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We like anything floating, from floating tacos to floating wine, and we especially like this floating pool. (It’s not just a pool for floating in. There’s a difference.) Called the + POOL, the plus-shaped outdoor swimming pool floating in the East River will filter river water into each of the four arms, dedicated to laps, recreation, wading and lessons.
But don’t get excited just yet. The idea for the pool was first floated in 2011, when it launched a Kickstarter. It’s now raised more than $400,000 with sales of commemorative pool tiles. (A group tile is $25, a tile all to yourself is $199 and a special blue tile is $249.) There have also been plenty of social media updates—there are regular Facebook posts and it was tweeting dutifully through the heat dome.
That all seems very impressive, but read a little closer: Right now the final goal is $500,000…to create a mockup of a piece (just a piece, not the whole thing) of the pool. The final goal for actually completing the pool is reportedly $15 million. The website also states that it originally expected to be in the water by 2012, and the timeline currently has a debut date of May 25, 2016 (which it clearly missed). At this rate, it’s not looking great.
It's even hosting an August 17 pool party. That’s less than a month away, but before you grab your pink flamingo floatie, notice that it’s actually at a boring old pool on the ground at the William Vale in Brooklyn, not on the crazy new one. So don’t hold your breath just yet.
Photograph: Courtesy + POOL