Angelenos are jaded with our poolside access and excess. Everyone and their brother has a pool in their apartment complex or at their great aunt’s Hollywood Hills home. As for having access to a pool in New York City? That’s a rare luxury. Those with guaranteed access are either staying in a hotel, living in New Jersey, or situated in a luxury high rise with a coveted rooftop oasis. Hotels capitalize on this appeal during the dog days of summer by hosting DJ’s and events where socialites eat mini grilled cheese sandwiches and try not to fall into the water fully clothed.
If you’re barely surviving a NYC summer, my advice would be to make friends with people that work at hotels. People that work at hotels are secretly awesome. Being nice to them, not acting like a drunk idiot and getting to know them on a personal level can do wonders. Not only might you be able to get free access to rooftop pools, but you won’t be stuck in a room on a party floor or with a crappy view. Of the few acquaintances I made while living in NYC, a handful of them worked at a hotel. Thanks to that I had the opportunity to escape from my box of an apartment for a rooftop pool with bar access and zero crowds.
That being said, if you’re dying of heat exhaustion in NYC be sure to drop by the James Hotel in Soho. This summer we’ve collaborated with them to create a Cali meets NYC poolside experience. If you forgot your sunnies at home, ask the kind people at the front desk for a GLCO loan. And if you can’t live without the frames you’ve borrowed, rest assured knowing that you can purchase them and make them your own. You’ll also be able to find a selection of curated books and copies of Spectacle for your reading pleasure. We’ve heard via tweets and texts from our friends on the East Coast that the weather has been less than tolerable so far this summer, so do yourself a favor and invite yourself to a pool party already.
