The Daily News has a run-down of Brooklyn (and Staten Island) pools in its July 18th edition. The best pool for smaller kids is the Bushwick Houses pool, and the cleanest one (and it's actually really great for kiddies too) is the Douglass and Degraw pool. How was the Sunset Pool rated?
No big surprise:
The best qualities were the view atop our hill and that "it's a great place to take a dip after a barbecue or volleyball game." No mention of the Olympic size of the pool or the water temperature or the ramp that allows for easy access into the pool with children. No mention of the sand volleyball court in the pool area that seems to be free a good amount of time.
* FYI: Barbecues are not allowed in Sunset Park, although they are sometimes overlooked by the enforcers. Also, it's tough to get volleyball time at the courts due to an extremely regular bunch of players.
There is lost of Room to Improve, according to The Daily News. The first is that you have to wear a suit to the pool (and bring a padlock!) because there is no actual space for changing. Okay, that's a pain, but not too bad. Also, I suppose if you're not too self-conscious, you can just change on your gender's specified side. For the babes (age, not looks), it certainly is fine. More relevant to people who go for relaxation or who bring kids is the amount of "roughhousing teenagers whose behavior and language can be as salty as the ocean." I love that the writer used "salty." On the upside, I suppose that could make pool-goers feel like they've had a day at the beach. On the downside, sensitive ears and - I think, more importantly - safety concerns need to be addressed at the pool more effectively.
A bonus mention of the Sunset Pool comes courtesy of one of the Red Hook staff members. Apparently, one (life guard?) called over the loudspeaker "If you don't like the rules, then you can go to Sunset Park!" Nothing like supporting your colleagues. I wonder how the staff at Sunset enjoys being called out (literally) by a fellow pool employee?
Check out the entire pool review here.
Showing posts with label Red Hook Pool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Red Hook Pool. Show all posts
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Monday, July 14, 2008
Parents Concerned About Safety at Sunset Pool
Sunset Park has one of the most beautiful, huge, delicious-looking pools ever. Hyperbole? Perhaps, but I don't think so.
That said, it's popular with lots of children, tweens, teens, and adults. That's a beautiful thing, of course, but it brings problems as well.
On a recent thread on Park Slope Parents, one parent asked about differences between the Red Hook Pool and the Sunset Pool. She mentioned that while it has a wonderful kiddie pool, the Red Hook Pool has many rules that seem "militant." (As another poster mentioned, all City pools have the same rules.) A follow-up poster wished for more militant enforcement of the rules at the Sunset Pool:
I went to the sunset park pool less than 2 weeks on a tuesday around 5pm and there was an organized incident where about 30 teenage boys started diving and jumping into the pool all at the same time, over and over. The life guards couldn't control them and two minutes later, police came out and shut down the pool--everyone had to leave. Thank goodness i happened to be in the middle of the pool with my two children when it started. When we came out, two of our towels were stolen. Now i have a bad taste in my mouth over sunset.*
*Used with author's permission.
Apparently, the sort of incident described has happened a few times (not just at the Sunset Pool) because the teens know that if one or two do running jumps into the pool (against the rules) they'll be thrown out. If a large group does it together, no one person gets in trouble. Of course, then the whole pool gets shut down and everyone's fun is ended. However, some teens (like some adults!) couldn't care less about other people's fun or safety. In another recent incident, a few teens were thrown out of the pool and proceeded to throw glass bottles into the pool area from outside the fence; no regard for other pool goers safety or fun was clearly demonstrated.
The best advice I can offer about the pools in general is to go early. The 11 AM - 3 PM session has far fewer problems than the late afternoon session. Also, I've heard from another parents that sticking close to the ramp area is "uncool" for the older kids, making it perfect for the littler ones.
In regards to towels being stolen, it stinks, and theft happens all the time. It's why the rules keep us from bringing much of anything into the pool area (or the locker area, for that matter!). Even the highest cost gyms have plenty of folks who help themselves to other people's stuff. May all towel thieves one day learn what it's like to have soaking wet kids and no towel with which to dry them.
An aside: Why oh why didn't they put in a kiddie pool instead of a sand volleyball court at the Sunset Pool? There are several areas around the park to play volleyball, but a kiddie pool would serve both the little ones and the older kids who want more space in the pool. This season, I have yet to see anyone utilize the sand volleyball court for something other than digging in the sand.
That said, it's popular with lots of children, tweens, teens, and adults. That's a beautiful thing, of course, but it brings problems as well.
On a recent thread on Park Slope Parents, one parent asked about differences between the Red Hook Pool and the Sunset Pool. She mentioned that while it has a wonderful kiddie pool, the Red Hook Pool has many rules that seem "militant." (As another poster mentioned, all City pools have the same rules.) A follow-up poster wished for more militant enforcement of the rules at the Sunset Pool:
I went to the sunset park pool less than 2 weeks on a tuesday around 5pm and there was an organized incident where about 30 teenage boys started diving and jumping into the pool all at the same time, over and over. The life guards couldn't control them and two minutes later, police came out and shut down the pool--everyone had to leave. Thank goodness i happened to be in the middle of the pool with my two children when it started. When we came out, two of our towels were stolen. Now i have a bad taste in my mouth over sunset.*
*Used with author's permission.
Apparently, the sort of incident described has happened a few times (not just at the Sunset Pool) because the teens know that if one or two do running jumps into the pool (against the rules) they'll be thrown out. If a large group does it together, no one person gets in trouble. Of course, then the whole pool gets shut down and everyone's fun is ended. However, some teens (like some adults!) couldn't care less about other people's fun or safety. In another recent incident, a few teens were thrown out of the pool and proceeded to throw glass bottles into the pool area from outside the fence; no regard for other pool goers safety or fun was clearly demonstrated.
The best advice I can offer about the pools in general is to go early. The 11 AM - 3 PM session has far fewer problems than the late afternoon session. Also, I've heard from another parents that sticking close to the ramp area is "uncool" for the older kids, making it perfect for the littler ones.
In regards to towels being stolen, it stinks, and theft happens all the time. It's why the rules keep us from bringing much of anything into the pool area (or the locker area, for that matter!). Even the highest cost gyms have plenty of folks who help themselves to other people's stuff. May all towel thieves one day learn what it's like to have soaking wet kids and no towel with which to dry them.
An aside: Why oh why didn't they put in a kiddie pool instead of a sand volleyball court at the Sunset Pool? There are several areas around the park to play volleyball, but a kiddie pool would serve both the little ones and the older kids who want more space in the pool. This season, I have yet to see anyone utilize the sand volleyball court for something other than digging in the sand.
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