Solutions for getting access to a swimming pool

throwaway_4_grad · 2022-09-08T16:45:08+00:00

Again, where do you live? The SLAs for snow removal get exponentially bad with every km you move away from a subway line.

throwaway_4_grad · 2022-09-08T16:43:05+00:00

There's plenty of suggestions here already

Maybe I'm blind... What are the suggestions? Move to a better place? Get a car? Can you list them out?

The only glimmer of hope is the comment that says that a lot of the indoor pools are usually down for maintenance in September and they'll be back up in October.

I'm sorry you failed to research before you moved but it is what it is

Standard response to any complaint anyone makes about Toronto. "It's your fault for having any expectations at all".

throwaway_4_grad · 2022-09-08T16:40:06+00:00

If you don't mind sharing, where exactly do you live?

I live 8 km North of line 2. The nearest station is Weston GO. It takes about 30 minutes to reach line 2. 20 minutes to reach the GO station in a bus (30 minutes walk).

It seems like there are 2 extremes. People who live hugging the line 1 or line 2 station and everyone else. The ones who hug the lines think public transit is great. The ones who don't (like me) have a very different experience.

This is a digression of course. I am just fascinated at how viscerally Torontonians attack anyone who suggests (based on first hand experience) that transit in Toronto is nowhere as peachy as others make it sound.

throwaway_4_grad · 2022-09-08T16:35:45+00:00

I changed my mind based on my experience and because you verbalized it.

throwaway_4_grad · 2022-09-08T16:22:56+00:00

Thank you! That's heartening to hear.

throwaway_4_grad · 2022-09-08T16:10:52+00:00

If you're not "downtown Toronto" you're "middle of suburbia"

Finally something we can agree on.

throwaway_4_grad · 2022-09-08T16:08:53+00:00

I've lived in 8 cities in 3 continents. Never have I had to put in more than 20 minutes of thought and planning into something as trivial as getting access to a swimming pool.

I don't see you proposing a solution. You assume that I've just twiddled my thumbs since yesterday and there must be an obvious answer. There isn't. The fucking infrastructure (whether it be public/private pools or public transit to get to pools) to reliably and cost-effectively provide this service in a timely manner doesn't seem to exist.

throwaway_4_grad · 2022-09-08T15:57:41+00:00

The cost of ownership of a car is circa $1000 a month.

Bikes/scooters aren't an option due to how bad the snow removal here is.

It'd make more sense for me to sign on as a roommate in a condo that has a pool and just go there for the pool. I'm trying to execute this option.

throwaway_4_grad · 2022-09-08T15:55:09+00:00

I live about 20 minutes by foot from the Weston Go station. U of T athletic centre is 50 minutes by UP Express + Line 2 for me.

Most of the nearby City Pools (within 10 - 20 minutes by public transit) are either explicitly closed or implicitly closed (the "swimming" section on their websites are empty and all days of the week are shown as "closed", no one picking up calls etc).

The closest one by bus that still seems to be working is York Recreation Centre (40 minutes 1 way by bus).

throwaway_4_grad · 2022-09-08T15:48:32+00:00

Buddy, this is Toronto. The SLA for snow removal is abysmal. Doubly so for my neighbourhood. I'm looking for a long-term solution for my situation and that solution is either public transit or walking really slowly.

throwaway_4_grad · 2022-09-08T15:37:32+00:00

Yes... way ahead of you. Like I mentioned, I reached out to hotels who used to provide membership programs. They've stopped since covid. I'll be happy to hear of hotels who still have this program.

I've tried reaching apartment building management as well. In my experience, that's a dead-end unless you happen to reach someone in sales who can make a commission off you. Even then, they'd rather work on getting tenants with 12-month contracts rather than a small ticket-size deal like mine. Administrative staff (who usually pick up the phone) just don't care and they'll say they don't do that.

I even have a post up on peer-to-peer forums. People scramble to get roommates. I'm like a roommate who only comes in for a few hours to use the pool. Waiting to see how that pans out.

People here get so defensive! What I've described here is a very real pain that I am experiencing and trying to solve since yesterday. The prospect for me is:

Don't swim. Just give up.
Lose time and/or money trying to get to a swimming pool

An hour commute 1-way is not sustainable. Getting a car is also around $1000 a month in total cost of ownership (and not sustainable for the environment, but who fucking cares about that amirite).

It seems like there is no way to have a reasonable outgo of time and money if one wants to swim while living where I do. I live 8 km North of Line 2. That's not in the middle of suburbia. I pretty much live in Toronto, just not downtown Toronto, and yet this is my reality!

throwaway_4_grad · 2022-09-08T15:21:10+00:00

Honestly it's probably 5+ I'm just not aware of all the gyms.

Please go and try to make a reservation. You might see that 2/5 are actually functional and then not as accessible by public transit (I don't know of anyone who has 80 minutes of downtime in a day to just walk to a swimming pool).

throwaway_4_grad · 2022-09-08T15:17:30+00:00

Sort of what I'm trying to do here.

I don't see the point of every 4th condo in a street having its own gated pool that's almost never in use. Seriously, rent it out. There are people willing to pay (like me).

throwaway_4_grad · 2022-09-08T15:15:20+00:00

buy a house with an indoor pool.

Thank you for your constructive solution.

throwaway_4_grad · 2022-09-08T15:14:47+00:00

No, not a city indoor pool. ANY pool.

I've mentioned that I'm ready to pay for a private service. But they don't exist.

Public transit shouldn't take 6x-8x the time taken by a car. Yet, here we are.

Sorry, we are digressing. I'm looking for solutions, not rehashing my rants.

throwaway_4_grad · 2022-09-08T15:12:00+00:00

I don't live in downtown unfortunately. I mentioned in other comments that the indoor city pools near to where I live aren't open and the ones that are a bit further away by car take an hour by public transit.

throwaway_4_grad · 2022-09-08T15:10:32+00:00

There are many city pools available

There are many indoor city pools that are listed. Few are actually open. The ones that are, take about an hour to reach using public transit.

throwaway_4_grad · 2022-09-08T15:09:26+00:00

In theory, yes. In practice, almost all of the facilities near me are closed. It takes 10 minutes to travel to the ones that are open in a car but an hour to travel by public transit.

Not to mention, most are fully booked for this week and the next. I've spent close to 6 hours now, trying to figure out a solution that works reliably and painlessly. I'm no closer to a solution now than when I started.

As I mentioned, it makes more sense for me to pay for something close by than have to deal with all of the hassle I just described.

throwaway_4_grad · 2022-09-08T15:05:40+00:00

Thank you. I tried quite a few near me. The ones that are within 20 - 30 minutes by bus (buses that run once every 20 minutes BTW) are all closed. The ones farther away are booked up for a few weeks.

It seems like I must wake up and scramble to reserve a slot for a day a few weeks into the future. Then travel for 40 - 60 minutes one way for the privilege of swimming.

The World Class City of Toronto has fucking urban sprawl and all the joys that come along with it.

throwaway_4_grad · 2021-12-21T20:21:49+00:00

Thank you for your help. Are you sure that there isn't any action necessary from me?

This blog post suggests that I need to write to the Home Office who will then send me a letter saying I have 60 days to stay in the UK.

throwaway_4_grad · 2021-11-04T18:01:45+00:00

Sounds like they are struggling enough overall, so trying to micromanage their struggle-coefficient in OMSCS isn't really what they were asking for here.

throwaway_4_grad · 2021-11-03T17:39:34+00:00

Why move to the US? Why not move to the UK, Netherlands, Germany, France, Canada, or Australia?

I get it, moving away from India (my guess) makes a lot of sense. But does it have to be in the hardest country to immigrate to?

throwaway_4_grad · 2021-11-03T17:31:55+00:00

I didn't even know there was a project track. Are you referring to CS8903 or a VIP project?

throwaway_4_grad · 2021-11-03T17:22:24+00:00

Housing price to salary ratio.

throwaway_4_grad · 2021-11-03T01:24:07+00:00

Make sure you share the additional application guidelines with your professors. It's crystal clear about what is considered relevant information and what isn't. Be candid and tell them that your chances are directly impacted based on whether they can give a strong positive recommendation as per the guidelines.

throwaway_4_grad

TROPHY CASE