The Capital Distirct YMCA

The YMCA over on Pearl Street is little more than a large basketball court, pool, indoor track, and weight room, but what sold me on this YMCA is the pool. Ever since Michael Phelps won all those medals in the Olympics, it has inspired me to start swimming.
The YMCA itself is in an odd location that I can’t quite figure out. It seems to be an elementary school, YMCA, and library all rolled into one building. It’s a tiny library, a tiny YMCA, and… well I can’t speak for the school because I really don’t have a reason to go wandering around those halls and checking stuff out. That’s what creepos do, and Michael Phelps has a rather firm «anti-​creepo» stance. There are plenty of school aged kids hanging out in the lobby though, so the mystery of the relationship between the YMCA and the school continues.
The pool experience is decent, but crowded. They have a weird pool schedule that lists out the various pool activities and how many swimming lanes are open. Pick a time with the most lanes open, drive up to the parking lot, and see how many cars are there. If the parking lot is more than a 3^rd full, your chances of having a lane to yourself aren’t good. If chances are good, wander in and look at the pool through the lobby window. You can see the lanes from there. If all is good, get changed and have a nice swim!
The pool itself has a few of the things I’m looking for
* Plenty of water in the pool.
*The water is decently warm.
* I have not seen any spiders at this YMCA, or in the pool (I’ve got an advanced case of arachnophobia).
* There are no sharks, jellyfish, giant squid, piranhas, alligators/​crocodiles, or snapping turtles. I don’t fear these things, I’ve swam with these creatures before in various settings, but they do make the swimming experience a lot more nerve-​wracking (especially the alligators/​crocodiles).
* The pool has someone to watch me swim like 22-​medal winning Olympian Michael Phelps. I am a bit confused by the lifeguard. Sure, it’s nice and all, but I don’t think it’s necessary. If I start drowning, I’ll just stand up. The pool doesn’t get deeper than 5 feet.
* Swimming lanes. My apartment has a pool, but no swimming lanes. I’d have to avoid kids jumping in from the sides in order to swim laps. Also, the lifeguard at my apartment is some adorable teenage girl who works on her tan. This is troublesome for many reason. The main reason is that it attracts a bunch of teenage boys to the pool, and it is awful to be anywhere near teenage boys. The pool starts to take on a musk of Axe Body Spray. I also doubt she could haul me out of the water (I’m a bit of a bigger guy [by bigger, I mean fatter {I look kind of like a heavy-​weight version of the most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps (except I’m shorter, have a beard, my hairline is receding, and I’m not covered in rippling muscle)}]).
The pool lacks a few things:
* No diving board. There’s no diving at all at this location.
* No high-​dive. This is sort of covered in the previous point, but I do like the high-​dive. I probably like the high-​dive more than most people. I’d climb that ladder all day if I could. Nothing like a fat guy being catapulted into the air, his shadow blocking out the sun as he soars like a whale. A peaceful whale so happy and smiling. So content with life. Hey everyone, I’m just a fat guy flying through the air without a care in the world. Behind in the mortgage? The car’s battery doesn’t work well? Dishes need to be done at home? The boss is angry at me? None of that matters, because right now I’m flying. My arms out like superman, my feet stretched out and touching nothing. What did you do with your day today? That’s cute, because I went flying. Woooooshhhhhhh! The experience only lasts for about 2 seconds, but if you climb that ladder 30 times, you can fly for a minute! Like I said, I enjoy the high-​dive more than most people.
* No hot tub.
* Not likely to encounter Michael Phelps here.
The cost is $ 45-​ish dollars a month for a single adult, and there is a ‘membership activation fee’.

The gym is nice.

I go to the Albany Y on Washington. The staff there is always very nice. I really enjoy the abs classes. The cardio and weight room are great too.

The North Albany YMCA is the hidden gem of the local YMCAs. It’s only 2 years old and for some reason word hasn’t gotten out about how great it is. Yes, it’s small, but the equipment is all new, it’s clean and it’s not crowded. I hate having to wait to use equipment and I’ve never waited here. They have a nice indoor track, a swimming pool, some classes (though not many) and friendly staff.