The pool just came off a two-year, $19 million renovation -- closed after the 2022 season, reopened…read morein June 2024. Crews rebuilt the pool shell from scratch, replaced the deck and gutters, and put in new filtration and chemical treatment systems. The water itself feels noticeably better for it. That said, don't expect the renovation to have touched everything: the locker rooms, bathrooms, and communal showers are untouched, still the same ones I remember from before construction started. I was there again yesterday and can confirm: nothing's changed on that front, and honestly you won't be in there long enough for it to matter much. Access is still free, no Parks membership required, just a bathing suit and a padlock for the lockers. Security is strict about bag checks, and heads up: cell phones aren't allowed on the pool deck at all. Current hours: 11am-7pm daily, with the pool closing for cleaning from 3-4pm. Inside, you'll find the pool split into zones: a lap section, a general bathing area, and a shallow end for young kids. The bleachers give you plenty of space to stake out a spot for towels, and if you're lucky, you can grab one of the lounge chairs near the old diving pool (now covered over). Lap swimming has genuinely improved. The biggest change I noticed: there are now dividers separating the lanes, and they're generously wide. A real upgrade from the old system where everyone just shared open water and hoped for the best. A few things still apply, though: - Always glance ahead before pushing off to make sure no one's swimming toward you. - Roughly half the lap crowd sticks to a slow breaststroke pace. - Every so often someone decides to stand up and walk mid-lane, or just doesn't realize it's a lap-only zone. Lifeguards try to keep traffic moving, but it happens. - The pool's sheer size still works in your favor: way more room per lap than a standard 25m pool, and less crowded overall than most NYC public pools. - Timing tip: the best window for lap swimming is right at 4pm, the moment the pool reopens after the cleaning break. It might be the single best hour of the day to swim here. No outside food on deck, but there's a stand on the west side of the pool deck selling burgers, hot dogs, fries, wings, mozzarella sticks, salads, and ice cream. Cash and card both work. A heads-up: No tap-to-pay, since phones can't come out on deck anyway. Even with all the crowds NYC pools can attract, I've never found this one packed. Same goes for the surrounding park. Because it's a bit of a walk from the nearest subway stop, the crowd here skews heavily toward local families rather than people coming from across the city. This means that this pool never really gets crowded, let alone anywhere near capacity. If you're driving in, it's an easy trip: there's free public parking right at the entrance to Astoria Park, under the RFK Bridge. Speaking of pool renovations gone right: maybe for the Reflecting Pool the Trump administration should've called whoever redid the shell here at Astoria. This one's still holding water: No algae blooms, no peeling liner, no $16 million overrun. Sometimes the WPA crews from 1936 still know something the current contractors don't.

PUBLIC POOL: It's been a couple of years since the Pool became operational again, after a massive…read more$19 Million renovation. Spent many Summers at NYC's largest Swimming Facility both as a camper and a counselor. WORTH VISITING.

My daughter has been going here since kindergarten and she loves it. She learned how to swim, dance…read morea d made friends. Now she was doing volunteer work and still stops by to see the staff. Great community center.

Front desk woman is the antithesis of a customer service-oriented woman. I ask if I can do a day…read morepass and she looks at me like I am taking up her time and says "no." I ask her if I can try out the Y (which I have done at other Ys and she says "no" and then "it depends on the day of the week" and then "it depends on the time of day/session" - and it was open swim. Finally she agrees to go back and ask if I can try it out. She comes back and says I can do a guest pass for $20. I fill everything out and then she said that she'll only take cash which I don't have so I have to leave without a swim workout and having met a very unpleasant human.

My son has been coming here for a long time & his development has been great…read more The trainer he has now is amazing & we see him learning so much every week. The place itself is clean. They sell some swim suits & toys. Plus snacks. The staff are kind & friendly. I highly recommend this establishment if your child is interested in learning how to swim and/or improve. Two thumbs all the way up!

My 4-year-old has been taking swimming lessons at the Horace Harding location for almost two months…read moreand was doing great with her original instructor, Brad. She was comfortable with him and making noticeable progress each week. Unfortunately, when Brad went on vacation, they switched her to a completely different instructor, a newcomer with very little experience...instead of simply using a temporary substitute. The new instructor has a very different teaching style and routine, and I can clearly see the setback in my daughter's progress. I understand needing coverage, but changing instructors unnecessarily, especially to someone so inexperienced, is disruptive ! Consistency matters, and I'm very disappointed with how this was handled.

This is a very nice park .it has a really nice running track for all of you who runs or for the…read morejoggers. Or even for a some one who likes to walk you could do so right in side of the park on the track. The park is pretty safe and clean all so,they have mens and women bathrooms located right near the tennis courts. And they have a nice size basketball court with multiple baskets. They also have slides and monkey bars for the kids. And I cant for get there very nice pool .I use to come to this pool as a kid this is one of Jamaica queens most known swimming pools .they also have swimming classes for children and adults alike.right here at liberty park. This is one of queens hidden secrets. When in jamaica queens area check out this park

Cleanliness, Staff is very respectful and pool is barley packed . Park is next to it so kids can…read moreplay before of after going in the pool.

I had a good time with my friends, will be returning soon! Thank you McCarren! Stay fresh!read more

Ever wondered what tumbleweeds would look like moving underwater? Look no further. McCarren Park…read morePool has a whole ecosystem of tumbleweeds and all you need are goggles to look in awe at this natural extraordinary occurrence. Beautiful bulbous structures meandering on the bottom of the pool. If you get lucky a smaller one might swim up to you and give you a face hug while unsuspectingly trying to sneak into your mouth. Sometimes they like to dress you up, wrapping themselves around your arms, legs, neck.....or where they deem you need extra glamour to look like Harry from the Hendersons. You didn't expect me to bring you back to your childhood now, did you?  If you're a fan of microbiology, oh man do I have great news for you! All you need to do is hang out at the corner edges of the pool to play a guessing game of: Will this algae give me a rash? Will this make me blind? Will I grow a wart on my nose? I haven't seen a pool this gross in ages. Cleaning seems to be an abstract concept at this facility. I would suggest avoiding the place for 2 days if someone poops in the water.

Everything! You're treated like royalty, the classes are exceptional with the best teachers I've…read moreever had, and the pool and spa are magical. Everything here is magnificent. The cafe', the doormen, the recreation and lounge areas, the immaculate atmosphere, the decorations that are put up for the holidays, the BBQs and theme parties, including fireworks we enjoy, the beautifully sculpted landscapes, and everything in between. There is nothing that I ever need to have to leave the premises. They even have valet parking in their spacious garage for guests. I keep pinching myself, because my large terrace has an amazing view of the water, and it's the size of another large room! It's paradise!

I can't recommend this facility because they are closed between 11:00 am - 3:00 pm and that's prime…read moregym time for many. So I don't recommend it. Also...they are very expensive to join.

It's a standard NYC Parks Department rec center. They have a basketball court and a weight room as…read morewell as some programs for senior citizens. They even have a boxing course. Just one caveat: there's no shower. So after a long workout, you can ride home on the subway sweating and smelly. Lost Battalion is cheaper than the NYC Parks Department Centers with a pool, but just pay the money and go to a center with a shower and a pool. I used to work out here before I moved on to the East 54 Street Rec Center in Manhattan.

I've only played basketball here so this review is only about basketball. They offer a bunch of…read moreother stuff too. The court is in good condition, decent grip, they've kept it clean enough to play safely. A guy there told me the floor used to be really slippery before they refurbished it. I hope this floor holds up. The courts do overlap which can be dangerous but there's not much you can do to fix that other than taking some hoops away or doubling the size of the gym. They play ball Thursday nights (insanely crowded, similar to that scene in "Scarface" when they were playin ball in Freedom Town), and Saturday afternoons (much less crowded, sometimes it's even empty). There's all levels of competition but there aren't many people who just started learning to play, which is good. Newbies should not be playing in a crowded high intensity environment. Especially if they're big strong athletic dudes who get emotional when they get embarrassed. That's how you get flagrant fouls everywhere and guys running into your knees for a loose ball. They don't know what's dangerous and what's not. I've seen that at a lot of other rec centers but not here. The center in Flushing is full of these guys combined with a slippery court, your just asking to get hurt. The staff tends to turn off the lights like 10 mins early to get people to leave, not cool. Be careful with the schedule on their website. It'll say something like "Basketball today 2:30-5:00" until you click somewhere else that'll say "except the first Saturday of the month". That's the web designers fault. They could easily put that info in the same line instead of a separate page. Yes I checked the site one day and drove in just to be sent back home. Within the 5 mins I was there asking the staff to explain to me how to read this tricky online schedule at least 3 other groups of guys came to play ball too. I'm sure the staff hate that online schedule just as much.

A nice neighborhood park in Forest hills that has many entrances with a gate that wraps around the…read moreblock with sections of the park that has the playground area for the kiddies , section for the dogs to roam and the basketball area to shoot some hoops with many benches all around to sit and soak all in . The parks dept keeps the park safe and clean and it's surrounded by many buildings steps away so the locals don't have to travel much to get here ..While cuz is doing his basketball groove with his friends, I am doing the bench warmer dance and enjoying the nice weather as well .4.5 stars on my yelp meter.

I have been a residence of Forest Hills for over 25 years and I have watched this Yellowstone…read more playground on Yellowstone Blvd deteriorate, to become unsafe. Last year they renovated the swing area. What about the unsafe padding .and disgusting bathroom and cracked pavement? The local children of Forest Hills deserve to have a safe playground d.