I saw a concert last night (Bloc Party, awesome!) at the McCarren Pool Park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It's a fantastic slice of New York City history that's finally rousing from a dormant and fallow period of neglect that lasted over twenty years. In addition to the pool, McCarren Park includes surrounding acreage encompassing soccer fields, baseball diamonds, and a running track oval.
The gentrified sprawl in Williamsburg has long made Bedford Avenue a prep school campus of homogenized hipsters and slackers (and NOT of the Fnord variety). But now that Creeping Hip has leeched into Greenpoint. And McCarren Park is the DMZ that separates the two territories.
The pool area — where the general admission ticket buyers stand/sway/mosh — is 50,000 square feet. That's three times the size of a regulation Olympic-sized swimming pool. I could barely fathom the space filled with water in its heyday. But I longed to fathom it last night; the weather was hot and humid and I longed for a swim.
The pool was originally designed to hold 6800 swimmers. That wasn't the sold-out capacity crowd they got last night but it was easily a couple thousand, which is still a lot of Bloc Party fans.
Clearchannel (yeah, they suck, make no mistake) is hosting concerts at McCarren Pool all summer. The neighborhood, borough, and city politicking is in an immoveable scrum as to what to do with this unique space, when to do it, and how to pay for it. While everyone is still at a impasse, Clearchannel swooped in with this offer and the city took the money, giving everyone another possible option for the pool's use.
This summer concert series isn't futzing around, either; upcoming August shows include top-flight talent like Sonic Youth & the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Iron & Wine, The Shins (with J Mascis), and Neko Case.
I'd never been to McCarren to see a show before. If you are seeing a show at McCarren Pool Park in the future, here are some hard-earned first-timer tips:
• DON'T try to get directions — or even the park address — online. MapQuest searches state that McCarren is on the corner of Bedford Avenue and North 12th. Actually, a corner of the park is there. The actual entrance where you'd be see the show is on Lorimer Street just west of Driggs.
Article comments
1 - JoanJettson
Thanks for the 411 on McCarren. I was there too, great venue, great show, and I will just 2nd & 3rd the advice of getting drunk before the show. The beer line was ridic.
PS Clearchannel is no one's choice of sponsors, but like you say, it's bringing needed funds to the renovation effort and the bands they have lined up are excellent.
PSS I live in the East Village, and still I have to hand it to the kids in B-Burg. Yes, the desperation is practically dripping through the polyester, but you have to admit these neighbors are far more interesting and fun to be around than about 95% of the people on planet earth. When in Rome, enjoy the togas...
2 - Tiffany Leigh
Yeah, I'm toeing that line between "exotic place & culture" and "just because the clothing store sold it to you, honey, didn't mean you had to BUY it."
Or maybe I'm bitter cos' when I was in Williamsburg it was EAST Williamsburg years ago, not the toney part everyone thinks of now. (Though I *was* near a White Castle...)
I loved the East Village when I lived there; 9th and C (the red building) when the bar on that corner was Bettie Page psychobilly and made kick-ass Bloody Marys.
3 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
I hate to say this, but the slum I lived in almost 50 years ago was far nicer than what you describe as Williamsburg.
I didn't think the neighborhood could go downhill, but reading what you write has taught me that it can - and has.
4 - Scott in Greenpoint
Thanks for this run down. I'm wondering what time the first band went on. Doors are at 5, right? Is there a curfew or something?
5 - Tiffany Leigh
Re: Curfew
The doors opened at 5P, and there were two opening acts before Bloc Party. We didn't go in until both had finished, though I think each of them had 30-40 minutes of stage time. I don't think the first band got on till any earlier than 6P.
but Bloc Party went on around 8:20P or so, and they were done by no later than 9:45P or so.
I *do* think there must be a cutoff time due to the neighborhood at 10PM or so. I can't find any documentation online about it, but that's what it *felt* like.
6 - Greenpoint
Williamsburg has the hype, but the McCarren Park and the pool are in Greenpoint.