McCarren Park Pool

The park is amazing, with great area for all! However unfortunately some people are not kind enough to realize that it is a smoke free area! This lady was smoking at the playground area. Some parents asked her to not smoke around the kids and she roughly and rudely denied to stop it! Common sense unfortunately is not there for everyone! The park still being very cool though!

Nice big pool, at times can get pretty crowded with kids. Sometimes you get your out of control group of kids but staff seems to help. If they don't notice it, then go and let them know and they'll help out. If you go early, that's the best time. Not over crowded, plus when it starts to get crowded then you can leave. They have lots of rules to follow so make sure you call to see what you can or can't bring with you.

PROS and CONS list. Let's start with the cons, followed by the pros: HOURS: Limited hours with break in between. Open 11-3 (you have to leave the water at 2:45). Reopen 4-7 (out of the water at 6:45). RULES: So many rules. And you better know them and abide by them, or you will be spoken to like a child. STAFF: Rude and surly - just what you would expect from underpaid city employees. LOCKS: You MUST have a lock. You won't even be allowed past the gates until you show your lock. SECURITY THEATER: You will wait in a long line so they can "check your bag" before you get in (they are doing nothing, it's a waste of time and a total show). METAL GATES: Metal gates are everywhere, making you have to walk as far as possible from the pool to the locker rooms. Again, total security theater. (Don't even get me started on the 6 or so cops stationed there at any given time.) PHONES (electronics): Once you are past the gate, do not show (or use) your phone for any reason. If you do, you will hear about it. Loudly. Must be stored in locker. And don't dare think of even looking at it in the locker room! LOCKER ROOM: Womens' changing area/lockers/restrooms are inexplicably as far as possible from the kid's pool. It baffles me how this design was implemented. No forethought. LOCKERS: NYC exceptionalism strikes again - we found the world's worst lockers. They're so difficult to open and not at all intuitive. Terrible, pitiful design. RESTROOM FLOOR TILE: The entire entrance and pooldeck are cement. But the bathroom tile floor is not. Another disasterous choice was made by the city in selecting a beautiful but slippery, slate floor tile. Why? Why would you do that? People are WET. Water will be everywhere. And this is incredibly dangerous. I don't understand who made this many poor decisions. BATHROOM DOOR HOOKS: Many stalls are missing hooks. But you can see the holes where the hooks were once attached. Couldn't they install new hooks? BATHROOM MIRRORS: Your typical NYC public school bathroom mirrors - metal, not glass. CHAIRS: You may not bring a chair (or floaties), but a smattering of chairs are provided (usually around 18). However, to get one, you'll need to be among the first in line waiting for them to open, so you can be one of the lucky few to score a chair. PEOPLE: Keep in mind you will be surrounded by people in the pool that have no sense of awareness or personal space, and will be splashed no matter where you go to escape these rowdy jerks - Because they are everywhere! (You will unwittingly become included in several Marco Polo games) LIFEGUARD SHORTAGE: You never know if the lap section or other (or which) sections will be open (due to lifeguard shortage). WATER CLEANLINESS: In less than a week, the pool is full of hair. FULL! OF! HAIR! Not just a random single strand but many, many strands and revolting CLUMPS of hair! Hair is everywhere and it's so disgusting. I've also seen other random objects in the water like bandaids and other disgusting things. They should mandate swim caps. PROS: It's a free pool. As usual, NYC takes something fun and turns it into an unpleasant experience.

The pool itself is great - large, deep, clean, lots of seating. The staff is extremely rude. NB: Part of the pool isn’t open due to lifeguard shortage. The staff unfortunately leaves a lot to be desired. The women patrolling the ladies locker room will make you go back in for all kinds of rules you didn’t know because they aren’t listed anywhere. To clarify: no shorts past the locker room, no cellphones (only outside the lockers and pool), and you are *required* to shower before you go out. They’ll also make you shake out your towel, after you assure them there’s nothing in it, just to make sure you didn’t lie to them. The lockers are also hard to open and you must bring your own lock. Summary: - Read the rules outside before you go in and it’ll save you getting yelled at. No, most of the rules don’t make sense but hey it’s a free pool. - Bring a lock - Pool itself is very nice - Closed 3-4 pm daily for cleaning.

I want to love this place. It’s so close to my home, I have a kid to entertain, and summer in the city is so long and hot. However, the staff here is unbearably rude and every time I visit, I end up feeling like I’m visiting a prison instead of a park. It’s completely dehumanizing. The workers have this way of making you feel like a criminal even while you’re following the rules. I absolutely understand a big public pool in NYC needs rules and enforcement but the folks running the place over here need an overhaul. With nasty and inconsiderate people running city services like this it’s no surprise the Parks budget was on the chopping block this year.

The pool is nice. The staff are disrespectful In the female locker room, as you're changing, you'll have a bunch of females/staff members sitting on chairs or standing up yelling at everyone. Looking at you while you change we're not allowed to change in a female bathroom which I don't understand why we can't. And they continue yelling the rules this and that. The whole time my kids were crying because of all the yelling. The staff are so aggressive. And when you ask why we can change the bathroom, they say what you don't understand YOU CAN'T CHANGE IN THE BATHROOM AND THAT'S IT (YELLING). It's like having a whole bunch of correctional officers watching you change.You feel like you're in jail.So I've been told. This needs to change they need NEW STAFF MEMBERS!!! NO ONE SHOULD BE WATCHING ANYONE CHANGE!!!! I understand if they want to make sure someone only brings a towel and a water bottle but they should be outside of the changing area. Like in other pools they wait for you to come out and check that you only have a towel.

For years this public pool lay closed and dormant because neighborhood factions didn't want "outsiders" to use the pool. It's a NYC Department of Parks Facility so kick rocks. It's now open and nicely remodeled for the enjoyment of the entire Brooklyn and Queens community.

I love that there are dedicated lap lanes this year! Even with the floating hairballs and band-aids; the undirected barking of bathroom attendants; and irregular closing times due to poop and cops not showing up; I am very happy that I can swim laps without bumping into teenagers! Thank you, Parks Department!