I Joined A Gym...

... and I have a feeling it will provide me with tons of blog fodder.

Yesterday I joined the Astoria Sports Complex cardio gym.  It's an INCREDIBLE deal - after "taxes" and "fees" my annual membership came to a grand total of ... $159.00.  Yes ... AMERICAN dollars.  That works out to $13.25 per month.  Oh, and it's only about a 7 minute walk from my apartment.

When I first walked past the facility over the weekend (and saw their sign with the low membership price), I was intrigued.  I'm totally not a gym person - I don't talk to anyone, I don't lift weights, I don't take showers ... I go in, get on a bike or stairmaster, do my thing, and then go home.  That is all.  And since you only pay for the areas you use (cardio, free weights and/or the pool) - it is totally worth the money for me.

But what sealed the deal were the hysterical reviews of the gym on Yelp.com.  They pretty much all said the facility was run down, not clean, and full of crazies - but every single person said it was well worth the price.  Here is a sample of the reviews.

They should seriously make this place an Astoria landmark. Although most of the equipment is practically held together with duct tape and their cheesy neon vintage lights from the 70's/80's might make you think twice, take a minute to actually scope out this place. 

I remember one time when I saw a woman riding a stationary bike in a full Sari. That was interesting. And then of course there's the crazy Japanese guy that well... lord only knows what he's doing on the machines but I'm not sure he knows either (think abstract exercising). ... David S. (not me)

This gym is so freaking chintzy. It smells like cigarettes, the decorations are crazy (fluorescent-lighted giant Oscar statue, anyone?), and the treadmills will give you an electric shock if you give them enough of your time. 

That said, I really love this gym. I love the fact that I pay like $13/month and they have decent equipment, plus a few classes (haven't managed to attend yet--they're too late for me--but I did notice that at least one incorporates a disco light--score). I love to run on said electroshock treadmill and watch the boxers train. And even at "rush hour" after work, it isn't too crowded. Don't know anything about the pool, though--even though I love to swim, I was turned off by the low light and what I perceived as murky-looking water. ... Kate Z

No one talks to me except occasionally some weirdo will say some random thing (like how a bum talks to you as you walk by and you just ignore it). No one looks at you. You can wear a bright yellow shirt that says Kansas on it and red sweatpants and a multi colored headband and payless sneakers and no one even notices or cares. I have seen people working out in jeans here. It's kind of like a dive bar in a gym. The aerobic instructor is overweight. It's awesome. You go there and work out and go home and no one bothers you. it's what a gym should be. And it's super cheap. ... Erin B

They had me at "overweight aerobics instructor".  This is my kinda gym...