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

Open 7 days 11am-3pm and 4pm-7pm Lap Swimming Mon. - Fri. 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. read more

See all

Jesus. this is why I don't believe in "free" public spaces without being ruined by the bureaucratic corrupt police system that is NYPD, cranky pool staff that are most probably volunteering bc they don't wanna be there, and rundown government funded facilities. There are NO snack machines NO items allowed by the pool except towel + water NO basic amenities of chairs, umbrellas, etc NO clean restrooms (they're there, just dirty) There are, however: plenty cranky "workers" who will inspect every inch of your bagged items, a "guard" at every door of this labyrinth of a public pool, and fencing around the perimeters is the pool for, God knows why. I regret coming here. I'll stick with the pool at my gym, thanks read more

On a 84°F (29°C) day, the pool was cold but at a relaxing temperature of somewhere around 65°F (18°C). Just jump in with your head and swim around to heat yourself up to get comfortable. It's the biggest pool you'll ever see. It's like a circular Olympic sized pool. I wanted to do laps, but people will be in your way even in the area with lines on the pool floor. Plus the water isn't crystal clear, so you won't see people like 10 feet in front. This pool is meant for relaxing. It's confusing to enter from the South side of Central Park, so I suggest from the North right off 110th Street. They check for acceptable locks. The lockers are small, but can fit a medium sized duffle bag. If you have friends that don't go in the pool, they can wait in the 'lobby' between the men's and women's locker rooms. read more

Lasker Pool - Lockers on men's side. Roughly 10 in [height] x 8 in [width] x 16 in [depth] - Swimming Pools Near Me - New York, New York

See all

After visiting this pool on the FIRST DAY of the 2017 season, are my thoughts: This pool is appalling for the following reasons: 1. The entirety of the interior of the pool facility, where there obviously was once a snack bar and other attractions, has been completely abandoned and neglected. 2. There are soda machines with signs saying that there's nothing in them. 3. The women's locker room and toilet area are disgusting, with beat up lockers, most of which can't even close or be latched with a lock. 4. The actual pool is only 3ft 8inches, thus I can only assume it's a pool for people who can't even swim. You may not think that's an issue...I do. 5. The water in the wadding pool is full of random material, dirt, etc. 6. The interior is so old and in such poor condition that there's no way to make it look nice, much less clean. What you will find at this pool is a facility left neglected to deteriorate. It is an insult to the Harlem community and a clear sign of governmental dysfunction. You're better off running through a hose. Have fun. read more

This Pool is terrible. First off, heat wave and they taking their sweet time to let people in. There they shut down the pool with people making a line because the staff couldn't keep orders. So people was still jumping in after they got people out. So the people outside yelling let us in because it was a heat wave so no pool that day mind u I went in for 15mins and they called everyone out. They could of told us before we went in or at the line a stuff can tell everyone what's going on. Then ok my friend lost her key and guess how long we waited for her to get her lock opened with the clippers 2 hrs. Because non of the staffs knew where the clippers were. Sp I spoke to everyone cuz whi wants to wait around hours ar a pool no one in it and no clippers. So I spoke to a man who wore a white shirt apparently the supervisor said he didnt know where the clippers were. So at the end guess what? I'm in front of the same man I spoke to cuz all the stuff didnt know what they were doing kept telling me to go to him. He tells the staff the clipper in my office this whole damn time I spoke to him personally his staff kept asking him and he couldnt clip it. So I spend a total of 4 hours at this place to be in the pool 15 mins and the rest waiting around because they had a mess of people who didnt want to listen to them. And couldnt get the staffs on check. So dont let the picture fool you it isnt ehat big. The bathroom and locker room is gross. The showers omg no The lockers are broken or bent. The pool water extremely cold The life guards were good everyrhing else horrible. Those life guards should find a better place then this hell hole read more

I loathe the idea of updates (because they betray changes in mind), but sometimes, they need to be done. So here's my first update. As I continued to return to the Lasker Pool after my first visit, my appreciation for the place was bound to taper off, plateau, or skyrocket as it does when one comes to really love a place. And so it was with Lasker. Every day, my heart warmed to the pool guards, behind whose barking admonitions was true consideration for the humanity leaving the recreational swim sesssion in slow, unruly droves at 7 p.m....every day was made brighter by the lap swim guards, who all knew me by name and even knew my registration number - 497 - even when I was too shy to ask for most of their names. In the locker rooms, I learned how to avoid from getting my fingers pinched in the spring loaded cubby doors. I began to favor a shower that didn't even have a showerhead, but spouted a stream of water out a literal hole in the wall. I learned to chuckle at the fact that the custodians used the water fountain as a resting place for their bags of chips, iPods, and other curios. I stopped trying to check my reflection in a mirror that was covered with a black garbage bag for mysterious reason, and I stopped expecting toilet paper. In the pool, I successfully trained for my first 3-mile swim race. I also swam 25.4 miles here over the course of the season, with special thanks to one guard who took the initiative to break down my remaining laps by hand and setting up suggested daily routines to achieve the 25-mile mark. I came here to celebrate the good days and be thankful for my health. I came here to forget about the shitty days and know that I had done SOMEthing worthy with my day. I came here through traffic and rain, thunder and lightnigh, heat and wind, watching the days get shorter in the sky every time I turned my head to take a breath. I swam under floodlights, using reflections of light as my guide to the distant other side. These past few days, the pool has gone from being full and borderline warm to being empty and shockingly cold. Swimming under these conditions, I feel that I have outlasted the fairweathered and really bonded with this pool, which is a body of water in its own right. Staring down at its chipped yet dignified floor and murderous drain grates that have been known to swallow little children, I feel simultaneously as if I can't believe that humans are allowed, no, encouraged, to swim here and that I can't believe I'm so lucky to be able to swim somewhere so weird. It's as if we could be shrunken down to a size that would allow us to swim merrily in the decorative fountain of the Lincoln Center or something....an otherworldly experience usually limited to liquid fancies of the imagination. After I pounded out my 25 miles for a free tee, I thought I would go to a different pool each day to see more of what I don't know. But now that I have my shirt and Labor Day looms like winter itself (actually, I love winter, but think of this as a metaphorical winter and the freeze on life that it implies), I can't bear to do it. I'm going to spend the last days in Lasker, which has become the only pool for me; the only reason why I can say I actually had a kid-style summer for the first time in my adult life. I only regret that I won't be able to peer through the fence as it gets drained and shed a single tear in salute of a season well spent. Oh, and I'm totally going to go skating here when it morphs into an ice rink. read more

The staff here must get an A+ for saying No to everything to everyone all day, maybe it gets better as the season goes on but the headline is pack light and bring your padlock. Before you can actually get into the pool the workers there check to see that you have two things: 1) A bathing suit (guys - if you are wearing it they will want to see the mesh liner inside the waistband to confirm it is swim shorts) 2) A lock for your locker (which you will be using in the changing room) If you don't have both of these things then they wont allow you entry into the pool facility. Just found the list of rules, wish this was more visible on the internet, there should be more links to this page. http://www.nycgovparks.org/facility/pools/rules Also bring Flip flops - the changing rooms are grubby and the concrete deck gets hot You can only bring your towel, book, water, and sunblock to the pool area. Everything else must be locked away. No Cellphones on the deck, that's to protect you from your cellphone getting stolen while you are in the water. The water is clean and cool, there are many lifeguards to watch over the place. Normal pool hours Pool Hours: Open daily 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM, and 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, Free Lap Swim Program Hours: "Early Bird" lap swim hours: 7:00 AM to 8:30 AM "Night Owl" lap-swim hours: 7:00 PM to Dusk. For more information call 212-534-7639. read more

Will try to keep this simple. The Pros - massive pool, always seems pretty clean. Plenty of space to throw down a towel around the outside of the pool. Tonnes of lockers, (not the cleanest but they do the job). The Cons - the rules are cumbersome and earth-shatteringly idiotic. Some are arbitrary but fairly standard and at least there's some rationale behind them such as no coloured t-shirts/only flip flops, no electronics etc... BUT the padlock and its administration is total and utter bollocks. it's enforced with such fascist zealotry that it would make Mussolini proud. On the website they recommend MASTER and combination locks. I had a hefty Master combination lock but the Sergeant park-ranger bloke at the door, said it was insufficient. I was then obliged to go back to the subway and purchase another lock-and-key padlock. The "Sarge" pointed out to me that the pool accepted no liability for any loss to property etc... herein lies my problem - you cannot cover yourself with a blanket disclaimer excluding liability and also impose strictures on what sort of padlocks people can use. For a country that still has a seizure at the mere insinuation of anything communist/socialist it does amuse me that they seem to have so whole-heartedly embraced fascism. read more

The pool is just Okay. Typical NYC pool. Tons of rules. The locker room was clean but smelled of moth balls...ewww! You must bring a Master lock, it can be combination or key. The lockers are a good size so a typical gym bag will fit. But we ready for them to search your bags for contraband! lol. You are not allowed to have floats, life jackets, toys, etc...For men your shorts must be swim trunks, they do check for the mesh lining on the inside. Also make sure to wear swim shoes or flip flops and don't forget your towel! There are 10 lounging chairs, but you have to be there early. There is concrete stadium seating that is just fine. Now to the pool. There is a kiddie pool that needs less than a star, it is horrible. The main pool is huge! It looks like a big egg. It is oval. The pool is 3 ft 8 inches. There are lanes for laps also. Even when there are a lot of people it is not crowded, there is still plenty of room in the pool for everyone. The best time to go is in the morning. The 4 o'clock crowd is a little rowdy. Morning was families and very calm. Have fun! read more

I would give this pool 5 stars but I haven't been here in over 10 years. I don't know how it is now, but I'll still come and check it out one day. I used to come here in the summer, almost everyday, this was my hang out spot. The pool was huge, it would seem crowded but there were some spots that were empty. The pool was clean but every one in a while you would find a leaf, or someone's hair scrunchie but never paper, bottles, etc. I would definitely come back to this pool. I think, I am not sure, but this pool is deeper than the other city pools. This is a good spot to come, enjoy a warm summer day and catch a nice tan. In the Winter time, I think it turned into an ice skating rink, went one a while ago too. read more

I came here after the NYRR Dash & Splash 10k to cool off and get my splash on. For that purpose, it was fine, but I don't think I would go out of my way to come back. I am not a germaphobe by any means but the locker rooms and bathrooms at this place were disgusting. I was very glad I remembered flip flops. I mean, I know it's a public pool, but in my opinion, these areas need to be remodeled. The pool itself was huge and the water was cool so it was very refreshing. It was open to only those who had done the race so it wasn't *too* crowded. The bottom of the pool kind of creeped me out, it had loose paint chips and sand/dirt all over it and I found a few hairs floating around. Again, a public pool, I know, but still. Gross. read more

Lap swim review Whoa, that was something else. Monday evening, 7 pm. I'd registered online to lap swim and waited in line to get my swim card (which you then leave with the front desk while you're swimming and pick up at the end). In the future, with my card, I can just walk up, sign in, and hand over my card. Less waiting in line. This place was packed. The pool is huge but there are only 3 lanes (marked slow, medium, and fast). The lanes are super wide, so faster swimmers pass slower ones in the middle. Circle swim. Swim up against the lane line (to the right) so a faster person behind you can go around on the left. Crowds thinned after 8, made for much more pleasant swimming. Oh how I wish we could have more lanes. Why all the unused space in the pool? Also, lane lines are pretty hilarious--mostly just empty rope with a few buoys here and there. This makes them hard to spot in places. I often came up from a flip turn right into the lane line because I could barely see it. Hey gentlemen, if you're getting passed constantly, drop down a lane speed. I saw faster women in the medium lane than men in the fast lane. Why are men so proud in the pool? No one cares if you're not actually "fast" today. Get out of the way. I showered (washed hair and all) in the locker room; I was the only one and I kinda see why--uncomfortable shower head spray, very little space to keep your soap bottles, hook for your towel too close to the spray, etc. This is the most like a prison I've ever seen in a public pool. No hooks in the locker room, makes it VERY tough to get dressed. Not enough space for us ladies to put our stuff down or sit on benches. But wow, all these women were so polite and patient, it was awesome. Not a single mirror in the locker room. Friendly lifeguards (main reason for three stars). As close to open water swimming as you can get in a pool--longer than 50 meters (according to the guards) and so choppy with all the swimmers packed in so tight. I really can't decide if I'll go back. Gotta sleep on it. read more

I went here for the morning lap swim at 7-8:30 as part of my search for a convenient and cheap lap swim pool in the city. It didn't cost anything to get in, which was great, and it was only about a 15-20 minute walk away from where I live. So far, both convenient and cheap. Lasker is 55 meters long, an odd distance to measure laps for a swimmer (usually pools are either 25 yds or 50 mtrs- so it kinda threw my workout for a loop). There were enormous, wide lanes and there were no rules in terms of passing fellow swimmers- however, you can easily pass a slower swimmer in the middle of the lane if you need to. Also, the pool's length made run-ins with other swimmers a lot less frequent than would occur at a 25 yd pool. Cleanliness. Therein lies the problem... the deck had crap all over it (a metal bolt, leaves, various pieces of garbage) and the bathrooms were the nastiest I've ever seen. I worked as a lifeguard at an outdoor pool for 7 years, witnessed and cleaned up all kinds of locker room debris and wastes...going in this bathroom, though, crossed my line. The pool itself definitely needed to be vacuumed since paint chips were peeled and lurking at the bottom, and my boyfriend, who was working out in the pool as well, saw a Coney Island Whitefish that I guess made the migration to more northern waters. All in all, would I go back for a cheap and convenient workout? Yes. Grossness can be withstood for that. read more

The staff are petty tyrants, playing with my 2y.o. by lifting him in the air is greeted with shrieks from a 15y.o. guard telling me it wasn't safe. Trying to take a nappy bag on pool deck was considered a huge challenge to authority, even when it only had sunscreen and a nappy and some water. While I get that many people have to be kept safe and not impinge on other's space, the feel created is more of a prison exercise yard. I say this as a former policeman of 12 years and a security professional working for an international organisation. This officiousness detracts from what is a beautiful space and a great public amenity. That said most New York public pools have the same level of zealous officials. But really be a bit more baby friendly. read more

For a free public pool, it does the job. The pool itself is beautifully nestled in Central Park. The water is cool and generally clean. During weekdays, it's pretty moderately occupied. Sometimes more crowded after 5pm and definitely pack on weekends. Something to know: THEY ALWAYS CLOSE EARLY. They evaluate the pool at 2:45pm (not 3 like the website says) and stop letting people in. I've arrived at 2:40 and been turned away before. Kinda annoying if you are trying to schedule a quick 20 min workout. The locker rooms, in my opinion, are gross but serviceable. I never shower or use the restroom if I can help it. And I always wear flipflops on the surfaces. They are very serious about the master lock rule. It HAS to be that brand. Also the white shirt/no writing rule. read more

Having read the reviews, I went with very low expectations. I signed up online for an evening lap swim, starting at 7, early in the season..There was a huge line when I arrived, and they started letting people in after 7, with a bit of a delay, but once they started, it moved reasonably fast. No problems with lock-checking - they really did not check anything at all. Everyone was friendly and helpful. The pool itself was fine, a bit decrepit, but hey, it's a public city pool! Quite all right to swim in. There were three lanes: slow, medium, and fast, and I felt it wasn't too crowded. On the way out you get your card for the season. Hopefully the lines are not so long once most people have cards. Overall it's amazing to have this walking distance to home and swim under open skies surrounded by Central Park. read more

The pool needs some work and the water was very cold, other than that Central Park is always great to be in and is a very way stop to be in. I rated it three comparing it to the other pools I have visited including the one in green point and the recreation center THEY ARE Marvelous.i have five more pools to visit read more

Lasker Pool - A pond and a pool super pretty Central Park is - Swimming Pools Near Me - New York, New York

See all

Here's what you need to know before you go: -It's free. -Hours are 11-3 and 4-7 (check the website for updated info). -Get there early and be prepared to wait in line. I arrived this afternoon right at 4:00 and the line wrapped all the way around the pool. Once the pool opened it moved pretty quick, but I did end up waiting about 15-20 minutes. -They will not let you in without a padlock and a bathing suit. -Babies must have swim diapers. -There is stroller parking. -You must store all of your belongings in a locker, except your suit, shoes, water, and sunscreen. -The locker room/shower/bathroom area is the seventh circle of hell. -There is a great kiddie area, with two shallow pools (one VERY shallow, like a couple inches) and lots of spray fountains and faucets. And much of it is in the shade. -There are a handful of lawn chairs but don't count on getting one unless you get in line REAL early. -It's crowded but there's plenty of room to move about. -The lifeguards are Nazis. This is not a place to have chicken fights. They will hoot their whistles at the slightest provocation, and the place is crawling with guards. It may actually be the safest place in New York City, there are so many security guards, lifeguards, and staff. As a toddler mom, I was very happy about that. -The water is clean and the place is generally well-maintained, although it's not pretty. -Wear your flip-flops and if you have kids, make sure they have crocs or flip flops or something similar. The concrete gets hot and you do NOT want to be barefoot in the locker rooms. I'm pretty sure there has to be e coli and flesh-eating bacteria on those floors. This is not one of your fancy suburban pools with picnic tables and water slides and pristine facilities. This is a free community pool where all kinds of people come to cool down in the summer. Lower your expectations, don't be a princess, and follow the rules. Once you get past the locker rooms, you'll have a great time splashing around, especially if you've got kids. I had a blast with my toddler and we can't wait to go back! read more

Remember summer? Rembember lounging in bikinis on the cement? And occasionally getting in the water if it wasn't overrun by children? Ah, those were the days. True enough, there are not enough deck chairs, and true also that it is often overrun by children. And the facilities are not the fanciest or the best kept up. But they're all free! Yay! I'm a fan. read more

greatest free pool i've been too. so clean and well kept. the view of the park and the city is very pretty. hours are the same as Astoria Pool. the staff is everything under friendly. staff at the women's locker room are nasty, but hey, they dont question you. lock up your stuff, take a shower and head to the pool. i love it here. I prefer this a million times more than flushing pool, one hundred times more than staten island pool and fifty times more than astoria pool. read more

I loved this pool! For a public pool it was extremely large and clean! I heard it gets swamped on the weekends, but I went during the weekday and it wasn't so crowded. The only part of the pool which is less then ideal were the changing rooms. It had a very unclean feeling even though I saw people mopping the floor. Ugh. I just didn't love it in there. But the actual pool and the surrounding area was beautiful and clean! A heads up for all those who want to go use the pool; before you can actually get into the pool the workers there check to see that you have two things: 1) A bathing suit 2) A lock for your locker (which you will be using in the changing room) If you don't have both of these things then they wont allow you entry into the pool facility. Also, you can only bring your towel, book, water, and sunblock to the pool area. Everything else must be locked away. All and all I recommend! read more

The pool is really lovely. It's very large, clean, with plenty of lifeguards. And it's free! The only downside is the facilities for changing, etc. need to be upgraded. read more

RUDEST staff ever! They treat you like trash! But... what did you expect? It's free! Water is clean but for swimmers they take a long time setting the lanes so basically it opens at 7:30, showers and bathrooms are disgusting! read more

The pool itself if GREAT....BUT everything else is so broken down and in need of repair that I brought the review down to 3 stars. The pool is clean. But the showers,locker rooms etc are positively disgusting. Once you get outside in the pool you will most likely enjoy. PS if you don't like kids don't go. An energetic semi out of control bunch-but all good natured........ read more

This is a free huge city pool with ice cold water due, I've heard, to leaks. Sadly, it is desperately in need of a complete overhaul but been told that would require a years closure. Lots of rules regarding locks, only towels on deck etc. but if you arrive at 11 AM when it first opens it's a lovely setting. By mid-day it can become packed so be forewarned. read more

I would give this place a negative 5 star if that's an option. Guard J. Natal treats people differently based on your skin color. My Asian-Caucasian family of 3, including a toddler, wasn't able to enter dressed in full swim attire, while black and Hispanic youth in front of me in Street clothes walked in without even being questioned. When confronted on this inconsistent treatment, Mr. Natal simply said we didn't respect him and therefore violated park policy. Excuse me, but respect goes both ways. If you don't want to be called a dick, then don't act like one! So in a nutshell, nice looking pool, but make sure you can put up with abuse if your skin isn't brown or darker! read more

THIS WAS MY FIRST AND LAST TIME I VIST THIS POOL!!! The people in the pool was not listening to the life gaurds because these group of young kids were flipping each other at WAIST LEVEL WATER!!! Then the pool was shut down, i enjoy the kiddie pool with my children to my surprise i found that my stroller was stolen anything i had on my stroller was put on top of my sister stroller it was the worst experince why would anyone would want to steal a stroller!!!?? i feel that the pool should have a ticket booth for strollers if they dont allow them in regardless if the pool was free, that way people can leave with their own property and not someone eles property. I rather pay to go in any pool atleast i know my property wont be stolen. read more

The BEST Free pool I've ever been to. Family Friendly, clean water and very safe environment. great for the entire family to dip in and have a swim. the day i went they had police everywhere, not sure if thats a everyday thing, but if so, then that's very convenient. Water is only 3 feet 8 inches high though, still very fun. so many staff members looking out. Only flaw for me is the size of the lockers in the locker rooms. very very small. Other than that, the best pool ever. read more

Going to Central Park pool? Better be prepared. I have been really annoyed and upset when I heard the rules. Have to have: "Master" combination lock, and men have to show lining on their swimsuit. Crazy! I had swim trunks without lining and another brand combination lock, and they wouldn't let me in. I had to walk 4 extra blocks to get a swimsuit and lock. Finally when I walked in the pool I saw junk flowing at the bottom and felt black mushy stuff and scraped cement. Hotel pools are better. I'm never coming back. read more

Go everywhere else than here. The staff is super rude and they said to us that we needed to buy a lock. We then walked for about 20 minutes to find a lock. Then we came back to the pool entrance and the staff told us that the lock we bought wasn't good enough. They didn't tell us what kind of lock we should buy so we ended up with the "wrong" lock, wasted money as a result of we couldn't enter the public pool. Which I think is really not okay. read more

Well I would have given a higher number except that I encountered issues here and quite a few. Upon arriving at 7:05 for the lap swim many ppl were leaving, (although this is to be expected at Central Park.) When I entered they had two girls taking in people who were waiting in line, I asked what to do and was told By an Asian girl with glasses, who wasn't doing anything that I needed to wait in line to re-register despite being registered online. She was doing something else I'm not sure what it was except watching people sign a sign in sheet-which is pretty much nothing. She also had a little bit of a chip on her shoulder and seemed annoyed I was asking her questions, but it seemed as I found later, this was the customary attitude here-I had to wait for several people to fill out basic forms despite registering online-basic name, everything I had already done. The other girl working this busy table was overwhelmed with handling new people---and despite it being a redundant process, also no one checked my id...or anyone else's...on another note-HUGE MISTAKE I didn't think I needed a lock-big mistake, apparently things of course get stolen all the time and I had a big canvas bag, swim cover, and a towel with my smart phone. Upon exiting the ladies area, I was confronted by a snippy Latina lifeguard who was rather curt, that I had to have a lock-I told her I wasn't going to put my stuff in a locker w a smart phone when I could see it in the bleachers. Despite the fact that ppl had towels shoes and personal belongings all over the bleachers-she just decided to pick on me. That it shouldn't be that big of a deal since it was after hours lap swim and I had 1 bag. She decided after I threw some of her own words back to her, that she would let the manager deal with me. I traveled in a bus, walked and three trains just to get to the area-about an hour.Did they expect me to go home? So, Larry, the manager let me put my stuff in his office. Thank goodness bc I was planning on doing a yelp review and he was the only thing stopping it from being an extremely negative experience. When I entered about 60 people and the crowd prob grew to 80...three lanes, and only half the pool was used. Upon leaving, I was taking a FAR away photo and the lifeguard yelled at me from where he was-poolside that I couldn't take photos. Which idk how they can say that if it's public property and no one is discernible in a photo. I wasn't even in the pool area, nor was it close up. He actually yelled twice-I'm sure he hates his job. Also, previous to this-walking on my way out from the entrance, another lifeguard was literally hovering behind me, (despite me already waiting again, in line for a card:they should have given me at the beginning-but for some arbitrary reason make you pick up at the end.) She was "trying to get around" me to pick up some floats.. she was about 20,skinny and white, I could tell by her attitude that I was being looked down upon. She looked like a swimmer and I just chalked it up to good old fashioned snobby superiority complex-high school style. Not good. I had more respect for the Latina guard who told me to talk to the manager-she was rude, but not arrogant. Not sure what the guards go through during the day, but they need to take out whatever is making their panties bunch up. Seemed frustrated and on edge, prob the volume of ppl-Larry said 1800 that day alone. And they had an incident w stolen flip flops. The guards should either be let go or retrained- if your job is crowd control you need to be mature enough to be around lots of people and not get upset-if you have to enforce rules, then do so without being uppity and rude...especially when you may need to act quickly. As I sat in the park I could hear the guards blowing repetitively as hard as they could on their whistles-to get ppl out of the pool, I mean it was ridiculous. It was similar to when people have road rage and lay on the horns just bc they are angry. They need to learn to communicate. The bathrooms were totally wet, I guess this is normal, and the toilet seats were wet and some clogged-it was pretty scummy, but not the worst I've seen. It didn't have a urine smell, but one could tell that people were not using the toilet paper and dumping a bunch of water on their crotches-wetting the seats...this is always so disgusting especially when they don't have the decency to wipe up the seat after washing their genitals all over it. It's just not sanitary and it's gross. I've never been more thankful for a hook on the back of the stall door. read more

See all

The lap lane area is good and devoid of kids for the most part. The place still feels somewhat like a prison. The ladies who work in the locker room are not the friendliest. but if you need to jump in water somewhere, it's free. good luck trying to get a chaise lounge - there are like 8 for the entire pool. Otherwise it's a towel on the hot cement pavement. Be sure to bring a lock, and remember that they close it down from 2 2:45 to 4 pm, read more

People, to start: this is a FREE public pool, open to anyone from late June to Labor a day weekend, whether you live in NY or not. There is a FREE lap swim program on weekday mornings 7am to 8:30am and 7pm to dusk (8 or 8:30pm). I usually lap swim at this pool in the summer. It's the best thing you can do for free besides running in the park. This is not for everybody. Those used to Equinox standards should stay there. For the rest of us, the luxury of swimming outdoors in Central Park on an early morning or after a long day at work, is priceless. Yes the lockers haven't been renovated since 1980, but the water is clean and cool. Bring your towel, flip flops to get around the locker and pool area, a lock for your locker and enjoy. Summer is short. read more

Came here for the first time today with my husband and step daughter and I was completely turned off. First off we were annoyed that we had to go buy a lock so we walked about 5 mins to go get one so that it trip there wasn't a complete waste of time. While I completely understand some of the restrictions I didn't appreciate having to show security my swimsuit to prove I had one. Obviously there are people working outside of the lockers who could easily turn someone away if they are not in the proper attire but to have to pull down my shirt to prove I had a swimsuit I was totally uncomfortable with. I obviously refused to let a male security guard check me. You also can't bring anything with you no cell phone, lunches, beach bag everything has to be locked except your towel and sunscreen. While the pool is enormous we actually felt it was way too cold to swim in even on a hot day and it's only about 3 ft. There is literally a handful of beach chairs so if you can't get one you're option is to lay/sit on concrete steps that almost resemble that of a high school football stadium. While I think it's cool that it's free and all i would actually rather pay a few bucks to use a pool that provides clean facilities and lockers that have locks. Free or not I won't be going back, not a good time. read more

This is probably the worst pool I ever visited, and the lowest point of our family vacation in New York. Our terrible experience started with trying to enter. They didn't let us in because we came with bags. It turns out you're only allowed to carry in a towel in your hand - you not even allowed to put the towel in a shopping bag. Why? Apparently because "it's a free pool" (?!). So my wife had to stay outside, while I and the kids went inside. Then, they wouldn't let me take my 5-year-old's armband floaties. Why? Some safety nonsense. When we finally went in, the wading pool was tiny and dirty, and my sad 5-year-old couldn't enjoy the regular pool without his floaties, so it was our saddest family visit to a pool ever. And when my wife, left outside the gates, tried to take a photo of us, one of the "bouncers" in the gate came running up to her saying photography is forbidden. Apparently it's a free pool, but no longer a free country. read more