Alexandra Park pool, setting sun by Garry Choo.

If it is 30 degrees at 3pm and no chance of thunderstorms, go night swimming at one of these Toronto outdoor pools:

• Monarch Park – south of Danforth Avenue, west of Coxwell Avenue
• Regent Park – south of Gerrard Street, east of Sackville Street
• Alex Duff – Bloor Street West, west of Christie Street
• Alexandra Park – Bathurst Street at Dundas Street West
• Giovanni Caboto – 1369 St. Clair Avenue West
• Sunnyside Gus Ryder – Lake Shore Boulevard at Parkside Drive *note: this pool is closed for 2010 season for repairs*
• McGregor Pool – 2231 Lawrence Avenue East

Swim till 11:45pm!

Here’s a great photo of the hotel pool someone took from their room up above. What I like is that it is partly indoor partly outdoor, open and heated year round. It’s right across from City Hall, and has a nice brutalist tactility. I have a memory of going there as a kid when the gardens were covered in snow and the steam off the water felt so magical. But as an adult, this pool is a bit of a disappointment. The surrounding buildings enclose the 3rd floor garden, shutting off most views of the sky. It hasn’t been kept up or improved since the 70s. They should make it fabulous! Alas, Toronto. If you go to http://www.infiltration.org/hotels-plunge.html, it seems that walking in off the street is difficult but I disagree.

A great swim at Wards beach minutes from the city. Behind Gibraltar Point has a great vibe, but the biting ants!!! Clothing optional beach at Hanlan’s was packed. Getting to the ferry at 8:30 gets you a crowd-free trip. For Toronto beach water quality updates, check http://www.toronto.ca/beach/ or call the beach hotline at 416 392 7161. The national blue flag program info is at http://www.blueflag.ca/drupal/?q=node/110.

The Roosevelt Baths in Saratoga Springs. Opened in 1935 and re-opened in 2004 as the only location one can bathe on the grounds of the historic complex within a park. A beautifully manicured ghost town of what was once a grand spa. The water is naturally carbonated, creating a fine envelope of bubbles over your whole body. As you lie peacefully in their single-person tubs, migrating microclimates swim over your skin. Super heat and cool zones alternately emerge creating a hyper-sensual awareness.