Brian Stack started a thread a few months ago about where to swim in Philadelphia: forums.usms.org/showthread.php
There's lots of good info there, so using that as a starting point, any suggestions on where I might swim? I'll be in town for a few days later this month for work. I'll be staying near the airport and working at the Boeing plant. After work would probably be best. I will have a car. My typical workouts are around 5,000 yards and I hold around 1:015-1:10/100 pace (SCY) just to give you an idea.
Unfortunately I won't be in town on Sunday. I'll be around from 10/21-10/25 (Monday through Thursday). Any idea which of these pools would be within easy striking distance from where I'll be staying?
I think this is the best pool in Philly to swim in:
www.theaquaticandfitnesscenter.com/
It's 50M which is nice, and you can get a guest pass to the club. Last time I was there I didn't research it far enough ahead so I didn't swim with the Masters group. However, the pool was pretty empty every time I went. It needed a paint job but that was a small price to pay for the chance to swim LCM, in my opinion.
If you find a better pool than that in Philly, let me know. Unfortunately it's pretty far from the airport, but it is easy to access from I-95. If you're planning on swimming 5000 yds (meters!), then I'd say it would be worth the drive.
kirk, sounds like you need to leave work at 330 and make the 2+hr commute down to UMD for our 630pm practices :) i've got nothing on philly, though it may be worth inquiring about swimming at some of the universities there. Upenn is ok and not too far away. The assistant coaches at Drexel are both USMS members, so they may be able to get you hooked up there too.
St. Joe's University (5600 City Ave) allows master swimmers to use their pool for $5 and presenting your card.
I would call first as they've been instituting new security measures and only certain times may be available. The pool is 25 yds and old, but in a pinch....?
It sounds like Villanova has a nice pool. Would that be in striking distance for me? They have a workout listed on Tuesday evenings from 5:30-7:00 that would work well if I could get there.
Thanks for the help so far, everyone. It looks like there are quite a few choices. The thing that's hard for me as an out-of-towner is to know how far, or more importantly how long of a drive, they would be from where I'm staying.
You could also go to the Upper Main Line YMCA who should have plenty of lap lanes available from 5:30 AM through about 9:30 PM. Send me a Private Message and I can get you the information for a guest pass.
Kirk-
I've been awol for a while & just catching up with posts. If you're still looking, I know of two pools.
Someone else mentioned Aquatic & Fitness center. This is where my team works out. Practice is Tues & Thurs 7:00 - 8:15 pm, and Sat 9:00 - 10:30 am. Usually 3200+ LCM. It's a straight shot up I-95 from the airport.
Also, Germantown Academy has a masters workout on M-W-F from 7:30- 9:00 pm, usually 4000+ SCY. There's a $7 drop-in fee for GA. It's farther than Villanova, but with the later start time you have some options.
PM me if you need more infor or directions.
Dana
