McCarren Park Pool

08/06/07

Lots of Room to Roam

by ositolindo at Citysearch

This past Friday night, I was genuinely thrilled to be invited and saw Erasure for the first time giving me the opportunity to participate in my first pilgrimage to McCarren Park Pool. The anticipation grew as we stood outside something reminiscent of Warsaw, Poland in the midst of a heat wave. With the six o?clock hour among us, all hundred of the absolutely adoring fans stormed to the front of the stage hoping to get a glimpse of Erasure?s Andy Bell. Suspended diamonds floated through a series of flat screens and costume designs centered on camouflage and the three primary iridescent colors of hot pink, bright orange, and green. Erasure commanded their priceless post-punk anthems; A Little Respect, Chains of Love, and L?Amour, bringing even the straightest man to his knees. With an endearing love, Bell serenaded us with the help of his trusty partner, Vince Clark and three charming back-up singers. The concert on a whole was great and graciously reminded me of those last few formidable years before going off to college. As for the ?Pool?, I was impressed with the amount of rent-a-johns and janes there were. All of them were located across from one of the more interesting sights inside this Brooklyn landmark, apparently what was once the deep-end now covered with dirt, still possessed the platform for a diving board. It was an impressive image into past city lore when young swimmers would surge into the refreshing cool waters during a hot summer day. As for the food and refreshments, the selections were minimal and the same rules applied with respect to most venues. No outside beverages. A bottle of Jack Daniels, I understand, but a bottle of H2O? Hope they fix those hand wash stations. Hate to say it. Oh well I did leave satisfied knowing that McCarren Park Pool is still in operation acting as a refuge for many locals to tame their summer beasts.

• Pros: Lots of space
• Cons: Parking?