4. The McCarren Park Pool Was a Concert Venue

Before the McCarren Park Pool reopened in 2012, it was a vast, vacant basin—a great venue for concerts! The space held 6,000 people and offered free Sunday concerts. During the summer, you could find the pool filled with people listening to artists ranging from M.I.A to Sonic Youth.  The first concert took place in July 2006, while the last one was in August 2008. However, reopening the pool as a concert venue wasn’t an easy task—it cost $250,000 just to prepare the space. It all started when Canadian-born choreographer Noemie LaFrance wanted to perform at the empty pool space and called the NYC Parks Department. They agreed, and LaFrance raised $50,000 herself, while the rest was acquired by the concert promoter Live Nation.