It feels like we’ve been in the midst of a heat wave all of July. For us, that is not a problem. We remember all of the cold, wintery weather we endured to get here and the brisk chilly night that is coming our way soon. While we love the embrace the heat and lose the layers, we still need some relief! Air conditioning is great as we work and write to you from home. However, we would love nothing more than to take a dip! Up until now, that was not possible in our city. The good news is that’s all about to change.  We are fortunate to live in the greatest city in the world and enjoy all of the summer amenities that come with that. Including the rooftop scene, proximity to beaches and pools!

During the pandemic, the NYC pools have not been available for our use, but we just got word that they are opening up for New Yorkers to cool off with a swim. Mayor Bill de Blasio officially announced that 15 NYC public pools will reopen across the five boroughs by August 1.  For us, this is when we dig out that hot bathing suit we bought on sale at the end of last season. We can’t wait to show it off!

Back in April, the Mayor spent $12 million of the budget for public pools. He had said there would be no NYC pools open at all this year due to coronavirus-related concerns and budget cuts.  However, he recently came out and said that “We were not sure before whether we would be able to open some of them, but now we will be able to open some of our biggest outdoor pools, and some of the outdoor pools in the communities hit hardest by the coronavirus,” he said. “For families and kids in particular this is going to be so important.”

While the mayor said the city is not opening all of the city’s 56 pools, he said he and the City Council agreed to restore $9.9 million to the Parks Department budget to hire 716 lifeguards, pool staff and to fund sprinklers and water fountains.

The pools opening include:

Bronx: Crotona Park, Mullaly Park, Haffen Park

Brooklyn: Sunset, Betsy Head Park, Kosciuszko

Manhattan: Hamilton Fish Park, Jackie Robinson Park, Wagner, Marcus Garvey Park

Queens: Astoria Park, Liberty, Fisher

Staten Island: Lyons, Tottenville

You are required to wear a mask but not in the water. Small price to pay for some relief.

CANNONBALL!!!!!!!!!!