I took a lot of slack when I lived in Williamsburg. It’s unofficially the neighborhood that most New Yorkers love to hate. There is a neighborhood like it in most cities; a place where young artists, musicians, writers and filmmakers hang out and congratulate each other. We used to call the L-Train to Bedford Avenue, the “hipster omni-bus.” Regardless, I had a blast living there.

McCarren Park, a sprawling park on the northern tip of Williamsburg bordering Greenpoint was always the center point for any weekend afternoon meanderings in the neighborhood. It was a great place to catch up with neighbors, friends and local gossip. The park also boasts tennis courts, a track, baseball fields and, until recently an abandoned pool.

The McCarren Park Pool is one of the largest in the world—the size of three Olympic swimming pools put together. It was the brain child of NYC city planner Robert Moses and opened 1936 during a rash of public works projects in New York City. It was a huge success with the neighborhood, but the pool eventually fell into disrepair in the 1970s and became a magnet for drugs and gangs. Things got so bad that when the city allocated funds to repair the pool neighbors protested preferring that it stay empty.

Not much happened after that, occasionally I would hear about an impromptu bonfire or party going on at the abandoned pool, but for the most part it sat unused, a beautiful, decaying testimony to the neighborhoods past. Now, the pool has once again worked its way into the center of the neighborhood’s social life.

The pool now hosts tons of concerts, film screenings, dance performances and “pool” parties. Many of these events are free. Past and future performers include Cat Power, Feist, Sonic Youth, TV On The Radio, Archie Bell, and Grizzly Bear Among others.