Dumpster Diving on Park Avenue

I’m not talking about rifling through smelly trash bags and other debris searching for a semi new pair of sneakers or day old bread. This is about literally climbing up above the rim of a gigantic metal dumpster and leaping in. The dumpster ambiance however, stops with the name.

Dumpster Pools on Park Avenue

For the first 3 Saturdays in August, three temporary Dumpster pools will open 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. free of charge on the east side of Park Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets. With Grand Central Terminal and the Met Life Building prominently rising in the background, the busy street scape right alongside will complete the scene.

These containers will be thoroughly cleaned, have protective liners, and a water filtration system just like a conventional above-ground pool making them health code compliant. Add five-foot-wide elevated metal decking with a nonstick rubber surface encircling them and this portion of Park Ave. is transformed into an elevated boardwalk.

Don’t worry, these pools will have accompanying amenities you would expect at an established pool area including several changing-room cabanas, showers, and portable toilets.  With each pool measuring roughly 8 feet wide and 22 feet long and a sloped bottom between 3 and 5 ½ feet deep, you’ll be sure to notice that the square footage is larger than the typical dumpster.

Due to size and safety constraints, there will be no diving boards or water volleyball allowed. But for a quick escape from the sizzling pavement, these pools will provide the perfect relief in the middle of all the action.  Just imagine doing a cannonball minutes after getting off the train at Grand Central or eating at Juniors.  The possibilities are endless!

photo courtesy of Macro Sea