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Asser Levy Recreation Center
Categories: Active Life Fitness & Instruction Active Life Swimming Pools Fitness & Instruction, Swimming Pools [Edit]
501 Asser Levy PlNew York, NY 10010
Neighborhoods: Kips Bay, Stuyvesant Town
(212) 447-2020
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
14 reviews for Asser Levy Recreation Center
14 reviews in English
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Review from Jia J.
9/19/2011
**REVIEW FOR POOL ONLY**
This pool sucks; don't go here.
First of all, the location is accessible by several different trains and a couple buses, so that's confusing. Then, you have to walk a few avenue blocks and get your blood flowing PRIOR to your workout. Crap-py!
The building doesn't even look like a real prison. It's at the end of East 23rd by the river, and looks more like a petite castle instead of a penitentiary. What a disappointment. I thought I was going to get something hard core.
The plaque out front says the place used to be a public bath house when it was built in 1906. The doors still have signs that say "Women" and "Men" over them. Dammit, why can't it still be a place where filthy people can clean off all together?
It's so big and clean inside the vaulted lobby that it's creepy, and the staff are too quick to help you find the locker room, which is deserted. It's lonely not having other people's diverse belongings around to intermingle with yours. The vines and tendrils waving graceful shadows over the jazz age half moon windows are creepy and wild looking and remind me of the past.
The big, open shower doesn't even have hairballs in it; it's almost like no one uses the place. What the hell?!
As you drink from one of two water bubblers on the way to the pool (how decadent, one rusty one would be fine, thankyouverymuch), you hear jazz emanating from somewhere and realize that it's being played on an audio system in the actual pool. Unacceptable and distracting to hear whenever you take a breath!
A lifeguard knows right away that 88 lengths make a mile. Now what makes him so damn smart?
There are four lanes and hardly anyone is there, probably because of the many hours of operation (http://www.nycgovparks...). Once you do choose a lane, there's only one other person in there, so you have to split the lane and half one half all to yourself instead of circle swimming the way God intended.
The water is so clear and smooth that it makes you go too fast, and then the little mosaic tiles rushing by give you a headache. The tiles built into the sides mark where the water goes from 4 to 5 to 6 to 7 feet deep, which is scary for those afraid of deep ends. Even scarier is a fountain in the shape of a lion's face that spews a fresh stream of water into the middle lane. Every time, I'd think it was a major waterfall or an actual lion waiting for me at the end.
If you do a backstroke, you feel like you're just an item in a museum because of the lofted glass ceiling bordered by paneled windows. Yawn.
When you get out of the pool, the locker room is all cleaned up for the end of the night. That makes you feel guilty if you leave a mess. There's even a fancy bathing suit water extractor to flaunt the fact that this pool gets special treatment...when it TOtally doesn't deserve it.
I expect my public pools to be crowded, devoid of music, and humbly designed. Asser Levy fails to meet any of these expectations.Listed in: SWIMMING
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Review from Peter K.
9/3/2011 32 Check-ins Here
I have never been incarcerated, but this place sometimes makes me feel like I'm doing time... until I see kids playing Foosball, ping pong and billiards in the front.
We've come a long way from Equinox, Toto. Wait, I still have money in my pocket.
Gyms can not be measured and the same scale. And I have some experience with just a few gyms (I did NYSC too but was too lazy to review it)
Equinox - Gray Bar http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Bally's - Coop City http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Bally's - Penn Station http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Bally's - Biltmore http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Yes its only $150 a year (price doubled from 75 in 2011). Thank you NY City Parks and Recreation. Thank you Mayor Bloomberg for keeping this together.
Asser Levy Recreation Center has such a sterile feeling but it is a neighborhood gym that has the basics. That's all I need. I don't need the potpourri scents and the wonderful hotel shower items.
I can't comment on the classes because I haven't taken any of them.
I come in weekday mornings and it's great to work out. It's even better during inclement weather. Nobody shows up. Tuesday nights are ladies nights, so I can't show up to hit the exercise room. Men's nights are Thursdays. The indoor pool has 3 lanes for laps.
During the summer, the indoor pool closes and the outdoor pool opens. The outdoor pool is free. If you sign up, swim 25 miles (throughout the summer) you get invited to a dinner and get a t-shirt. The top three swimmers get trophies. I know what you're thinking, 25 miles (44 laps = 1 mile in the outdoor pool) is a lot. But it's not bad. I did it.
Whether indoor or outdoors, the lap lanes apply. The slow and medium speed lanes have the elderly that swim as fast as I can crawl to NJ. The fast lane sometimes has the "I'm-Mike-Phelps-b*tch-get-out-the-way" swimmers.
Excuse me, I need some beauty sleep. Tomorrow morning, I free willy.
IFHTP 3+Listed in: Pedro Yelp Map, Work Out
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Review from Herbey D.
New York, NY
Updated - 7/16/2011
Price update:
Without Pools
$25/year - Seniors (62 and up) *wtf?
$100/year - Adults (18 - 61)
Free - Youths (under 18)
With Pools
$25/year - Seniors (62 and up) *get this one seniors
$150/year - Adults (18 - 61)
Free - Youths (under 18)
I got a sweet membership at Bally's Sports Club. $300 for 3 years. The sports clubs aren't very crowded at all, better equipment. If you've ever been a Bally's member call them up and ask for current offers than haggle them until they give you the price I got. The most common complaints I see about gyms is that they are overpriced, overcrowded and poorly maintained. Try a week guest pass before signing a contract.Listed in: NYC Parks and Recreation…
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/19/2010
Asser Levy Recreation Center
$75/year or $37.5/6 months - access all NY Parks & Recreation Centers
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Review from Cynthia P.
Manhattan, NY
8/17/2011
The indoor pool is beautiful, featuring a fountain and skylights. The outdoor pools, open July through Labor Day, is clean and serviceable. Asser Levy also has basketball courts, a playground and an Arts and Crafts room. And it's fun to say "Asser Levy."
The 2 outdoor pools are free. Membership for the indoor pool (and other recreation center benefits) is $50/year for adults, $10/year for seniors, and free for kids and teens under 18.
Recreation center hours are Mon-Fri 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Sat. and Sun. 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Outdoor pool hours are 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.Listed in: Best Swimming Pools in NYC…
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Review from Bob Z.
Manhattan, NY
11/29/2010
At 75 Dollars a year you simply cannot complain about anything in this gym. Nothing, Nada, zip. You can spend that a month and be treated rudely at Equinox.
Old school, I am old school. Its all cool. And has a pool. -
Review from Jason W.
New York, NY
4/29/2010
Lets break it down $75/year = $6.25/mo for a gym membership in NYC! How could you go wrong? NYSC, 24, Crunch etc etc all charge $70/mo + thats at least $840/yr before all the other BS charges. Best of all...NO CRAPPY TOP 40 MUSIC being blasted throughout like most gyms (who the hell likes to max out on their reps to the likes of Taylor Swift or Mylie Cyrus?).
This gym has a swimming pool, weight room, pool tables, ping pong tables, fooseball and aerobics room all for the low price of again $6.25/mo! The trade off is the center closes at 9pm on weekdays and 430pm on weekends and its not the cleanest nicest gym with the latest/newest equipment. The whole point of going to a gym is to get a good workout anyways, you don't hear dudes in prison complaining about their weight rooms :p.
I use the weight room here regularly and it has all your basic essentials, treadmills, bikes, free weights, weight machines and cable weights.
Its a little cramped and the equipment looks old. If you like to use the treadmill expect to write your name on the queue and wait. I have to wait for some weight machines every now then but again at $6.25/mo who cares! -
Review from Emily A.
New York, NY
1/17/2010
If you're like me, you run a few miles on the treadmill, work some of those thigh and calf machines, and use the free weights for a bit- you'd be a fool to pay more at the bigger chains for the same equipment. Also, if you're like me, you told yourself you'd totally take advantage of all those neat classes NYSC has to offer, dance, Pilates, spinning- but you did not. You surely did not. However, if you go to the gym for an "experience," to hang out amongst Beautiful people, chat on the cellie, and watch those mini personal tvs while you get your fitness on, then NY P & R is surely not for you. For moi, the gym is just that Place where I go to reverse yesterday's bottle (and a half) of wine, cheese, pasta, what have you. In and Out, all business.
I love my membership here and would not go back to paying $100+ a month at NYSC in a million years. Even my $35/month membership at Synergy is old news, now that I'm paying $75 A YEAR at NYC Parks and Recreation! There is no catch, it's just that cheap. There's even indoor or outdoor pools at most locations. I suspect the quality
of the facilities vary somewhat depending on the location (the location in Harlem is small and a bit smelly) but the one near me at 23rd and FDR Drive is actually quite clean/spacious/not that outdated. And the one in Chelsea has a few studios where your hip-hop crew can practice your dance routines, do your yoga in peace,
etc. But it really depends on what you expect out of a gym and whether or not it's worth it to you to pay more.
The hours are not unreasonable, they're open from 6:30 to 9:30 everyday but closed on Sundays. And waiting for machines is
a non-issue (at least in the Asser Levy location- Chelsea can get crowded)- only once have I had to wait for a treadmill and the process was quite efficient. The dude calls out your name from the list that you've written down when it's time, so you can go do other stuff instead of just standing there in line.
As you have guessed by now, there is no frills or amenities, no smoothie cafe, no merchandise for sale. Back to basics, people- less is more, now stop dilly-dallying and go break a sweat! For all my intensive purposes, I'm totally satisfied with this gym- it gets the job done and I got the pictures to prove it. -
Review from Lance B.
12/7/2011
for the price you cant beat it, but you get what you pay for...dont expect too much, and you'll be fine...what turned me off was all the homeless people that bloomberg allowed in early mornings to clean up and take showers...yeecchh...this started around 2008...i saw this one rasta looking dude, more than once, combing the lice/bugs out of his hair...no thanks, im outta here...otherwise the gym and regulars were ok, no problems...
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Review from May Y.
New York, NY
9/16/2007
Ha! "The Prison Gym," I knew the place reminded me of something.
I joined for the gym- it has your basic essentials: repeating what Tony L. wrote, workout machines, weights, bikes, stairmasters, and mats for your stretching/warm-up needs. The [women's] locker room is rather clean with shower stalls in the back.
You really can't go wrong with a year-membership of $75 for full access of the place. But it's such a loong walk there, for me anyways when I take the 6 train. There are a ton of buses that pass by but none going my way. It really isn't a bad place to go but it lacks a wide array of gym equipment, classes (then again, it IS a public gym) and I'm always surrounded by a bunch of sweaty guys (downing Muscle Milk) with biceps bigger than my head. Makes me feel kinda shitty that I can't even bench press12lbs without tiring out in mere minutes.
Well, off to Gold's Gym I go... -
Review from Elizabeth A.
Brooklyn, NY
9/30/2009
Great option if you are a little fish like me who loves to swim, and can't find anything bigger than a fishbowl to swim in. Honestly, I searched high and low all over the city for a good pool last weekend.
1 year membership is, believe it or not, $75, which includes not just the pool but access to workout machines, gym equipment, etc. I saw a couple of weirdos in the gym part--this review is just about the pool.
The pool is extremely clean and well-maintained, as the city has infused these recreation centers with some 3.5 M in the last couple of years.
A little walk over from the 6 train, but very much worth it. -
Review from Kenneth P.
Brooklyn, NY
2/17/2011
It's a huge gym considering it's only $75 a year. There is a lot of gym equipment, about 10 treadmills, 5 cardio bikes, 2 spin bikes, 1 hand bike, and 2 steppers (all this is from memory, so excuse me if my numbers are off).
There are 2 pools, an indoor and an outdoor. The reason they aren't getting the last star is because there is no place to do some semi-private training. I wanted to jump rope and maybe do some partner exercises, like side jumping or fireman lifts and squats. There is a room that is for classes, but they don't let anyone else use it.
There are 2 pool tables, 2 Foosball tables and a ping pong table in the lobby.
Kids under 18 get a free year's membership. -
Review from Charles T.
Parsippany, NJ
11/12/2010
Went there for swim lessons with Susan. She is an AWESOME instructor!!!
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Review from Tony L.
8/30/2007
My brother-in-law affectionately refers to Asser Levy as "The Prison Gym". And while this may be intimidating to some, Asser Levy has a ton to offer. Outdoors, there's a playground, a fenced off wall where people can play a few rounds of handball or practice their tennis stroke, and a full size swimming pool. On the inside there's a rec hall complete with ping pong and fussball tables and a gym with workout machines, free weights, and treadmills. Since Asser Levy is a public gym, membership is only $75 bucks, a steal so long as you don't mind pumping iron next to a tattoo-clad ex-convict named Bruno.
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Review from Jess Y.
New York, NY
3/10/2008
There are a lot of things ya can use to hate on this gym: Constantly packed with greasy, meat heads; the faint wafer of a smell of urine and dirty socks up in the locker room; the fact that their elliptical machine has been sitting unused with an "out of order" sign for the past 3 mos; the constant feeling that when you'll turn around you'll get shanked by a fellow gym member or propositioned.
But in all honesty, if you don't mind the grit and grime, you find a serviceable gym (not meant as a gay pun). The users are locals who won't spend most of their gym discussing the need for more cardio machines. They're real New Yorkers.
The price: 37 dollars for 6 mos or 75 dollars for 12 mos. Unbeatable in its membership.
It has all bare essentials you need in a gym: Pool (check), free weights (check), bench press (check), treadmills (check), out door pool (check).
Asser Levy is a gym that is anachronistic as it is functional. I wouldn't have its inexpensive membership any other way (albeit wouldn't mind an elliptical).
