Coney Island gets its own YMCA
The Coney Island YMCA is like an exciting new world for the third and fourth graders of P.S. 329, who visited the 40,000-square-foot space on Surf Avenue and West 29th Street on December 5, ahead of its grand opening on Monday, December 16. Despite being kids who live next to the ocean and the Coney Island Boardwalk, most of them don’t know how to swim—never having had a safe place to learn—so, perhaps unsurprisingly, among their favorite parts of the new facility is the pool.
Also known as the Family Aquatic Center, the indoor pool and its lifeguards and swim instructors offer swim lessons for preschoolers, youth, teens, adults, parents/children, private/semi-private, and specialty learners. Adults who grew up in the neighborhood are also thrilled at having this outlet for exercise and family-friendly community activities.
“You see the pool and [workout] equipment in the window, but now you can see inside and wow,” gushed mom Julia Daniely. “We needed indoor activities for winter in Coney Island because everything is outside with the amusement park.”