Best pools

Sol Goldman

Photograph: Jeff Gurwin

Public pools may not be glamorous, but hey, the era of swim-up bars is over for you anyway. The city’s 35 outdoor pools (and 19 mini versions) are clean, well run and, best of all, free. Finding the right one, however, can be nettlesome. Sometimes the closest option is inhospitable to toddlers or the melanin-challenged. Read on to locate your family’s perfect fit, and then dive in. The pools are open as of June 27.

For a kiddie pool that’s as large and warm as the Caribbean:
Sol Goldman 155 Bay St between Clinton and Henry Sts, Red Hook Park, Brooklyn (718-722-3211) The smallest tadpoles lay claim to this spot’s biggest attraction. “The baby pool is huge,” says Dana Blitstein, 33, a Park Slope stay-at-home mom with a two-year-old daughter. “Like the size of a football field.” (Not quite: It’s 50 yards long.) A gate separates the peewee zone (emphasis on pee) from the main pool, so parents need not worry about older kids roughhousing around timid babes.
Good to know On most days, an ice cream truck lingers outside the entrance.
Drawback Like anything in Red Hook, getting there on public transit can be a hassle. That’s why this option mainly attracts families from Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill and Park Slope—all just a short (and cheap) cab ride away. Also, the pool is a half mile—about a ten-minute walk—from Ikea, which is accessible via a free shuttle bus and ferry (for a schedule, see info.ikea-usa.com/Brooklyn/StoreDirections.aspx).

For shady types:
Douglass & DeGraw Nevins St between Douglass and DeGraw Sts, Thomas Greene Playground, Gowanus, Brooklyn (718-625-3268, nycgovparks.org/parks) Fair-skinned tots enjoy a UV reprieve at Brooklyn’s best-kept natatory secret: the “D&D,” or “Double-D,” pool, as it’s called (cue the flotation jokes). The deck has a covered area for overcooked sunbathers that is miraculously uncrowded. On weekdays you might even be able to score a seat on one of the benches.
Good to know The D&D is a summertime hot-lunch distribution site for low-income children; extra lunches occasionally get offered to swimmers.
Drawback It’s hard to see the main pool from the kiddie pool. If you bring tweens and toddlers, you might struggle to keep track of both groups at once.

For going off the deep end:
John Jay FDR Dr between 76th and 78th Sts, John Jay Park (212-794-6566, nycgovparks.org) John Jay is one of just three outdoor pools that still have a diving area (the rest have been closed due to cost and liability issues). Here, kids can practice cannonballs, pikes, twists and jackknives with impunity. Even when the pool is at capacity on weekend mornings, it still feels spacious. Show up with your brood around 5pm on a weekday and you’ll have the place mostly to yourselves.
Good to know Whether it’s due to the cool breeze blowing over the East River or to frosty UES socialites, swimmers sometimes complain that the water at this pool is chillier than at most.
Drawback There’s no baby pool and little shade, which means you’ll find an older and rowdier crowd.

For the easily bored:
Tony Dapolito Recreation Center 3 Clarkson St at Seventh Ave South (212-242-5228, nycgovparks.org) The pool is situated on a calm, quiet, tree-lined block next to a great playground and near the Hudson Park Branch Library (66 Leroy St at Seventh Ave South, 212-243-6876), where families can drop by for a pre- or post-swim storytime or browsing session. Stop for a sandwich and a smoothie at the Varick Eatery (220 Varick St between Carmine and Downing Sts, 212-206-8500) or a floppy slice and a refreshing Italian ice at Phil’s Pizza (226 Varick St between Carmine and Downing Sts, 212-243-8629).
Good to know An aquatic Keith Haring mural adorns the wall alongside the pool. Your kids probably won’t care.
Drawback On weekdays, summer campers sometimes monopolize the pool.

Hamilton Fish Recreation Center 128 Pitt St between E Houston and Stanton Sts (212-387-7687, nycgovparks.org).
You have to be 56 inches or taller to swim in this Olympic-size pool, so it’s a great choice for older kids who don’t want to share the water with diapered toddlers. For littler guys, there’s a 2.5-foot-deep kiddie pool and a playground with sprinklers.

The Floating Pool Barretto Point Park, at Tiffany St and Viele Ave, Hunts Point, Bronx (718-430-4601, nycgovparks.org).
The barge is back in da Bronx this summer. In addition to the pool, there are locker rooms, bathrooms, showers and a snack bar.

Flushing Meadows–Corona Park Natatorium Avery Ave at 131st St, Queens (718-271-7572, nycgovparks.org).
The pool has lots of newfangled features, like an adjustable floor (to reduce the depth for younger swimmers), a diving tank—and un-dank locker rooms.

Lasker Pool Central Park, enter park from Central Park North at Malcolm X Blvd (Lenox Ave) (212-534-7639, centralpark.org).
A wade in this thawed-out ice rink overlooking the Harlem Meer in Central Park is a rite of passage for Upper Manhattan tykes. With a maximum depth of less than four feet, it’s perfect for squirts who are wary of the deep end.

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Ice cream | Boat rides | Bowling alleys | Out of the heat | Indoor fun