Joining Masters "Unattached"

Former Member
Former Member
The pool where I swim in NYC does not have a Masters program, but I'd like to be able to enter upcoming meets. Is there any disadvantage to joining Masters as an "Unattached" swimmer? Would i be better off joining a team in the city instead? Do i actually have to swim at/belong to that pool to join? Finally what is "All Star" eligibility? i'm a little confused, and the metroswim website isn't answering a lot of questions.