Gertude Ederle Recreation Center

Since I first came to NYC In 2010, I’ve gotten really into open water swimming and even pool and team swimming. I owe it all to the city’s Adult Lap Swim program, which offers swimming hours before and after office hours from the 4^th of July through Labor Day Weekend in the gigantic, extraordinary outdoor pools throughout the five boroughs.
But now that I’ve started registering for swim races that happen earlier in the year than the Adult Lap Swim hours even begin, I’m faced with the dual obstacles of membership cost and reduced pool size when approaching my training regimen.
Even a standard 25-​yard pool seems cramped after oceans, rivers, and outdoor park pools, and many of the aquatic facilities of most private gyms and clubs are even smaller than that (in addition to being choked with hyphy swimmers during the same time that you can eke out of your day to get there).
Having taken advantage of NYC’s network of indoor pools and recreational facilities (i.e. often also including basketball courts, elliptical machines, free weights and elements you’d find in any YMCA or standard sports club) before fat the stunning rate of $ 150/​year and knowing I can’t get anything better in the way of pools at high-​priced gyms, I went straight to the website (
) to find the one closest to my current workplace. Thus, I came across the Gertude Ederle Recreation Center (
), formerly Recreation Center 59. However, the pool’s dimensions stated a length of only 60 feet, and I wasn’t sure if I could live with that. So, I took a little walk on lunch break to scope it out.
The squeaky clean, modernized, sun-​flooded center reopened just last year, retaining its upstairs basketball courts and white Roman-​style mosaic pool (once a giant bath in an actual bathhouse) in the basement and adding space, features, and an entrance on West 60^th Street instead of 59^th. On the main floor, there is even a computer resources room, and a small desk with a friendlier and more expedient staff than I have found in any of the other city recreational centers thus far. Lovely images and educational literature about the history of the center, its namesake (first woman to swim the English Channel), and its renovation hang tastefully upon the sleek walls.
And amazingly, the centers now allow people to do one trial swim/​gym visit in exchange for the signing of a waiver and handing over your ID while you’re inside. They didn’t used to offer this, so everyone should take advantage of the opportunity to feel out what’s right for them without even having to throw down the pittance of a membership fee.
I cashed in on my trial swim just this morning. Incredible; felt like I was really getting away with something here. A gym and pool with barely any people in it (no more than 2 people per lane at worst!!!), good water pressure in the locker room, clean tile floors (still, bring flip flops) all around, easy signup for a $ 75 6-​month membership to ALL the city’s indoor recreational facilities… all a gorgeous five minute walk from my office (shortcut through Lincoln Center!)?!?
This is where I’ll do my indoor swim training from now on and my elliptical training during winters. Maybe I’ll even shoot some hoops someday or take a pilates class (yes, pilates class) after work.
Goodbye to overpriced, cluttered, manic, uppity, secretly filthy, crowded gyms… forever. This facility makes me thankful for the City of New York, for physical fitness, and for life itself. I’m glad it’s situation so that it’ll probably remain relatively uncrowded. Otherwise, I really would’ve been an asshole and kept this hidden gem to myself.