picnic areas with barbecue grills. They have a free outdoor gym where mostly men lift weights and exercise. You can also take exercise classes in the recreation center and swim in the outdoor pool in the summer. I completely recommend coming here to visit during the day while the sun is still out. However, this place gets very sketchy once it's dark, with people coming to use drugs or take part in x rated activities. Just use common sense and come here during the day.