This is the twelfth summer since I decided to swim in every Philadelphia public pool, and the eleventh since I started this blog (and later this Instagram) to chronicle them. My love for our pools has both deepened and gotten more complicated in that time. I sometimes joke that I may be the world’s leading expert on Philadelphia public pools (though in truth I know I will always be chasing Larry Brown). But in the past few years, I have put much more energy into trying to get our year-round indoor public pools reopened than sharing information about the ones that are.

And accurate, accessible info about our pools is such a need. Over much of the last decade, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation’s communication improved. But since last summer, and the intervening mayoral-administration transition, Parks and Rec has had three different leaders, a complete decimation of their comms team, and plenty of other turnover and transition. The valiant staff who stayed did their best. They opened 53 outdoor pools this summer, as well as the one working indoor pool we’ve got left. They hired and trained hundreds of lifeguards and pool attendants. They offered free swim lessons, fitness classes, and sensory swim hours. They found swimsuits for kids who needed them. It wasn’t tidy, easy, or always well communicated, but man did it matter anyway! Our public pools make life in Philly so much better.

No one was more in touch with that this season than Kali Morgan. Recently sprung from running their own small business, Kali decided to cap nearly five decades of Philly-public-pool enthusiasm with a summer swimming in all of them. They took pictures and voice-to-text recorded their impressions as they went. They were considering starting their own blog when they came across this one, and reached out to collaborate.

So – coming soon! – you will find a new page here with a complete compendium of all the public pools in Philly; first-hand accounts of recent visits (and attempted visits) to each pool open this summer; and a round-up of pool accessibility, features, and services available. I often think of our pools as a gift from our city; Kali describes their idea for a 2024 Philly Public Pool Guide as a love letter to our city.

Here’s Kali in their own words:

Out of work for the summer, I am excited to contribute to this blog on one of my favorite topics: Philadelphia public pools.

This summer, after the local news media announced that “All 60 public pools will open” [note: notwithstanding local reporting, there are still over 70 public pools in Philadelphia], I impatiently waited for my neighborhood pool at Pleasant Playground to fill up and open its gates.

When the pool finally opened at the end of June, I went with a friend who is relatively new to Philadelphia to splash with me during which time I told her how much I loved the free public pools here, and how the pools’ existence is a primary reason I have never moved to another place. I decided then that I would make an effort to swim in every single Philadelphia public pool this summer.

I posted to my Facebook feed (my only personal social media) and invited friends to join me. An old friend who resides in Kensington/Northern Liberties was the first person to respond, so we kicked off my tour in that neighborhood.

I have lived in Philly most of my life (I moved to Northeast Philly from the suburbs in 1976, when I was in the 2nd grade) and have lived in many different neighborhoods. Each time I moved, I found pools in my neighborhood to jump in each summer by calling the old (pre-internet) City number MU6-1776. (That number now forwards to a voicemail at 311.)
 
It was not until 2015ish that I visited pools outside of the neighborhoods where I lived. I discovered my love for Aqua Zumba, which rotated through different neighborhoods and with different instructors. I followed AZ almost religiously – when I could find information about classes, and when those classes weren’t cancelled due to weather concerns, heat emergencies, or instructor illness/issues. And because I worked downtown, I would jump into the pools around Center City/South Philly, especially Ridgeway, Sacks, O’Connor and Marian Anderson (once Aqua Zumba classes got scheduled there and I discovered that magical place). When the pandemic happened, I missed going out and most especially missed the pools.

This summer, because I am not working, I have focused on rediscovering my neighborhood and reconnecting with some of my favorite recreational activities. As I ponder what my next chapter will be, and where my future might take me, I want to put out into the universe a love letter to one of my absolute favorite things about Philadelphia: Free public pools.

This journey began on Facebook in July. Once I discovered this blog and the work that Mica had done, I knew I wanted to contribute to this effort in a place where people can find the info even if they are not on social media.
 
Thank you so much for joining me and lending meaning to this summer adventure.

Love to Philly, love to you all, and love to the FREE pools and the fine folks who jump in!

Kali