Astoria Park Pool

Astoria Park Pool just opened last week after being closed for a 2-year $19M renovations. Plenty of photo ops had occurred for them to ignore the fact that 25% of the "people" are allowed in at a time. There are huuuuuge lines that wrap around the park before 11am and they won't open the pool unless nypd arrives. Everyday this week, they've been opening around 11:30ish until nypd arrive. If you find this to be unjust, feel free to write letters to your council representative letting them know having all the photo op inauguration won't justify the double speak.

A couple of tips before you head out here:

1- you must have swim attire! don't wear basketball shorts and a shirt inside- they simply will give you the no entry side eye. Shorts must have the mesh liner.
2- bring a lock, as they don't allow electronics & bags at the pool. If you have a key and headed to the locker room, there will be a worker patting you down.
3- certain goggles and life vest are questionable: I would ask before throwing a fit we saw on plenty days. (Vest needs to have a strap going through the crotch)
4- they make you take a shower before entering the pool.
5- only towels, water bottles and sunscreen allowed inside the pool area. They offer a free sunscreen pump if you forget to bring one

The "strictness" all depends on the worker that stops you. Advice: It's best to not get into a screaming match with the workers. Take out your frustration out on the mayor for their budget cuts on lifeguards and not on the city workers simply doing their job. We must unite and not divide and project where the accountability should go.. Typical Shenanigans for New Yorkers to endure to enjoy a nice dip in their newly renovated pool.

Come Early for some elbow space or come late for the wait time.

They spent $19 million dollars and 2 years to renovate this, the city's largest pool, but they forgot to renovate the locker rooms and forgot to hire enough lifeguards.

This means people have to wait 1-2 hours in line to get in. Once inside you are squeezed into only a small portion of the pool while the rest is left empty because there aren't enough lifeguards.

Swim lap hours are very marginal, meaning 11:00am-1:30pm and 4-5pm. This is only if you can endure the long 1-2 hour wait to get in.

Congrats city of NY you've managed to build a $19 million dollar urinal.

$19 M investment in what? Several lifegard chairs???? Astoria Park swimming pool is absolutely disgusting. There is dirt on the bottom of the pool. Waiting time to get in 1.5 hrs to find out that swimming is not allowed. Only middle part of pool was open for urination. Please update your website and notify citizens who are looking to swimm that this is not possible in Astoria Park pool. Extremely rude and disrispectfu people are working there. Summer 2024 experience

Horrible experience, they would rush you out of the not only swimming pool but even the exit to the playground, you would only have 10 mins to change or shower while there are other 200 something people also changing. Their way of treating people to leave the pool is very disgusting.

Great park! Super fun for picnics. Sprinklers open before pool. Walk past a waterfront. There's a skate park too

The first thought I had was: "This pool is massive!". Measuring 330' (100m) x 165' (50m) and designed by John M. Hatton, this is in fact the largest of the eleven pools in New York City that were completed by the Works Progress Administration in 1936, and can accommodate 5,570 bathers at a time [1]. It is basically four Olympic-sized pools side-by-side, and it in fact hosted the trials for the summer Olympics in 1936, 1952, and 1964.

It is totally free; you don't need a NYC Parks & Recreation membership to enjoy this pool. What you need is a bathing suit and a lock; the guards are very strict about this, and will check all bags.

Once inside, the changing area is massive. The bathrooms and communal showers are probably the original ones from 1936, but in the end how much time are you going to spend in these showers.

The pool is divided in several areas specifically dedicated to lap swimming, bathing, and shallow pool for small kids. There is plenty of room on the bleachers for your towels, and you may even be able to score one of the chaise lounge chairs by the now-covered diving pool.

If you want to do lap swimming, keep in mind a few things:
- There aren't specific lanes: it's free-for-all, and you only use the markings at the bottom of the pool as marking.
- This means that you have to swim always facing forward in order to avoid collisions.
- Similarly, you should also check if anyone is swimming towards you before you start the next lap (i.e. for your own safety you may have to avoid flip turns)
- About half of the people in the lap swimming area are slow and swim breast strokes only.
- Occasionally you may have a guy who stops swimming and starts walking, or people who do not realize this area is for lap swimming only. The lifeguards try to keep people swimming continuously, but there will be disruptions.
- Because of what I mentioned above, it is difficult to get into any kind of rhythm; however, since the pool is much larger than your average 25'/25m pool, you get a lot of bang for your lap. Also, much less busy than other public pools I've been to for lap swimming.
- Best time for lap swimming may be at around 12 noon, 1h after the pool opened (it's busier right when it opens).

Food is not allowed, but there is a food stand on the west side of the pool.

The few times I have been here the pool was never busy. This is true also for Astoria Park: Perhaps because it is pretty far from the subway, and the area is very residential, it is frequented mostly by locals who live nearby. If you have a car, however, this place is fantastic.

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[1] https://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/astoria-park/facilities/outdoor-pools/astoria-pool

Astoria pool? Or Astoria prison complex? First of all lets start off with what happens before you even enter the pool. They nitpick everything, your lock size, your bag, etc. That's fine but make sure you have the right lock or else they will try to charge you $15 for a $3 lock. I know economics but I also understand robbery. Then, the locker room situation. The guards (wardens) are screaming at you to hurry up, you need to take a prison shower, and open your towel to the guards (sorry,warden) the pool is what you expect of a free public pool. Astoria pool is the largest public pool in the tri-state area (thank you, Robert Moses) the old out-of-order diving boards are fun to look at, and with its huge size you hardly bump into people.


The pool is a fun time, but the people in charge of it make it not-so-great.

Great swimming pool in beautiful view of Astoria, love it! Have to go swimming in Summer!

Yes, it is free. It's great that it's free. But there's so much pee in this pool it's disgusting. I haven't been here in the pool for about 15 years. I'll never come back here. There's always long lines and sometimes they tell you that your lock isn't acceptable when you've used it before. I've been here within the last two years to enjoy the sights.

Before you even get into the pool you feel like you're in prison because you have to take a cold shower before you enter. I felt like I was being watched by a guard because they make sure you take the shower before entering. Personally, it's nice they make you do that so you don't bring germs into the pool. But the way they approach it doesn't feel nice.

I feel like they pick and choose who they want to join in on the pee pool. I mean if you don't mind swimming in piss water then this pool is perfect for you. Seriously, some parts are still warmer than others. You've been warned. Just remember you got that cold shower to take after leaving the pool, that should help get the pee off you.

They clean the pool late in the day and everyone has to get out of the pool. I think the time was either 2 or 3. So your best bet for clean water would be getting there at 4pm. The scenery is why this place gets two stars. It's always so beautiful to see the city from the pool when your on the highest steps.

Just hope you have health insurance for that pink eye you probably will get after swimming. Also if your a woman becareful when you come here alone. A lot of bad things have happened in the past.

The pool is big. Staff is friendly, well most of them. Make sure you bring your lock. You can't get in without it.