Time to swim, Philly: pools open soon
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
It's getting hot outside — the way it does during the summertime when global warming is in full swing. Luckily, Philadelphia has many public pools that you can use for free. Chances are you live near one.
The pools open sometime between today and July 1 and Philly-pool-enthusiast Mica Root has a list of every single pool opening day in the city on her website, Swimming Philadelphia: Public Pools in the City of Brotherly Love.
Root's got a whole lot more on that website, a real cornucopia of notes and ideas on Philly public pools, including "Class, race, segregation, and why you should swim in a public pool this summer" and profiles of particular pools. It's really lovely.
As Root puts it, "So I say to all my fellow Philadelphians — no matter if you're languishing on a private swim-club waitlist or standing outside one shuffling your feet and looking down at the hot sidewalk, huddled inside in the air-conditioning or sitting on your stoop trying to catch a breeze — you, too, can come swimming this summer! I hope you do.
I live near the Kingsessing pool and look forward to it opening next Friday.
