YMCA

I really did want to like this location… It’s in a beautiful historical building which works for and against the facility. Foremost the layout is from 100+ years ago so obviously most of it is really outdated. Lots of awkward hallways, rooms and random stairways that clearly do not go to heaven.
The staff here couldn’t care less about their jobs and often sit on their phones while you wait to be buzzed in.
Today was the last straw with this place though. It’s 20℉ outside (much colder with the wind chill) but that doesn’t stop me from wanting to swim. I’ve missed my water polo days and the pool at this location is reasonably sized and hardly crowded. Although there is one pool attendant, a young guy, he’s a bit weird but I won’t go into that. In any event, 20℉ outside and I was ready to swim. So according to their schedule they have lap swim from 8 until 2. Perfect.
Perfect except that when you show up you get turned away because lap swim doesn’t start for another hour and some change.
Wait.
What?
The schedule says… Oh. You don’t care what it says? Oh you make the rules? Where is the management of this place? Why does the schedule say it’s been open for hours? No explanation at all as to why it’s closed, which was further annoying because I COULD SEE THE POOL ATTENDANT!!!
I guess I’ll have to drive to Irving Park to swim because there’s no way in hell I’m ever coming back here.

This is one of the smaller YMCA’s in the city, but it has a nice cozy feel to it. It is a good spot to work out. There is a weight room, cardio room, pool, and basketball court. They offer some free classes, which is a nice perk. That said, the selection is not as good as other places. The people who go there regularly and work there are nice. Whether I go during the day, on the weekends, or after work in the evenings it is rarely crowded. Parking is easy. As far as gym membership cost the deals at the YMCA are hard to beat!

The fitness center in this YMCA is one of the biggest kept secrets in Chicago. They have all the trendy CV equipment– threadmills, stair climbers, cycles. They also have a weight room and swimming pool. This YMCA has everything needed for basic workout and muscle training. Its a small scale fitness center and I have never had to wait to use the equipment. This is a basic and no nonsense fitness center. The staff needs to be professionally developed, so dont go there looking for instructions. They will help if asked, but if you know how to use the stuff, you will do well with basic fitness training offered here.