Swimming Pool Search

Surprising, the offering for rooftop swimming pools in Midtown West Manhattan is not very inviting. I began with the notion of utilizing a systemic method to find what I was looking for. On foot I searched 6th, 7th, 8th and Broadway from streets 42-45. I entered many hotels and was able to bypass the security of most, however none of them offered rooftop swimming pools. How to proceed? The internet, of course. 3 hotels looked promising.

The Mandarin Oriental at 60th and Columbus Circle was as locked down in Midtown New York as it was in Bangkok, Thailand. There is heavy security and no way to pass without a room key.

The Sheraton has 2 midtown hotels across the street from one another. One is called the International and the other is called the Midtown. I asked directions at the International and found out that their pool is located in the Midtown on the 5th floor. This placed looked like it had heavy security but it didn't. I walked past the controllers like everyone else without a problem. The disappointment, unfortunately, was that the pool is indoor and very chlorine stinky and there is an outdoor patio with some lawn chairs and a view of the people working in the building next door. They could have done much better by making the pool outdoors.

So the gem in my extensive search ended up being the most out of the way. The Holiday Inn at 57th street between 8th and 9th has very easy access. There is a large lounge located on the ground floor which you can check out on the way to the South elevators located in the back. The pool is on P level. When I arrived, to my dismay, they were working on the pool so there was no admittance. I peeked past the door and saw what I had searched for, a deep outside, rooftop pool with a nice view.

I will return. Is it too cheeky to call their front desk from time to time to find out when the pool will be reopened?