This is for the hotel part, not the gym. When I arrived I thought 'How nostalgic - small rooms and communal bathrooms, just like my college dorm.' But there were three major problems: 1. Cleaning was minimal. In the bedrooms I'm not 100% sure the beds were changed (they were changed once during my 4 night stay, which is maybe environmentally better but makes me wonder about when guests leave). The bathrooms, while not disgusting, could have used some better cleaning. 2. Bathroom faucet let out brown water a couple times. 3. Window A/C units didn't cool well if at all (as in, it was uncomfortably hot making it hard to sleep). There are two things that area lacking (could be an issue for some, but not necessarily if you treat the place like a cheap dorm room meant just for sleeping): 1. Super small rooms (as in 1/2 - 2/3 the size of dorm rooms I've stayed in), and not all rooms have desks. 2. No breakfast at all. The good things are that the place is super cheap, it's a good location in Manhattan, gym access is included (I didn't try the gym), and staff is nice enough. But I'm not sure the benefits are worth the first three problems read more

While the gym facilities are good and the gym staff and security are friendly, the staff at the reception desk have ZERO customer service skills! Coupled with a bad attitude, there is an extreme sense of entitlement. I work in the neighborhood and the Y has a large base of customers from my organization. Needless to say they need to treat their corporate members will respect else they face a reputational risk with a large base of their clients. Essentially to recoup once month's fee when I insisted that I am currently not using the gym (recovering from surgery), even though I was happy to pay the reduced 'freeze fee', I was still charged the full fee. I have been a member for 3 years and they preferred for me to cancel my membership (annual amount of almost $1,000) rather than charge me the freeze fee. Essentially they lost a revenue of over $900 for not being flexible, as I duly went ahead and cancelled my membership! Great business sense!! This of course was not been my first negative experience here. Signing in a guest (even with a pass provided by the Y themselves) is a pain and my locker was also broken into and money stolen (though I do understand that this can happen anywhere)! I doubt any efforts will be taken to improve the attitude as there is a sense of a 'government organization' here with employees in comparison with other gyms, in some serious need of 'training'. read more

Two of the main gyms here (lobby floor and 4th floor) are run poorly. Their internet is more often not working than working, the lobby (main) gym is usually between 68-70 degrees, and the machines break down and aren't fixed for months. (They've recently bought some new machines but I've heard people complain about them as well). Some of us have spoken with people who work there - who are quite nice - but their reporting these complaints to the managers never seems to result in the resolution of those the problems. It seems that they're not very invested in upgrading cooling, internet and other issues. It's disappointing at best. read more

I had a Groupon for this place for 30 days. I must say, it is a really good gym - two pools, HUGE cardio room, and rooms for classes such as spin and yoga upstairs. I never had to wait for a machine, and it's nice to be able to watch TV while working out. The building is typically very clean and opens early enough for most people. I absolutely love this place and would continue being a member if it wasn't the fact that I was moving away from this area. read more

I've been going to YMCA since 2007 and I love it mainly because of volleyball. They have a volleyball program (open plays for members & clinic) in 3 locations in the city (Vanderbilt, McBurney & Central Park West). Coach Kypros is one of coolest person I've ever met. I learn a lot from him. If you're looking for a gym to work out, good classes and volleyball program in the city then this is the place to be. read more

Vanderbilt Branch YMCA - YMCA Logo - Gyms Near Me - New York, New York

I recently got a new job and had to switch my gym. When compared to the almost-new McBurney YMCA, this place isn't anything to scream about. It's about as nice as the West Side Y on West 63rd Street. The crowd is generally a little older and/or affluent (it's Midtown East, after all), there tend to be a larger slew of younger kids around (I assume for a childcare program), and the overall layout of the gym facilities is a little confusing (it's an old building). One thing to take into account with my review is the fact that I usually go between the hours of 9am and 11am. That may change the overall atmosphere -- less people or people are generally at work during these times. I haven't used the pool yet, so I'll get back to you on that. read more

This is for the gym. Overpriced Understaffed I was a member years ago when it was much more economical and well run. Was looking to join basically for the pool but concluded it is not worth it. read more

Terrible service. Machines were dirty as well as the bathrooms. The front desk was extremely rude when I voiced my concerns. Never going back to this location. read more

Rooms here are not that big... In fact pretty small... Like... VERY SMALL. Near soso neighborhood. Service is mediocre AT best... leaning toward the crap/non-existent side. If you don't mind any of that and just wanna save some money for the big places in NY, this may be fitting for you. Located near downtown NY, this was the only place that we found during our summer NY trip we could afford but still be in the city. For a large group, I would really not recommend this place unless you don't mind splitting into a bunch of small rooms. The area around YMCA is alright. It's near downtown NY so you can only expect so much. Walkable distance from Grand Central Station, which is SUPER convenient!! You can also walk to some of the museums if you want to. A plethora of stores/restaurants/shopping places near by, so that's awesome. At night, the surroundings can get a little shady, so try to avoid travelling alone at night. I would not say this is anywhere near "ghetto", in case you are wondering. Service wise, there is a gym downstairs, but I mean... if you are travelling in NY, why would you even use it? So I don't know how great that is... but I saw a decent amount of equipment in there (treadmill, elliptical), no weights though. There are shared restrooms/showers on each floor. The showers here are relatively clean (at least during my stay), and I didn't feel disgusted when I stepped in. However, the shower is SUPER basic and nothing fancy at all. Furthermore, I heard the lock on the shower door for some girl's shower rooms were broken? Not sure if that will always be the case. One HUGE complaint: during our 3 night stay here, they did NOT clean up our bed even once. Their excuse was that "we had items on the bed", which we REMOVED after the first night, but they still did not change the sheets. We could tell cuz the sheets were still messy when we returned each night. So unless they put on new sheets and made sure to add the extra creases in there so that it looked JUST like how we left it in the morning, they probably didn't do anything in our room. Very unfortunate. Oh yeah, there is no complimentary breakfast or service or anything. You have to have an ID to go upstairs, although the security can be a little lax. For the most part, however, they will not let any random dude go upstairs into the rooms (HOPEFULLY) so it is relatively safe. In all, this place deserves 2.5 stars. For how much we paid (like 100 a night a person... we snuck 3 ppl into a double... BARELY/DIDN'T FIT) and the service we got/didn't get... this place PASSES... but don't come here on your honeymoon or something. read more

I just LOVE this gym!!! People who work there very very friendly. They work there for ages and they make this place as well. Everything is always clean,this is very important for me. Facilities and machines are still new but After the reconstractions a swimming pool hasnt changed,though. As a NYC student Id really suggest to make specilal student packages or student discounts. We are the youth who will always keep in heart these important benefits and will love this with whole family!! ;) read more

How have I been going here for more than a year without writing a review? Okay: Here's what's up. I started going to the Vanderbilt Y in February 2013 at a time when I was staring down my 30th birthday and realizing I still had no idea how to swim. The instructors here are understanding and thorough: I definitely recommend Mike, Pat and Charlie, who all teach the beginners level course -- as well as Matt, who teaches the intermediate level class. Flash forward to a year later (i.e.: this summer), and I'm gearing up for a triathlon in August. Boom. I'm also a regular at Monday and Wednesday night spin classes with Brent. I think he's the toughest instructor in that his classes are always a sufferfest (and I have my butt kicked here harder than I had it kicked at a SoulCycle sample class). But Brent's the type of instructor who will stay on the bike throughout the class and keep the mood upbeat -- even with all those climbs on heavy resistance! Facilities are clean and well-maintained here: There are always plenty of towels, and the ladies' locker room is tidy. Ask about corporate and student/alumni discounts for the best deals: I'm paying well below $100/month myself. read more

I lived here in Marymount's student housing for 9 months. Yes that's right. 9 months of hell. If you are a student who is considering housing at the Vanderbilt Y, DON'T LIVE HERE. It's fine as a gym but that's it. I will make a list of the horrors. 1. The rooms are very tiny. Like a closet. There is a bed on the right, a desk on the left about 1 foot away, a mini fridge by the back wall another foot away, a television hanging from the corner, and one window. There is absolutely no walking room. 2. The price averages to about $1400 a month to live here. But this is NYC where everything is ridiculously overpriced. 3. NOISE. The biggest problem I had living here was the various annoying noises. First, the window doesn't close all the way. Every morning around 5:30 a very very loud garbage truck or something makes lots of noises. This place is also right by a parking garage and the people who work seem to communicate by pressing down a car horn as long as possible. The radiator. Every single person on my floor had many sleepless nights in the winter due to this fucking radiator. Imagine picking up a hammer and hitting a steel pipe with it as hard as you can. That's what the radiator sounds like the entire day and night whenever it gets cold. The mini fridge makes a really high pitched ringing sound so you have to unplug it when you sleep and spoil all your food. 4. There is a male and female bathroom on every floor. It has 2 toilet stalls in it. The whole floor has to share these 2 toilets. This actually isn't as bad as it seems. The showers are a little more difficult, though. There is one room with 2 showers hidden only by a curtain, but there's never 2 people in there. One person will go in, lock the door, and hog the shower. You might be forced to use the bathroom shower, which is totally pointless. The bathroom shower is hidden by a door with a big round window on it and everyone can see you. With all these negatives there has to be some positives, right? Well the location is great. It's right by UN, a couple blocks to the subway, very safe neighborhood in Midtown East. Lots of places to shop and a starbucks at the end of the street. read more

This is definitely one of the worst gyms I have joined in nyc. After being here for over a year I can't take it anymore. This gym is not for minorities. P.S- just because you hire minorities doesn't mean you're not racist. This gym is filled with prejudice. Every morning I come in to Fox News being blasted in the lobby. There are so many discussions in the locker room supporting trump. One extreme incident I also witnessed was a member saying a racist comment to one of the employees! But you guessed it, nothing happened to this individual. I've even written multiple complaints that received no attention. This gym is not worth the price of over $100 a month. I will never recommend anyone to this gym, especially my minority friends. Other members feel the same way I do about this but they don't want to come forward because they don't want to be banned from the gym. How crazy is that, people are afraid to speak up. I'm speaking for a lot of people when I say look elsewhere if you're thinking of joining a new gym. This place doesn't deserve a cent from our pockets. read more

I like to workout. I don't have the best physique, but I try to stay in shape. I workout on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. My workouts consist of cardio (running on a treadmill), weight lifting, and sometimes isometric exercises (push-ups, pull-ups). I follow a strict regimen. The only time I'll skip a workout is if I'm sick, it's a holiday, or if it's a life or death situation (ie. something happened to one of my relatives). At all MTA subway stations are a list of lines that will have weekend construction. Those lines are either rerouted on other lines, running local instead of express, or replaced by shuttle buses. I take the E train from Jamaica Center to Manhattan. Yesterday, I checked the weekend service advisory. It said NOTHING about any construction on the E line. I took the E train to my normal workout on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, the train decided to run local. FML. I usually workout at the Parks Department East 54 Street gym. It closes at 4PM on Saturday. The train was crawling and I knew that there was no way I'd make it to the city by 2:45 (I workout from 2:45 to 3:30 and then I shower and get dressed). However, there was no way in hell that I was missing a workout. If I did so, then that would throw off my whole regimen. With that in mind, I decided to head to the nearby Vanderbilt YMCA and purchase a day pass. PROS The gym is immaculate. I didn't see any garbage on the floor. Even the bathroom and showers were clean. It looked like one of those gyms that professional athletes use There are enough exercise machines for everyone to use. It's not like the ghetto gym I usually go to where 1 guy hogs a machine for a half hour or half of the machines are broken You can watch TV while you run on a treadmill The weight room is amazing. CONS $30 dollars for a day pass? WTF. Their monthly membership is also quite steep ($95 a month plus a $125 one time joiner fee). I pay $150 a YEAR at the welfare gym that I go to There's an old expression: You get what you paid for. The tuition at Columbia is much higher than the tuition at City College since Columbia is a better school. Likewise, this is a more expensive gym than the NYC Parks Department gyms since it's a better facility read more

What can you expect from an Y. Room was small. nothing functioned in the room. But hey you are in new york. you are not there to stay in your room, so we hardly did. It was situated perfectly, almost everything was in walking distance. Back then i was single and with a friend, so our standards weren't very high. No problem then, but now, with my wife, i wouldn't return there. read more

This location is big too! There are two small pools on the opposite side of each other. When you enter you see the equipment of all sorts in a glass room. They have entertainment for most machines. And as always, towels are given. read more

Five stars for the gym membership. You get a vast fleet of cardio machines, a daily day-long menu of a wide variety of classes (e.g., yoga, Zumba, core, step, programs for seniors, etc.), circuit training weight room with equipment in great condition, separate free-weights room, indoor track upstairs (small but sunny), indoor gym w/ basketball court, two pools (there's a schedule showing which lanes are open when, i.e., when not occupied by swim programs/classes, etc.), clean locker rooms, and a huge amount of public programs (some free for members, some w/ an extra fee) like martial arts classes, prenatal classes, childcare, programs for kids and teens, etc. All this for a lower fee than Equinox or Crunch: monthly rates seem to vary but not exceed $100; I joined during a special offer. I've found people who work out here to be matter-of-fact, civilized, and truly diverse across ages, ethnicities, and language groups (e.g., lots of UN employees seem to work out here as it's two blocks away). I for one enjoy the atmosphere at a gym that welcomes younger, middle-aged, and older folks alike, where there's a shared implicit understanding that good health is something we all work toward. Reception staff is very friendly, and so is the staff at the front desk (where you sign up for membership and ask questions) -- just give them a break as they understandably seem worn out sometimes by the slew of tourists checking into this Y as a hotel, tourists who don't always have the requisite IDs ready and/or need patient, protracted explanations of house rules, etc. Before joining this Y I was a long-time member of NYSC and Crunch in various Manhattan locations, plus other gyms in other cities, and visited assorted Equinoxes as a guest. This Y is my favorite gym in the city so far for being community-oriented, utterly unpretentious, and equipped with clean and comprehensive facilities, at a reasonable price for working grown-ups. Out of fairness and clarity Yelp really ought to separate out reviews for the gym (routine use by locals) from those for the hotel (one-off experiences by out-of-towners). read more

When you're a student and on a budget, places to stay in New York aren't cheap so in terms of location and price paid this makes this place great value for money. The rooms are absolutely tiny, but do have tv and air conditioning units. The bunk beds in the 2-bed rooms are fine and the female showers on each floor have a lock on the door too. Slightly annoying having to traipse to the other end of the hall in the middle of the night to use the toilet (those hallway lights are BRIGHT!), but that I knew this was what I was letting myself in for when I booked so not a problem. The other great thing about this place is that there are excellent gym facilities if you are a guest at this hostel, which my friend and I took advantage of after eating all those super-sized portions of food! Plus they have a swimming pool too. read more

Zumba instructor on Mondays is the best.. the class is so much fun and a great workout! This gym is so clean and nice!

The Vanderbilt YMCA has friendly staff, the location is convenient, and I've found it to be a good option for a reasonably priced gym/pool membership. Obviously you're not going to get pampered like you might at a $1000/month health club, but everything is clean and functional. read more

I have read many reviews on the Vanderbilt YMCA midtown Manhatten. I stay there every time that I am in Manhatten. and it is usually twice a year. Most importantly, if you are the type that is looking for your typical well appointed American style Hotel/Motel at the medium price than do not stay here! However if you are like me and am willing to accept a sparsly appointed room with a ceiling light , a noisy old fashioned steam radiator heater and shared communal bathrooms than this is a great place to stay and here's why----- 1, Location is unbeatable in the heart of midtown Manhatten fairly quiet area, excert for the streetside rooms, garbage guys pick up every morning and they are LOUD! 2. Private, clean and secure rooms (if you are not staying in a dorm) also security at the front entrance that does their best to check to see if you have room card before you enter the elavator. 3.There are two ways to go on the bathroom scene a, rooms with A) ,room with a shared hallway bathroom with no locked door-- possibly 2- 3 people in the bathroom at the same time. Gender segragated of course B,),room with a shared hallway bathroom with a locked door---i person at a time in bathroom Staff is as helpful and as polite as can be. Consider this: 8 hr. shifts, tons of phone calls, hungry, tired travelers from all over the world with different languages and expectations checking in and checking out all day. I look at it this way---How would I hold up to that? So I make it a point to be friendly and patient with them as much as I can and you would be amazed at how lovely people can be if you just treat them the way you want to be treated One word of caution: Be absolutely sure of what you are paying for with the concierge. If you take thetime to book for yourself you can save that extra $5.00 bucks that I have seen them get. Of course many of you may want to pay them for their knowledge, NYC can be an exhausting city to navigate Bring a head lamp if you want to read in bed Bring a heating pad with an extention to keep the feet warm or sooth whatever muscles are sore from your day in NYC. Bring earplugs Hang the 'Do not disturb card' on you dooren that way they won't bother you. I keep it on my door day and night, if I need something I will ask for it! Most important check in with the person(s) you will be rooming with---do they snore? Do they watch loud TV late? Are they restless sleepers who have to use the potty several times in the night. If so, cough up the bucks and get your own room. Take the time to be responsible for your own travel and have that possibly difficult talk with your roomate. I assure you will be better off fo itr! I give the Vanderbilt YMCA a high score for the type of lodging they provide!!! Happy traveling NYC is a great Town!!! read more

As a paying member -- I entered the Vanderbilt location at 5:20 in the evening. Upon entering the location, I was greeted by an unusually long line in the customer service area. My wallet was misplaced a few days ago and I needed a replacement membership card. Rather than wait on the line that clearly would have taken up the time allotted for my workout and certainly inconvenience me (due to an evening commute), I turned to the front desk person Duane Cilkcs for a solution. I asked if he could sign me in another way. Duane abruptly cut me off and said "no, that is your punishment for leaving your card home". I was flabbergasted by his presumption and lack of professionalism. I was also appalled at the very idea that a YMCA employee would "punish" me. Frankly, this isn't the first time I've experienced this kind of behavior from this team member, on another occasion, he was barely able to hand me the wifi password because he was eating BBQ chicken behind the desk in the greeting area. That day, his lack of basic customer service skills continued when he said to me, "I don't want to speak to you anymore because there is something wrong with you". He then proceeded to discuss the incident openly with a female security guard where I could hear 15 ft away. Duane was extremely hostile and his behavior is unacceptable. In case you aren't familiar with this team member, he happens to be the "face" of this location. When you walk in, he is the first person that you see and unfortunately greets no one. He does, however, openly behave as if the front desk is his home, slouches down where he cannot be seen, speaks to customers with familiarity and disrespect, and made me feel unwelcome and extremely uncomfortable. There are 3 gyms within blocks from this location that are 2/3s cheaper than this one. Save your money and invest elsewhere. You will be bullied at the onset of an issue. I've written the CEO and Board of Directors about the experience. read more

Canceling my membership after a year because of the number of inappropriate stares and glances I receive in the men's locker room at my CROTCH that makes me feel VERY UNCOMFORTABLE. This has happened countless times in the showers, by the lockers, and in the sauna. Older men stare at my crotch. I have complained but nothing could be done. If you are male thinking of getting a membership, be aware that most of the men in the locker room are older men that will stare at you while you are naked, changing, in the sauna. read more

Facility is fine by new york standard. Management and services at the front desk is bad. They do not have the right attitude.

Friendly staff, extremely clean, straight ahead gym. Never have had to wait for a treadmill, bike or elliptical trainer, or any other equipment. A well-priced "Average Joe's Gym" with people of all ages, shapes and sizes doing their thing. Great egalitarian feeling. One caveat. Saturday and Sunday afternoons there's a cranky old man who uses the bikes on the main floor. He's always making calls on his cell phone, even after having been asked politely not to do so (there's a sign pointing out it's prohibited, plus it's in the contract you sign when you start your membership). Be careful. He looks frail but he swears like he's on that show Jersey Shore. I have to add Grampa Cellphone is the exception to the rule. Everyone else I've run across follows the Y's "Rules of the Road", a very easy code to follow if one has a basic respect for one's fellow members. Except for this malcontent (whom I avoid on weekends by going to the bikes and elliptical trainers on another floor) the best gym I've ever joined (and I used to belong to NYSC and NYHRC). Wish they had a squash court! read more

Great place with an extensive list of classes. The yoga and Zumba classes are must try's. They have 2 swimming pools which means that there is always room. read more

Vanderbilt is a great place to build a gym family. Truly they have some of the most amazing trainers in the business. Specifically, Michael and Nobbie are really good trainers. They are caring, create efficient work outs, and go above and beyond when training their clients. I had a couple back surgeries and Michael was amazing in helping me to recover. Five stars to the trainers. Great gym to meet nice people. Zumba classes are great. Pools are nice. Hours are good. Front desk just okay. read more

I normally run outside but decided to take advantage of a free guest pass to use the treadmill here on a cold day. I was pleasantly surprised to see lots of available cardio machines, all in good working condition with individual TV screens. I've previously been a member of Equinox and enjoyed that this is a quiet, unassuming gym that caters to a diverse group of members from the neighborhood. On the downside, it was a bit confusing to get to the locker rooms downstairs, and the women's locker room was closed for construction so part of the men's locker room was sectioned off for female members to use. read more

I joined this gym because it's close to where I live, and it's one of the few places in Manhattan with a full-size lap pool. Unfortunately, swimming here is a complete nightmare. First, there are two pools: one for lap swimming and one for non-lap swimming (lessons, aquarobics, "water exercise" programs, etc.). One of the many problems is that people use the lap pool for non-lap swimming all of the time, taking up lanes walking in place and screwing around while other people are waiting to actually swim laps. Another problem is that, like many membership lap pools, the lanes are marked for different levels of speed so that swimmers forced to share lanes with more than one other person don't have the pace of their workout completely ruined by faster or slower swimmers. This could theoretically work if the lifeguards ever snapped themselves out of their stupor and actually enforced the lane speeds. Unfortunately, you usually see advanced swimmers struggling to avoid hitting beginners who, more often than not, are slowly careening all over the lane into the other swimmers. By way of example, just last week, I was "splitting" the medium-speed lane (the fastest lane available at the time) with an elderly woman who clearly needed to be in the slowest lane, as she was doing an improvised backstroke that seemed to have been invented on the spot, not for the purposes of propulsion through the water, but solely for the purpose of raking her fingernails against any other swimmers that might happen to be sharing the lane. Obviously, the lifeguard on duty did nothing, opting instead to assume the default position of staring at the opposite wall with the glazed-over expression of the consummate stoner. This is just one example among many, many similar experiences that I've had while trying to get in a simple lap-swimming workout. One problem that has very little to do with the pool (and other reviewers have mentioned this as well) is the locker room situation. On several occasions, I've found that the air conditioning was broken or turned off, driving the temperature of the locker room up to sauna levels. Additionally, the hot water in several of the showers is often "broken," meaning that there are a limited number of working showers for everyone to use. Also, there is a really weird issue with people sleeping in the locker room, which may not really be any of my business, but let's be honest...it's off-putting to see people treating a locker room like an airport terminal during an 8-hour layover. But the biggest problem with the men's locker room (and I hate to even bring this up because it makes me feel like kind of a jerk) is the old men. Obviously, this is a YMCA, not an Equinox, and there are plenty of other gyms that I could go to if it was remotely important to me that I be surrounded by people my own age (I'm in my early 30s). And that whole "old people don't mind walking around the locker room naked" thing is something non-prudish people learn to make peace with and even laugh about. But, I kid you not, the Vanderbilt YMCA men's locker room takes this to a whole other level. The old men shower naked and stand around naked while changing (obviously), but they also use the bathroom facilities naked, use the sink naked, shave and trim their nose hair naked, brush their teeth naked, attend to their personal grooming naked (I'm 99% sure I saw someone trimming their pubic region at the communal sinks last week), and at a certain point, it's just disgusting. Long story short, I'm seriously considering whether the pool access is even worth it. I cannot, in good conscience, recommend this gym to anyone. read more

After some life changes I could no longer afford the $140+/month dues at Equinox and I really wanted to join a master's swim team. Vanderbilt is very convenient to my home in LIC and has a pretty decent pool with a masters team that meets M/W/F nights, which was perfect for me. More importantly, I really feel at home when I'm at this Y. The entrance is nice and clean, the people who check you in are friendly and engaging, and they give you lots of towels (essential for the 90% of us living here without a washer/dryer). The cardio room on the 1st floor is gigantic; even at peak hours you don't have to wait for a treadmill/eliptical, and you can stay on as long as you want. The weight room is never too busy and has everything you need. I don't think it's had a major overhaul since the late 1970s so it's quite charming too. The BIGGEST secret about this Y is that they have a 5th floor sundeck. No joke. In the summer when it's hot out you can tan on the sundeck and read the newspapers. It's like your own rooftop oasis in Midtown East. I love it. I have yet to take a spinning/yoga/pilates/kickbox class here so I can't offer any insight there. However they have tons of karate classes, capoeira, ballet... it's all here. Also they do lot's of great after school programs for kids and have intramural basketball leagues, which makes me feel good about giving them my money instead of forking it over to a typical for-profit gym. It's a really good community organization. One bad thing: I just tried calling to schedule a massage and it took, like, seriously 6 phone calls and about 40 minutes. Other than that, if you're in the neighborhood, give it a try. read more

So this place is cheap. It is one of the cheapest places you can sleep in Manhattan. You can stay here, and not catch a disease from your bunk bed. It is quite clean. So if you are like me (a college student), and simply wanted to stay a few nights in the city for the first time with a friend, and spend more on the flight than the lodging, then this is a wonderful bargain. Now if you can spend more, then do it. You have to be smart to stay here because there are a few loopholes that must be overcome with wit and sagacity. First, you will have to deal with the fact that there is only one key. So either you must keep it, or your roommate must keep it. For some reason, it must have been way too difficult for them to simply issue a key per bed. They give you a real key, and a blue piece of plastic, and when you enter the Vanderbilt, you must show them one or the other. If you are so lucky to have been given the blue piece of plastic, and you aren't with your roommate, then you must consult a security guard who will let you in, using the other real copy of the key that you don't get to have. Now this isn't a terribly ridiculous situation, but my girlfriend was visiting NYC at the same time as me, I needed to give her medicine that she left at my apartment, and so I asked a security guard to let me into my room so that I could retrieve her medicine. She asked "is she staying with you?" I said "no, my roommate has the key...", and so she said "she can't come up". So that was a little bit strange, but I grabbed her medicine and went downstairs to give it to her. As it happened, my roommate was sleeping in the bedroom, but he didn't get service in the building (T-Mobile, my Sprint and Verizon phones worked fine in this building). Situation resolved, right? So after this happened, I talked to my roommate about it, and we decided that we could ask the front desk for advice, since they probably deal with this shit every single day. They recommended leaving the key at the front, and checking in when we needed it. Ok, so not really that sketchy. But then I noticed a loophole when I stumbled in at 4:00 AM, ready to hit the hay. The one guy working security that I asked for my key, didn't check my ID, or my friend's ID. Simply the fact that I asked for my key seemed to mean that I was staying in my room. This sketched me out a little bit because my stuff was in my room, and anybody that had the wits about them to walk over to the keyrack behind the counter could have simply asked for that room number's key, walked in, and stolen my things. So yeah, like I said, gotta have your smarts when you stay here. Leaving my baggage there when I checked out, I noticed that they didn't compare my baggage number to my tag number, so basically I could have just grabbed someone else's bag and it would have been no liability for YMCA. So be careful of that too, they don't care about your shit! Overall, I'd say this place was a good deal, but you need to be careful about what you do with the key, and what you do with your belongings when you check out. Other than that, this place was awesome, and quiet. Also you get to use the YMCA facilities when you stay there, and for free. Just remember that you need to bring a swim cap if you want to swim. read more

Just wanna say VERY bad experiences wanna give them ZERO star. But cant. Pay the extra 50 r 100 buck. N go elsewhere if u could. GL have fun. read more

Note this review is for the hostel and not the gym. 1. Front desk staff was rude. They treated the two French tourists very nicely beside me but yelled at me. All I was patiently waiting for was the WIFI code (which, of course, they never told you that you needed to obtain one while checking in, prompting a second trip down to the front desk). She yelled at me for my name and room number. I almost answered her, "I am Dr.. staying in Room." I am a budget traveler, not an idiot. I almost said "Merci beaucoup. Bon nuit" to her. 2. When you return at night, the front security people also yell at you to show your room key. Not very nice. So the next night, I just walked in the door holding my key and waved it at the person. 3. I asked whether they had a change machine for the laundry, they said "no." So I said I'll walk to Grand Central and get change there. They said, "Oh we can make change for you here." So I said, "For $5 please." And they yelled, "That much! We can't do that. Why do you need so much?" I said, "Didn't you know it's $1.75 to wash and $1.75 to dry?" They looked like it was the first time they heard that. So I said, "Give me a $1 and I'll figure the rest out. Thanks." 4. The rooms are alright for the price. The bed is pretty hard so be forewarned. Nice fridge and the air works. 5. On the floor where I stayed, the women's toilet wouldn't flush. There must have been a special way to work that. ;) The showers had mold. Three showers for the whole flr. 6. Good stuff: the gym and the location! So if you can put with lots of yelling.. this is the place to stay. One star is one too many!! read more

For the gym only - clean locker room, great cardio room, excellent free and machine weight rooms, nice patrons. Staff generally friendly - tho some of the hotel front desk staff do not seem friendly. read more

(Review for gym, specifically the pool.) No idea why people like to hate so much on the Y - they're generally great facilities, and Vanderbilt is one of my favorite in the city. Why? Because the facilities are plentiful, clean, and generally uncrowded. I'm not a member of that branch or a citywide member, but I've had relatively little trouble checking in, and staff are usually very kind and helpful. The locker room situation is pretty nice even for the Y, and objectively huge. And while I haven't taken advantage of any of these services, they all sound pretty amazing: in-house massage, aqua spinning classes, boxing personal training, and apparently CSA pick-up...? If I didn't live in Brooklyn, I would consider switching my home branch. For my purposes, however, I usually hit up Vanderbilt for the lap pool (East Pool). For serious swimmers, it's a dream in terms of temperature - I'd say it's at most 75 degrees, though I've felt it hover around 70 some days, which makes it ideal for hammering out a good swim. It can get a little crowded at times, but unlike other pools I've been to, (1) swimmers are required to inform lane mates of their impending arrival should circle swimming be required, and (2) you don't need to be on the watch constantly wondering whether your lane speed sign will change. The speeds are just affixed to the wall, leaving no confusion. Time clock on the wall has multi-colored second hands that help you keep time if you're timing yourself, and there are regular clocks on each wall opposite the lanes' end. I don't find the chlorine levels too oppressive, either, which my skin appreciates. The pool room itself isn't the brightest or prettiest, but honestly if you're in the water the entire time it hardly matters. I've had very little trouble with too many people being in the pool, and I tend to go swimming between 2pm and 6pm on weekdays, mostly during that immediate after-work crunch time. read more

i am giving three stars cause back in the day i never stayed at the tourist friendly hotel rooms or used the gym or pool or took a karate class or any other workout type class , none of the above and thankfully i didnt have to deal with the staff that seem unfriendly and void of smiling , no i am writing a review for ymca cause a bunch of years ago they housed a cafeteria that had the best breakfast menu with prices that dennys and ihop couldnt matched and every sunday morning at 8am i was stuffing my face with pancakes , scrambled eggs , hash browns and sausages. today the cafeteria is gone and area is filled with gym equipment and folks trying to get a workout before and after work. also i wanted to write this review after hearing that the city will house homeless men at this particular ymca much to the dismay of the folks who live in the area and having drug addicts , mentally unstable dudes , sexual predators , etc , will be nothing but trouble . so i prefer to think of the positive reason for my 3 star review and its about food as always. read more

This was the first time I've ever stayed at a hostel and it was surprisingly a pleasant stay. We checked in very late, like 1AM with security and were given our room keys with no hassle. The room is not as small as the websites photos will have you believe. We booked a deluxe bunk and had plenty of room to fit 2 full size luggages. The room was very clean equipped with fresh towels daily, an extremely effective AC, a table desk, a fridge, 5 drawer wall unit and closet. The restrooms were pretty private considering they were down the hall. You need a room key to access the restroom and we truthfully never had issues getting one. They had 5 down the hall from us and a few more around the corner. Restrooms were always clean and bed was made everyday with towels provided. The location for this hostel is GREAT! It is just about 3-4 blocks from The Chrysler Building and Grand Central Terminal. It's across the street from a great bar called Snafu and also right around the corner from both Starbucks and Dunkin donuts. I would definitely stay here again. read more

This gym is amazing! Polite employees, clean and a great location! Pricey but definitely worth every dollar I spent read more

I stayed here for 5 nights while in town for education!! No serious complaints!! Very dorm style, could use some renovation bt it was the perfect place for my budget!! I just needed a decent place to sleep close to my class and it did the job. Pretty close to to midtown and neighbors werent noisy at all!! Even tho the showers and bathrooms are shared, I never had to wait for either.. I would stay here a again for a short trip!! Thank u for the stay!! read more

This is one of my absolute favorite place to stay in Manhattan! Great midtown location and all the benefits of the YMCA's amenities for a reasonable price. The rooms are small and the bathrooms are shared, but they're clean and it's more than good enough for me. read more