I came form California and I'm overweight. In fact I didn't take up swimming until again until I spent 3 years in Arizona. Now, there was a country club pool I could have swam there but I didn't. In fact in my area in Arizona there are public pools or health club pools as just are ready as there was in California. I think that many people back east are probably are into other sports more like figure Skating, in fact a top figure skater name Sasha Cohen went back there to get better coaching and a better facility. Also, just because Long Island isn't into swimming as much as the Pacific region doesn't mean they don't workout. Also, I enjoy indoor pools, something that both California and Arizona lack. The weather is not always rosy in either states. There are sometimes bad rain storms in California in the January or February period and Monsoon conditions in Arizona in the summer. The New Yorkers are a little wiser to built the indoor pools, in Tempe we had rain problems and the 800 was delayed until the next day and the 200 IM relays got cancel. Now back east and in the mid-west where pools are mainly indoors they could have continue on with the meet.
Former Member
Originally posted by Ion Beza
New York City didn't open the Olympic bid for me -wanting to exercise every day like I do it in San Diego- or for people like me.
They opened the Olympic bid firstly for profiteering television networks based in New York, secondly for athletes and spectators who go to the Olympics:
like in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, this means dedicating transportation to Olympic venues during the Olympic Games only, transportation that is not in the ordinary New York lifestyle.
Actually, the city (first Mayor Giuliani and now Mayor Bloomberg) is promoting the bid as a way to get private money to finance new sports facilities -- mostly a new stadium for football and baseball, but also a new aquatics center in Queens and other facilities.
The transportaion plan calls for the athletes to use exactly the same public transportation as New Yorkers use (the Long Island Railroad, NJTransit, the subway and ferry boats). The ONLY difference is that cars or boats will be reserved.
By the way, it may have escaped your attention while you were here, but Tenafly, Fort Lee and Morristown are not in New York City or even New York State. When you cross the river you go into a whole different state.
Originally posted by Ion Beza
Then tell me how one gets from New Milford (New Jersey) to Asphalt Green (New York), in the upper Manhattan at the junction of East River and Hudson River, 100% on public transportation?
It's not possible, I was told.
One takes a bus across George Washington bridge, then a taxi.
Steve Fisher was doing that in 1998, before I was giving him rides in 1998 and 1999.
For me it cost $4 on George Washington toll bridge, then $9 per hour in parking.
Barbaric place.
As a mentioned before, one would be crossing a state line. New York City does not take responsibility for New Jersey's transportation any more than San Diego is responsible for Arizona. However, the subway (A Line) stops at the GWB bus station, and goes to 86th street, where one can get the M86 bus which stops directly in front of the entrance to Asphalt Green (it's the last stop on the line).
Ken, looks like you have an attention defficit disorder:
Originally posted by KenChertoff
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By the way, it may have escaped your attention while you were here, but Tenafly, Fort Lee and Morristown are not in New York City or even New York State. When you cross the river you go into a whole different state.
Have you read this?
Originally posted by Ion Beza
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It is a lowlife of criminality and wrongdoing all over the streets of New Jersey and New York.
In Fort Lee, New Jersey, ...
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At this YMCA in Morris Town, New Jersey, ...
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That's just a few examples of pathetic, over there.
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Or this?
Originally posted by Ion Beza
Re-read my posts:
it's New Jersey (Morristown, Tenafly, New Milford, Fort Lee) and New York (George Washington toll bridge, Asphalt Green).
That's what my posts say: New Jersey, New York, yuk.
When I was there, people from New York were claiming that they are different than the ones from New Jersey.
To Europeans like me, New York, New Jersey that's same garbage.
Originally posted by KenChertoff
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However, the subway (A Line) stops at the GWB bus station, and goes to 86th street, where one can get the M86 bus which stops directly in front of the entrance to Asphalt Green (it's the last stop on the line).
And how long it takes to do this?
(Asphalt Green in New York was the closest good Masters program).
Here in San Diego, I don't wait for buses, pay toll bridges, and parkings.
From my place I can access three Masters programs with 50 meters pools, in less than 25 minutes;
and that's only what I am already familiar with;
a Southern Pacific Masters newsletter I received a few days ago, tells me about facilities in Carlsbad, Solana Beach, Rancho Something, Rancho Something Else, Vista, Chula Vista and more.
Food, culture, entertainment... New York has it all. It's got to be one of the greatest cities in the world. Comparing NY to San Diego is just impossible. NY moves at light speed compared to San Diego. They are in totally different climates. NY is easily 25 times bigger. Basically what you are saying is you like a more laid-back atmosphere, a town big enough to be a city, but a city small enough to be a town. Which is great. But don't berate NY because you had a lousy experience. You just couldn't handle it. The city will chew you up and spit you out if you can't keep up. Expecting European nobility (or is it snob-ility) and civility from the best representation of American city-life is asking too much. And guess what... I'm sure they're just as glad as you that you left. While you're at it, if you keep moving farther west, eventually you'll hit France again.
Pardon my impatience with ungrateful residents of the US.
Originally posted by Ion Beza
To Europeans like me, New York, New Jersey that's same garbage.
No, I don't have an attention deficit disorder -- I read your posts. We're also not in Europe. An regardless of what Europeans think, New York and New Jersey are two different places -- you seem not recognize that fact, no matter how many times you use the names.
As Ken says, New Jersey is not New York. Since you never actually lived there, I find it further astounding that you'd actually buy gas in NYC when it is significantly cheaper in New Jersey.
Also, if you had the Asphalt Green desk attendant validate your parking, it would have cost just a few bucks. There's that Savvy thing again. Didn't you see the signs or ask about where to park? For the couple of meets I actually drove to (from Long Island), I always found parking within a couple of blocks (even during the Holidays). If expense was such an issue, why didn't you just drive up to the Ridgewood Y or down to Rutgers?
After the first couple of times, most people would learn how to get around the challenges that the city presents. It would only seem barbaric to the ignorant, but you probably don't want to hear about that.
Oh, and as for "To Europeans like me, New York, New Jersey that's same garbage." If I wasn't such a nice guy, I'd make some comment about the Euro-trash who come here only to put down the freedoms and opportunity that they take advantage of here in the US, and how those guys get run out of town on a rail, tail between their legs.
But I'm not one to say that. the vast majority of people in NY & NJ (Europeans included) live and thrive here, quickly learning how to get around and enjoy all that the city (and the region) has to offer. Ditto for California and everywhere else in America.
So get off your high horse - any more comments like that and I'll be forced to permanently ban you from New York City.
Ken, please add Ion to "the list".
Originally posted by Rain Man
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But don't berate NY because you had a lousy experience. You just couldn't handle it. The city will chew you up and spit you out if you can't keep up.
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It's the criminality and lowlife that New York is full of.
My posts describe them.
Originally posted by Ion Beza
And how long it takes this?
(Asphalt Green in New York was the closest good Masters program).
Hmm -- now you're changing the challenge. First you said it couldn't be one at all. But, I went from the GWB bus station home -- two blocks from Asphalt Green -- about two weeks ago in about a half hour, although sometimes it takes 45 minutes. I've done the same trip by car and sometimes it's taken more than an hour. (I have a brother who lives in Tenafly.)
Originally posted by MetroSwim
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Also, if you had the Asphalt Green desk attendant validate your parking, it would have cost just a few bucks. There's that Savvy thing again. Didn't you see the signs or ask about where to park?
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You are more naive than me:
with Asphalt Green stamp on the ticket it was $9 per hour.
No Asphalt Green customer was doing better than this, no matter how much you pretend to make sense:
it's doing it everyday, with my first-hand experience.
