On a recent Saturday, the rooftop common area at One North Four, a luxury rental building in Williamsburg, was packed with partygoers swaying to thumping music and internet celebrities posing on swan-shaped inflatables.
Kevin, 29, a resident of the building who works in real estate, had planned to spend a relaxing day by the pool during the heatwave. However, he could barely find a seat on the shore, let alone jump into the water.
“Not only residents but anyone who knows there is a swimming pool up here just needs to walk up,” he said.
With temperatures soaring to 100 degrees Fahrenheit and a spate of shark attacks making local beaches less appealing, New Yorkers are flocking to luxury swimming pools this summer. But overcrowding is causing clashes across the city as residents seeking to enjoy the calm waters clash with booze- and vomit-soaked pool partygoers, according to The New York Post.
“It’s a freebie for all,” Kevin said of the pool, which he pays $65 a month to use, along with other building amenities like a yoga studio. That’s on top of his $4,750 a month rent.
Kevin lamented how he couldn't even find a chair last weekend as the bikini-clad crowd poured into the water.
At 420 Kent, another luxury building in Williamsburg, glass bottles from the previous day were strewn across the seventh-floor outdoor terrace while another afternoon party was just getting started. Drunk behavior became such a problem that building management issued a written warning in an effort to stem the unruly crowds.
“When people party irresponsibly, the things left behind hinder other people’s enjoyment. Pools and parties are a must in the summer, but not in this way,” said one resident.
Joseph Bonvouloir, 26, founder and CEO of a wealth management company, pays about $300 a month for access to the sprawling pool area at Equinox Hudson Yards. To this day, he is haunted by the crowds.
“On weekends, if I'm not there early in the morning, I'll have to wait about four hours just to get a chair,” he complained.
New Yorkers are experiencing their first heat wave of the summer, with daily temperatures rising to record highs of around 37 degrees Celsius, according to The New York Times.
Forecasters say it is the hottest the city has seen in a long time. A heat-related death was recently reported in New York City on July 23. The cause was hyperthermia due to exposure to the elements, according to the New York City Medical Examiner's Office.
The chaotic scene is causing some renters to flee before signing a lease. Last month, Dennis Shirshikov, 32, was looking for an apartment on the Upper West Side. When he walked into the pool area of a luxury building on West 87th Street, he was shocked by the scene: young and middle-aged people jostling and screaming around empty beer cans strewn on the floor.
The young father could never let his children get involved in this chaos and continued his search. Next month, he will move to a building near Lincoln Center, where things are more civilized.
“I swim a few laps after work, relax and sit in silence. Everyone stays in their own lane,” Shirshikov said.
