The Weinberg Y in Waverly

Horrible experience at the park this evening. After a tough day I decided to take the kids out for a picnic. I thought of a park that would have picnic benches for us. Thought of this playground! A YMCA staff member stops me and says no I can’t bring food into the playground. I clearly look exhausted. I’ve got a big baby in a car seat in one hand and a bag full of food in the other with 4 children jumping in excitement around me. He’s like ma’am you can’t bring food in the playground. I look at him like um no im definitely not going. Into the playground area! I explained I am going to the picnic tables which are situated outside of the playground to the right. «No ma’am you can’t have food at the picnic tables». Are you serious??? I’m so annoyed right now. And I notice the trash can is no longer around and yep I walk around the park outside the gate and there’s plenty of trash in the ground when that trash can use to be well used. I hate rules used to control. I am even more disappointed in the older man. And I’m tired of forcing myself to come to this playground because the kids love the structures. We’re out here eating by a shipping container next to the park as some kids take some abandoned bike etc. no thank you. I’m done. Insert angry face.

After moving out of the tense atmosphere of New York City I have fallen in love with the community feel of Baltimore. The Y has been a nice addition to my experience with classes taught and attended by all types of races, genders, and personalities.
However, when a staff member screams at your 55 year old parents from across a giant room, it immediately any my desire to continue a membership or donate. I brought them in because I was so proud and wanted to show off the space before Zumba. I told the two guys at the front desk «hey– I just want to show my parents the studio if thats ok.» We were halfway down the hall when a woman named Pat SCREAMS «NO. UH HUH. GET BACK HERE» from 20 feet away.
Lady, this is a community center where anyone is a potential donator. You set a poor example in front of all the children around and could easily have WALKED UP to my folks and asked– in a normal tone– for them to wait at the front or sign a waiver or whatever the 2 male attendants didn’t know. Its a damn shame– I came to Baltimore to escape this kind of nastiness.

So i joined the Y two weeks ago, i initially signed up at the one in Towson, but this one is closer and i can get to take the cycling classes without rushing to Towson only to be disappointed that i didnt make the cut. The convenience of looking at their respective schedules and planning is a plus for me. I love the cycling class, i think with Miss Lauren, oh Lord, i have taking it three times and it kicks butt. I am yet to try other classes, i will, i go and shoot hoops at the gym as well. I have used some of the machines, it is what to expect at a gym. So far this place is a plus.

The biggest YMCA I’ve been to! Loved the facility. The staff was nice but took forever to get my guest pass approved and then told me to wait then ignored me… Until someone else came over and asked how he could help me. I think they were just busy and not purposefully ignoring me so four stars.

This is my first time becoming a member of a Y. I joined this one because I was always driving by the place and peeking in the windows, it looked like they had a nice, sizeable gym. I’d been a member of Merritt for a while, and while I liked it, the 80 bucks a month I was paying was making a big dent in my budget.
My boyfriend, his son and I are now all Y members for the SAME price. AND we can go to whatever Y we want. I like this one, because it’s so new. Look, if you want shiny and glossy, and no wait for machines, you go to Merritt. If you want value, you go to the Y. Sometimes the pool is overcrowded, but you just have to figure out the right time to go. I find between 4 and 5 in the summer to be the best time. In the winter time, the pool isn’t crowded at all.
Yes, the machines are often broken. I have never seen a shortage of towels, though. Nor have I had to wait for a machine. I get the same machines here that Merritt has. most with individual tvs.
One time the pool had a disgusting greasy film on the top of the water. I filled out a comment card and never heard back, but it’s been clean since. The locker rooms are spacious and never very crowded. AND there is a sauna in the locker room, which is nice. I wish they’d fic the scales though. their scale says I weigh 10 lbs more than my digital bathroom scale says! Maybe they tweak the scales to make you work out more. who knows?
Staff is always pleasant, and a security guard walked me to my car without even asking when some loud teenagers were lingering outside the door. I think I will stick with the Y. Bye bye, Merritt!

I’ve been to a dozen or so YMCA’s over the US. This one is clean, bright, and has a nice selection of cardio machines. My all-​time favorite cardio machine, that I have not yet seen at other YMCA’s, is the Espresso stationary bikes. They are great!
Unfortunately, 2 of the four Espresso machines had broken heart rate monitors. They remained un-​repaired for the entire two weeks I was visiting Baltimore. Hopefully when I return in 6 months, they’ll be fixed.
The staff is friendly and helpful.
The facility is clean.
The spinner’s class I took was 45 minutes. I prefer classes of an hour or more.

It’s a gym.
There are no bells or whistles of fanciness here.
The machines work 75% of the time and the wipe-​down cloths are typically rare in supply.
However, the staff is friendly and helpful. I had a situation of where 2 men were being super creepy and I mentioned it to a staff member. The guys were promptly warned and taken care of, so bravo on their successful initiation of that matter.
Overall, it’s a gym and I get my workout done. That’s good enough for me.

When I came home from college, I was spoiled on the awesome free gym and free fitness classes that my school offered, and unsure which Baltimore gym was the best on a budget. So I did a Groupon/​Living Social binge and tried a ton of gyms in the area – Lynne Brick’s, Meadow Mill, MAC, etc.
Result?
I. Love. This. Y. Best. Here is my gush-​fest:
The building is clean and full of natural light. The locker rooms are neat and clean, and great for getting ready in the morning before work. The staff are very pleasant, and the teachers are great.
The classes are my #1 reason that I come here. Take any class with Ms. Linda, she will kick your butt and you will have so much fun. The vibe in the classes is so great – hard work, but lots of joking around. People are friendly and outgoing, and it makes exercising so much more appealing when there is some camaraderie. The Body Pump, Bootcamp, Step, and Core Conditioning classes are all excellent. I do find that I prefer the classes available in the morning to the evening ones, however.
The treadmills and ellipticals have built in TVs that you can plug headphones into, if you are into that.
Also! They have these cool Expresso cyber cycle workout bikes that are like, biking along on a video game/​virtual reality bike race. I love them.
I also like FitLinxx component – it’s a personalized, easy to set up weight regimen stored in a little console at each machine. It’s worth taking the time to make an appointment toset up with a Y staff member. Especially if you’re someone that finds weight lifting and setting up weight machines to be intimidating (me).
Bonus if you have kids: The playground is ABSOLUTELY awesome and great for all ages. There is plenty of adult seating while you watch them play. Also, very safe with that squishy rubbery flooring. No woodchips! Yay! I babysit and always bring the kids here. Usually, I have to PULL them off the playground because it’s so much fun.
I will say that it’s not perfect. It’s quite frequent that a few of the machines downstairs are out of order, including some of the FitLinxx screens. This is never really an issue for me, since I come in the mornings when it’s not very crowded, and I just switch to another. Also, some of the equipment that we use in the classes (mats, stair-​step-​benches, small handweights) also are a bit beat-​up or in short supply. Get to class early and BYO mat, if you need one.

After allowing some equipment to fall into disrepair, the Y has updated its equipment, which makes its a very affordable and appealing place to work-​out. They have also added more classes and have some new, fun instructors. Generally the place is clean and the staff is friendly. Its pretty affordable– about $ 79 for two adults and up to 3 children under 25 years old. The full basketball court is a draw to some– with frequent open court times. The have a 25 yard pool– which would be nice, but it is exceptionally warm– between 82 – 83 degrees– not very conducive to lap swimming.

After being diagnosed with diabetes, my doctor recommended that I begin a regular exercise program. I’ve tried a lot of the other gyms around — Merritt Athletic, Gold’s, Washington Sports Club — but the Y, for my money, is the best deal in town. It’s only 78 dollars a month for a two adult household (kids are free), and they have ALL of the equipment that the fancier gyms have and more. Best thing about this is that there’s no required «contract» — you can pay month to month and if you want to stop, just let them know and you’re done.
This location even has a rock-​climbing wall, a pool, and a huge gymnasium — LOTS of fun. In addition, there’s special classes for everything from Spanish to aqua-​exercise. There’s a playground outside for the kids when the weather’s nice, and a huge baseball field (a fitting tribute to the old Memorial Stadium, I think!).
This location isn’t too crowded, either. We pretty much have the exercise machines to ourselves on the weekends.
You can’t beat the Y for value, that’s for sure. LoML and I will continue to use this facility for our workout needs. Great fun for everyone!

Visited this location to workout on a Saturday morning. Was impressed. The women at the front desk were so nice and helpful. Enjoyed engaging in conversation with them. Staff members were nice as well. Didn’t experience much of the facility, because I stayed on the treadmill the majority of my time there, but it was really nice. Clean, not too crowded, etc. Definitely recommend this location.

I was never one of those guys that went to the gym. I was a runner and I was on the soccer team in high school– but that mostly involved sitting on a bench. Anyway, here I was, fresh out of college and living in downtown Baltimore. A few of my housemates joined the Y and started going pretty often while I laughed at them, sitting at home stuffing my face and playing video games. I had just graduated, I didn’t even have a job yet, I was focused full time on doing absolutely nothing constructive. It worked for a while before I began to worry about becoming doughy. You don’t wanna be doughy. So I gave it a shot.
Long story short, my body is now made out of pure steel (Ed. Note: nope) and I have the Y to thank. Because its relatively new (built in the last five years), the facilities are all very modern and nice, unlike some other YMCA’s I’ve been to. The main work-​out room is pretty large, with both machine and free weights and lots of cardio machines. All of the elliptical machines and treadmills have their own small flat screen TV with cable. Finding something good on and jacking in your headphones can make a run zip by.
It can get pretty busy, especially from 4 to 6, but even at the busiest its rare that you have to wait too long for any particular weights or machines. Try not to get too intimidated by some of the extremely large dudes lifting weights– as hard as it is to imagine, they had to start out from the beginning too. Unfortunately, for them the beginning was probably when they were about three years old. One caveat– dude with big scars and giant arms who does upside down pulls ups– you do scare me. Sorry.
This Y is a good place whether you’re a workout fiend or just getting started, you’ve got the whole spectrum here– no matter who you are, you can count on being neither the most in shape person or the least in shape person. Recommended.