I have been using the facilities regularly since 1989 -- until 2015, sporadically 1984-1989 and 2015-2016. The renovation and expansion gave it the ambiance of a luxury hotel and a wonderful place to hang out at; even a small dining area and internet kiosk.
Both the staff, the patrons were always friendly and inviting; and you could feel the ambiance in the air saying "welcome to the fold, and go for it", whether you were new to the facility or it was like a second home.
Counted as a plus is that the older legacy area (particularly the track and field area) were still help somewhat available, outside the times of scheduled events or group activities.
I can literally say that I enjoyed the wonderful ambiance of the renovated and expanded facilities for the first time 5 years before it existed (in recurring precognitive dreams); and to actually go there for the "first" time after it reopened was like coming back home to a place I had longed for, matching in every detail what I had already seen and experienced beforehand.
These are all positive recommendations, but tempered by what can only be described as a black mark. Recently, the facility has gone on a prudish kick (late 2014), putting severe restrictions on attire that are out of kilter with current fashions. (Even running without shoes, with socks which I've frequently done or barefoot, and which is very common amongst certain groups of people, is now banned.) The reasons underlying these recent changes I was not aware of until more recently.
Essentially it amounts to an outcropping and expression of the very kind of partisan extremism that has afflicted other venues, be it cable news, movie franchises, political discourse, campus settings, that has turned these places onto culture war zones.
It is a black mark that supersedes all the positives of a venue that was literally a place of my dreams. Freedoms that we have enjoyed for decades are - in this environment of extremism - suddenly declared off-limits. It is unacceptable, and I strongly recommend against using the facility; to make a statement, voting with your feet, by using the many outdoor venues nearby that provide a fresher, more natural (and beautiful) and refreshing environment for a more healthy workout ... and one that requires no payments, costs of rentals or other charges and imposes no restrictions on time.
If you want a stronger upper body: do more pushups, and with weights attached. If you want a stronger lower body, walk, run using the many trails or running tracks nearby. This is a very beautiful city, especially the riverwalk, and you should not deny yourself these experiences. A particularly excellent workout is obtained by doing sprints on the beach. If you want a stronger core, do these things and more, like abdominal crunches. In the winter, you get especially good workouts just walking in deep virgin show, never mind running. And if you want the company of friends, go in groups.
As for me: I could renew membership indefinitely. But, the restrictions of time have kept me away since 2016; and knowing what I now know, I think this will probably be for good. The place has lost one of its longest regular users.
Moreover, if this is a demonstration of the frame of mind the University itself has adopted, then perhaps it may also return my degrees and revoke my alumnus membership. read more