Astoria

So...I went to Astoria (hold for applause).  I went with my friend Benjamin Shpres.  I will post his reaction first and if you are still reading you'll get to see what I have to say.  While this may seem lazy please remember I commuted an hour (each way!) to go to this location so you can suck a fat one.  Ben's thoughts:

While the surrounding street may look like a rusted junkyard,everything within this NYSC screams new. The machines even havestickers if they're super-new, encouraging people to use (ordangerously test?) them.  The layout is all on one floor, which is helpful. The natural light from the windows also helps makes the place motivating. However, in classic NYSC fashion, there is not enough of room in the stretching area. Also, I don't know about you, but it annoys me when there's
a) only one water fountain location
b) poorly placed clocks (making it hard for me to time my workout)
The locker rooms had very Equinox-looking wood-paneled lockers. It almost made me forget not to use the low-brand lotion NYSC offers.  Despite minor inconveniences though, I would definitely recommend this NYSC above some other ones.

I agree with Ben about a couple of things: stretching area, only one water fountain, it being one floor...  This location is obviously newer and while it feels large I think it's actually just "spacious."  Not as many machines so they seem spread out.  Can't agree about the locker room though; the lockers were the larger styled lockers but why does this newer location have curtains on the shower stalls instead of the nicer frosted glass doors?  The showers were tall but still felt cheap.  Also...I just can't get over the view from across the street.  It's still haunting me.

My grade: B+

16th and 8th update

Remember me?  Hi. 2 things:

1. about a month ago I went to 16th and 8th and it's been renovated!  Apparently not recently either (whoops).  Looks nicer but really was just a re-decoration more than anything.  Machines are still old and now there's no Body Blo or whatever the scary body dryer was that existed in the locker room (pro? con? you decide).  Oh also I forgot where the lockers were and I wandered around like an ass for about 2 minutes until some straight guy saw the confusion on my face and just pointed them out; it was the nicest thing anyone has done for me at the gym in a long time!

2. I'm going to the Astoria location today (is there more than one?).  My friend Benjamin Shpres who has guest commented once before is the instigator of this trip.  Assuming I don't fall asleep on the train and miss this visit completely, an update (a real one not the bullshit I wrote in the paragraph above) is forthcoming.

Mission complete!

With the visit to 48th and 2nd I have officially visited all 38 Manhattan New York Sports Clubs!  OK granted now there are only 37, but I visited all 38 before they cut the, naturally, most convenient club to MY location.

I'm not quite sure what's next on the agenda, but I have decided to keep writing about my experiences.  Maybe some re-visits and definitely some other boroughs outside of Manhattan.  Dare I even suggest...I can't believe I'm about to say this...New Jersey?  Maybe when I'm shitfaced.  Maybe another Boston or two?  Gosh I'm so crazy sometimes!

I hope the reviews help you in your NYSC workouts, motivate you to get your ass to the gym, or at least were somewhat entertaining on those lazy days.

48th and 2nd

Sometimes I think that my experience may be influenced by 1) my mood 2) the day 3) my mood during the day. I visited this club on a gorgeous day, in an excellent mood, and really enjoyed myself.

This facility is smaller but either newer or more recently renovated.  The first floor is the "lobby" (OK there really isn't enough space for a lobby) and all of the cardio.  This floor was a little jam-packed.  In the back of the floor are the locker rooms.

Downstairs is the studio, the stretching area, and the weights.  Definitely not as wide of a selection as typical, but everything was in working order, neat, clean, and bright.  One great thing about this floor were the abundance of towels and the organization of the weights.  One bad thing was there was no water fountain, just a water bottle filler-upper.  So...whenever I was thirsty I had to trek it up the stairs to the first floor to drink (and I don't need the ass exercise so this was simply inconvenient).

The lockers were spacious considering the size of the gym, very clean, nice tall curtains on the stalls, and a sauna.  In general this gym was quieter (I went during a very off-peak time) and the clientele was typical midtown-east -- very distance age mix from young to old.  Cute girls doing cardio (as if that will really help them move forward in their secretarial careers/find a husband on the bottom floor of the gym) and straight guys lifting.  I was one of two gays.  Awesome...

My grade: A-

51st and Lexington

I finally went to a new location!  And this visit was EPIC.  Why?  Cause 1) I FINALLY WENT TO A NEW LOCATION. 2) I took a gym buddy who has guest comments on this entry!  3) I took a group class...for the first time at NYSC.  I'm like...moving mountains, saving babies, and passing out free EPT's all at the same time.

So this place has a terrible, terrible entry way.  I mean look at that!  It's straight from the 80's.  The facility isn't so awful though -- very outdated with the decor and over-stimulation with mirrors and glass (almost dizzying), and pretty dim.  But it is all one floor (we love that, remember?) and while it was busy during the lunch rush, everyone was pretty fit and attractive.

The class we took was the abs class and it was in the smaller of the two studios.  It was fun actually, and very hard.  We both learned a few new tricks...still no six pack, but I should probably blame that on Chipotle and not pretend like the class fell short of expectations.

The equipment was all slightly outdated but there was plenty of space to workout.  Just everything seems so random at this location.  No order, rhyme, or reason as to where things are placed.  That may have been the fun-house styled mirror placement, though.  My gym buddy, Benjamin Shpres, was the only one of us that took a shower (I can't figure out how to re-write that phrase and not make it sound bad for either/both of us) and I asked him to send me his general remarks:

1. There were towel clad men waiting in a single file line to use the showers. Unless there's some kind of...service...happening there, this is unacceptable. When I eventually did get to the shower area, it was more humid than a tropical jungle. Seriously, the tiles, the knobs, EVERYTHING was dripping wet. It was like I rolled a very gay number (3?) while playing Jumanji.
2. I was overwhelmed by how many machines were packed in one area. It was like this location had taken fertility drugs and then spawned excessive workout-machine-offspring.

Ben and I apparently agree on the need for EPT's.

My grade: B

76th and 1st

This is the most difficult location to get to from where I live, so I figured Labor Day would be the perfect day to try it out.  After quite a long journey (MTA runs on a Sunday schedule on holidays...which is, uh, awesome) I saw this beacon to the right shining out from the buildings.  As I got closer I realized: it's a trap!  It's a decoy!  RUN!

This is NOT the gym.  This is, uh, the studio.  I didn't care enough to really read what the hell the studio was doing a full block away, so instead I followed the directions posted to the REAL gym.  I had been warned this gym sucked ("You will definitely fail it") but didn't find my experience so bad.  Maybe it had been cleaned up since that naysayer last went.

It's four small floors which is tragically annoying, locker rooms and random machines on the second floor, random cardio/lobby on the first, cardio on the third, weights on the fourth.  There is definitely not enough stretching area and they are too far away from everything (the best stretching area, albeit small, was on the fourth floor!  WTF).  The machines were all standard but I did notice the fourth floor had a lot of natural sunlight.

Mostly straights. Everywhere.  Not a piece of eye candy to look at.  I didn't catch many of the lady-friends as they were on the first and third floors doing cardio.  I was avoiding cardio (and lady-friends to be quite honest).

The locker room was small but clean, dark paneled lockers, and the larger, newer-styled stalls with frosted doors.  I liked that.  OH and the towels -- this location utilizes the larger towels!  WE LOVE LARGE TOWELS.

My grade: B

1 Year Anniversary

So I've been at this for a year.  I'm like...dedicated or something.  Granted I haven't actually FINISHED and it's been a year, but I'm close!

I have revisited a few clubs recently but I haven't gotten around to the last few remaining locations.  I promise I will.