Dodge YMCA

Hours vary by day but it's typically open for lap swim before and after work (when I can go). One or two people per lane happens, but is rare at busier hours before and after work.

There's nice, natural light, but the water can be a bit warm and/or cloudy, especially after swim lessons.

There's lots of natural light and the water temperature is consistent, but the opening hours are all over the place. Swimming etiquette is often tricky. I give it a 7 on a scale of 10.

A good 25-yard facility (44 lengths of the pool equates to approximately 1,000 metres). Lap swimming is reportedly available all day long, although the number and allocation of lanes vary to enable other uses. A monthly diary of pool activities, available from the outer reception desk, gives a guide to the times that are most suitable for lap swimming. Sadly, this useful piece of intelligence is not published online. At the time of my seven (mainly early morning) visits, most of the pool was designated for lap swimming in speed-differentiated lanes. Good lane discipline: by agreement between the swimmers in question the rule is to split lanes for two swimmers; to swim anti-clockwise for three or more (although I never encountered more than three swimmers in my chosen lanes). The facility has good, gender-specific locker rooms. Towels, kick boards, and pull buoys are freely available. (A sign adjacent to the flotation aids suggests that these are only to be used for organised sessions - a rule that is clearly consistently honoured in its breach!) Bathing caps are compulsory. I had no issues with water temperature or quality, or with atmospheric quality. At last I've found a pool in New York City that I really enjoy!

I was just there Sunday and yesterday (Valentine's Day, 2017); on Sunday morning, all lanes were adult lap swim. I left around 9:30 AM. Last night, I was there from 7:30 - 9:30 PM and there was an advanced water ballet class in the usual walk/jog lane until 8 PM, then the beginner class took one more lane until 9 PM. There were still three lanes left for Slow, Medium, and Fast, and I shared a lane with one swimmer, my speed. Families and children have to have some time to swim, try to remember we were children once, too!

There are six lanes, but they are not used for lap swimming. The Dodge YMCA offers more children's classes than any other Y in the NYC area, so the pool is always packed with children taking swim classes. At least two lanes are extensively used for children's group classes throughout the day and another lane is used for individual, private, children's swim lessons, sometimes with only one or two children and an instructor occupying an entire lane.

Another lane is designated for Family Swim, usually up to 7 PM on weekdays, thus usually leaving two lanes, at most, for adult lap swimming. Because of overcrowding and less than professional aquatics management during the Spring, 2015 there has been just one lap swim lane, usually filled with five swimmers, all swimming at different speeds - it can get quite dangerous. It's a great pool, but it's not great if you want to swim laps.

I didn't perceive any air quality or lane etiquette problems when I swam there a couple of weeks ago. I've only been there once, so maybe I was there on a good day!

PROS: 6 lanes/25yrds, LOTS of natural light, good H2O temp, swim caps required, Mon-Fri 5:30a-10:30p and shorter weekend hours.
CONS: Horrific air quality and ugly lane etiquette render the pool almost unusable and/or dangerous forrigorous workouts. Asthmatics, be strongly advised.