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FASHION & STYLE
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A Roving Manhattan Pool Party Eases the Summer Heat By PATRICK HEIJ AUG. 18, 2015
On sweltering summer days, the mind wanders masochistically to the beaches of the Hamptons, or the private pools tucked behind exclusive addresses. The Downtown Pool Club offers a refreshing option, with a roving Manhattan pool party, three times a week. “We were sneaking into all the hotel pools,” said Gabrielle Swan, a fashion stylist who teamed up with Travis Bass, the bespectacled pasha of downtown popup parties, to form the club. “We wanted to give the same access to our friends.” That group of chums, mostly photogenic fashion types, have been frolicking this summer in the pools at three downtown hotels: Hotel Americano, Dream Downtown and Sixty LES. The series runs through Labor Day. The Place Let’s get this out of the way: These pools are small. But the scene makes up for it. At the Hotel Americano, cabanas surround an aquamarine lagoon 10 stories above the city, while a poolside bar awaits midswim margarita orders. Southern exposure floods the roof with sun, providing ample basking opportunities. The Crowd The pool club could be accused of pond stocking, especially at the Americano, where the pool regularly becomes the broth in a minestrone of models. It’s a classic New York recipe, though, and was also applied at the Dream Downtown, where the crowd recently included Salt, Pepa and Spinderella. Sixty LES’s perch on the Lower
East Side draws well-seasoned 20-something scenesters, less to swim than to swill poolside. Playlist Grier Newlin, the club’s perennially shirtless resident D.J., spins Italo disco, deep house and Dirty South rap anthems in a pair of Muay Thai shorts Getting In The parties are free. “We welcome new members, but we do vet people,” Ms. Swan said. To join, send a direct message to @downtownpoolclub on Instagram. Drinks As with many hotel bars, cocktails are pricey and can easily set you back $20. Luckily, there are drink specials, including jalapeño margaritas ($12) at the Americano, and lime mojitos ($14) at the Sixty. Downtown Pool Club. Held at various hotel pools in Manhattan: Hotel Americano, 518 W 27th Street (Fridays, noon to 9 p.m.); Sixty LES, 190 Allen Street (Tuesdays, 5 to 10 p.m.); Dream Downtown, 355 West 16th Street (Wednesdays, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.) A version of this article appears in print on August 20, 2015, on page D5 of the New York edition with the headline: Downtown Pool Club.
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