I’m sure everyone wants to hear what I did with Lisi this week, right? If the answer was no, you probably shouldn’t be reading this. The week was fun — more for me than her, but I think she was happy to come along for the ride!
Public Pool
I know what you might be picturing: grossness, hepatitis, huge crowds, sweaty bodies pressing up against yours and more hepatitis. Just so you know, you’re wrong. NYC takes its public pools very seriously. And while getting in to the pool can be worse than airline security, if you follow the rules you’ll breeze right through. Here are some tips in case you plan on going:
You MUST wear a bathing suit. If you plan on wearing a coverup it MUST be white. Solid white. Trust me.
You MUST bring a lock (I think it has to be a Masterlock). They won’t let you in if you don’t show it to them.
No food allowed. They’ll take away what they find. I asked if they at least have staff parties with all the food they take away, but they don’t. What a waste.
Most pools open at 11:00, get cleaned 3-4:00 and close at 7:00 (check before you head over). I recommend going when it first opens and there’s barely a crowd — it’s awesome.
If you’re coming with kids, there’s stroller parking outside — you can store your food there if you need to!
Swim diapers are a must, you have to show it to them before you go in.
Everyone has to shower before going into the pool. It’s not because they think you’re dirty. Ok, it is.
New rule for this year: No plastic bags. Not sure I get that one…..
On the pool deck you can ONLY bring a towel, water and sunblock. No phones allowed. No pool toys. No floaties. Do not try to pull any shenanigans; you will get caught.
They do give out lunch, which is great. I didn’t want my ham and cheese sandwich so I gave it to the people sitting next to me. They were grateful! I also got a milk juice box, a peach, a bag of baby carrots and a packet of mustard and mayonnaise. The carrots and the mayo were delish!
I managed to sneak in a picture of the pool. Please do not report me.
This was at the Highbridge Pool on 173rd and Amsterdam Avenue (1 train to 168th and walk, there’s a farmer’s market on Thursday’s on 175th and Broadway if you’re in the area).
Pier 51
I know I talk about this place a lot. It’s actually my first time there since last August because of the construction. There were still a few glitches but it felt great to be back!
Brooklyn Bridge Park Pop-up Pool/Beach
Same rules as other NYC pool (although I did feel a little less violated). I arrived at 11:15, at 11:30 everyone lines up and the first 60 people get wristbands for the 12:00 slot. You get 45 minutes of pool time. While you wait there’s a cute little pop up beach with umbrellas, chairs and sick views of the city. On the way back we took the ferry to Wall Street. It was $4.00 and literally 2 minutes!
Rooftop Garden at the MET
Ok, I don’t love museums, especially the MET. I had a project back in college and I literally went there 1-2 times a week for a semester and I told myself I’d never go back there once I finished that project. Until now. Ok, maybe once to use the bathroom in 2010 but that was it. When I heard about the new installation I figured maybe it was time to go back. As I walked through the museum in search of the elevator to 5 there was art EVERYWHERE. I got chills. Ew. Once I got to the top I was safe. It was a quiet, pretty, AstroTurf-covered deck with great views of 59th street. There was a stand where I thought they were selling iced coffees — which would have been a nice touch — but instead it was a bar. Even nicer touch but not so much at 10:30 in the morning.
Spector Playground
Made a quick stop on the way back so we could have lunch and cool off in the sprinkler. Lisi preferred the “big kid” sprinkler because she liked hanging out where all the water was draining. I liked it because I could be in the sprinkler without actually getting soaked.
And that sums up week #2 of the summer of Lisi! Good night to all!
Big Al's Pad 