The pool that came back from the dead
McCarren Pool sat empty for nearly three decades, a graffitied concrete basin where weeds pushed through cracks and locals threw illegal parties under the stars. When it reopened in 2012 after a $50 million restoration, Greenpoint got back what Depression-era planners had built: a full Olympic-length pool, 330 feet of open water, and the kind of public amenity that makes you remember what municipal infrastructure used to mean. The original 1936 bathhouse still frames the north end, its brick façade and Art Deco lines intact. You enter through the same doors WPA workers walked through, though now there's a digital check-in instead of paper tickets.
The pool opens in late June—exact date shifts with Parks Department budgets and weather—and runs through early September. First swim is 11am sharp. You'll see the regulars lined up on Bedford Avenue by 10:45am, towels over shoulders, waiting for the gates to swing open. They know something most visitors don't: the first hour is the quietest you'll ever find this place.
Why you bring your own padlock
The locker rooms are spacious, clean, and utterly dependent on your preparedness. No padlock? No secure storage. The Parks Department doesn't rent them, doesn't sell them, doesn't apologize for the policy. Bring a combination lock or a keyed one—your choice—but bring something. Lockers are standard grey metal, the kind you remember from high school, and they're first-come in each gender's changing area. Get there at opening and you'll have your pick. Arrive at 2pm on a Saturday and you're playing Tetris with whatever's left.
The changing rooms themselves are better than you'd expect: individual stalls, decent lighting, floors that get mopped between sessions. Showers are mandatory before entering the pool—lifeguards enforce this—and the water pressure is surprisingly good. Leave valuables at home. Even with your padlock, this is a public pool in a public park. Bring what you need to swim, nothing you'd mourn.
The deep end at opening
Here's what the regulars know: the deep end stays calm when the gates first open. While families and kids naturally drift toward the shallow graduated entry on the south side, the north end—where the depth hits twelve feet—remains relatively clear for the first ninety minutes. No ropes separate lap swimmers from recreational users during the day, but the depth itself acts as a filter. Serious swimmers congregate here, establishing informal lanes along the pool's width. You won't get a full 330-foot lap without navigating around someone, but you can string together solid intervals if you read the traffic.
The pool bottom is painted pale blue, visibility is excellent, and the water temperature holds steady around 76 degrees. Cold enough to feel refreshing in July heat, warm enough that you're not gasping. Chlorine levels are managed well—your eyes won't burn, your skin won't itch. By noon, the whole pool fills democratically: families, teenagers, elderly Ukrainian women in floral caps, Hasidic boys in full-coverage swimwear, twenty-somethings who biked over from Williamsburg. The deep end loses its lap-friendly character. If you want actual swimming rather than recreational bobbing, you come early or you come at night.
Adult lap swim: 7pm to 8:30pm
This is the secret the morning crowd doesn't advertise. Three evenings a week—Monday, Wednesday, Friday—the pool closes to general admission at 7pm and reopens for adult lap swim only. Actual lane ropes get pulled across the width of the pool, six lanes marked clearly, and for ninety minutes you get what you came for: uninterrupted swimming. The crowd is smaller, more focused. People show up in goggles and tech suits, or they show up in department store trunks with decent freestyle form. Either way, everyone's here to move.
The light changes everything. Summer evenings in Brooklyn mean golden hour stretching past 8pm, the sun dropping behind the Williamsburg skyline, the pool surface turning copper and rose. You're doing flip turns as the temperature drops from oppressive to perfect, as the sounds of the neighborhood—sirens, music, the rattle of the G train—blend into a kind of urban white noise. Lifeguards rotate positions, whistle less, watch more. By 8pm, the water feels like it's yours.
Check the Parks Department schedule before you go. Lap swim nights occasionally shift for special events or pool maintenance. The schedule gets posted on the McCarren Park page and on the fence outside the pool entrance. Don't trust third-party websites; they're always outdated.
What you won't find
No diving boards. They were removed during renovation and never reinstalled. No food or drink allowed on the pool deck—water bottles only, and lifeguards will call you out if you try to sneak anything else. No alcohol, obviously, though you'll see people pregaming in the park before evening sessions. No lap swim on weekends; those days are all-ages chaos from open to close. No shade structures over the deck, so bring sunscreen or accept the consequences. The bathhouse provides some relief, but the pool itself is full sun from noon until 6pm.
The surrounding park offers what the pool doesn't: trees, grass, grills, and space to sprawl before or after your swim. The Saturday greenmarket sets up on the north end of the park, so you can swim laps then walk straight to vegetable vendors and sourdough stalls. It's a peculiarly functional New York combination—exercise and errands, public service and public space, all free, all open.
Practical notes
McCarren Pool is located at 776 Lorimer Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. The main entrance faces Bedford Avenue between Bayard and Driggs. Nearest subway: G train to Nassau Avenue (four blocks west) or L train to Bedford Avenue (ten blocks south). Pool season typically runs late June through early September, weather and budget permitting. Hours: 11am-7pm daily, with adult lap swim Monday/Wednesday/Friday 7pm-8:30pm. Admission is completely free—no membership, no daily fee, no catch. Bring your own padlock for lockers. Swimwear must be actual swim attire; no cotton shirts, no street clothes. Showers mandatory before entering. Capacity limits enforced on peak days; if the pool reaches maximum occupancy, you'll wait outside until space opens. Check current schedule and any closures at nyc.gov/parks. For real-time updates, call the pool office at 718-218-2380, though don't expect anyone to answer on weekends.
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