can anyone point out a pool or a gym (with a pool) in palo Alto that allows visitors/ thanks
.
isn’t Stanford in Palo Alto?
IF YOU SWIM AT THE STANFORD POOL(S) I WANT PHOTOS AND LOTS OF THEM! beautiful place 
I looked at it when I was choosing colleges. Unfortunately, they did not want ME, but I did get to meet the womens’ swim team. I’m SO applying there for med school. (end of tangent)
I swam at the Rinconada pool (off Embarcadero) three years ago. Crowded but clean and cheap, people also seemed at ease with circling.
Stanford has beautiful facilities; haven’t been there in 8 years. You can contact the Stanford Masters to ask about dropping into a practice. I think they’re still having morning, noon, and evening practices. 50 meters, outdoors, in Norcal . . . I miss it. Security was pretty lax back in the day, but they usually did ask to see a Stanford ID.
swimmersguide.com has pool descriptions around the country, with links. It has revolutionized my travel habits.
I used this pool a few times last year. Nice pool, get there early and be prepared to circle swim during peak hours. Really close to Stanford and easy to get to.
I went there for grad school and competed on the triathlon team…Just about the best area on the planet for training. Pool is beautiful-I still have dreams about it, and the cycling is amazing. I don’t know of too many other places where you can get a mountain climb and coastal ride in on the same day in about 60 miles.
Stan
Stanford allows visitors to their Masters workouts. Workout times are currently 5:30-7 am Monday through Friday, 12-1 Monday through Friday, 6:30-8 pm Monday through Thursday, SAturda from 6-7:30 and Sunday from 7-8:30. Just tell the coach on the deck that you’re visiting and it will probably be free.
Rinconada Pool is OK and then there’s Burgess Pool in Menlo Park just a few minutes from Palo Alto/Stanford.
Stop by or call the store if you need other more info on swimming in the area or ride/run routes.
"I don’t know of too many other places where you can get a mountain climb and coastal ride in on the same day in about 60 miles. "
Mount Desert Island, Maine - you can do Cadillac and the loop road 
east coast, I love my summer house. It’s a sandcastle on the beach 
Check out Burgess pool in Menlo Park, home of Team Sheeper and Menlo Masters. Go to
http://www.teamsheeper.com/ and send an e-mail to see if you can work out with the swim team or when the pool is open to civilians.
http://www.teamsheeper.com/about/directions.php for directions to the pool.
thanks for all the great advice, guys. I’m a little sheepish of trying to go swim at Stanford - it just sounds like everyone who’d be swimming there would be fast.
'll be workingout of an office on Embarcadero, so staying nearby. i’ll try to call a couple of the places today to see if I can drop in and float around monday morning.
Stanford has people ranging from former Olympic gold medalists down to people who swim 3+ min/hundred. Don’t be intimidated, all of the coaches are very low key and Mondays are always an aerobic recovery workout with lots of rest. Just drop by and give it a try.
Here’s the link to all the info/directions: Stanford Masters
try Eagle Park pool in Mountainview. Probabaly a short drive from where you are staying. I swim there occassionally at lunch and it’s pretty laid back. Crowded, but laid back.
Darrell has it nailed - swim with Terry at the Stanford Masters workouts & don’t be intimidated. Just get in the right lane for your speed, enjoy a wonderful workout with a strong group, and then (the really hard part) try coming back home afterward!
-Mike ('85)
Who’s Terry? Do you mean Tim? Tim is the guy who coaches all the morning and weekend along with most of the noon
workouts. He’s easy to spot since he wears glasses and starts each workout with a joke. Some of them are even good.
Contrary to popular belief not many of the Stanford Masters people compete even though there are some very fast swimmers. Maybe 10% do swim events, probably up to 40% if you count triathletes and those who do an open water event once a year.
I would highly recommend the group if you’re ever visiting the area. There are lots of good ride/run routes that start just minutes from Stanford too.
I like Rinconada.
I haven’t found it to be very crowded. At most, I’ve shared with one other person.
I usually had a lane to myself Friday evenings. I guess everybody else has better things to do Friday night than practice swimming
It is now $4 though you can apply for a pass and pay $3.50 per session.
If you can get into Stanford, it has the nicest pool complex I have ever seen.
I’ll swim at Rinconada on occasion when I want to get in a really long, aerobic swim before an IM. It’s an OK pool but I really prefer long course meters. That’s the whole reason why I started swimming mornings instead of evenings at Stanford, mornings are always LCM.
It is Tim (which becomes Terry in your head after a beer or two, btw – a really great coach, good thoughtful workouts, a “theme” for each day of the week, which changes monthly during the season, and does indeed have a joke or two pretty much every day.
Anyone who is on a masters team somewhere can get in as a visitor, essentially anytime.
You never leave without promising yourself you’ll get back there some day…
-Mike