Jackson Heights Life

I'm sorry to be Debbie Downer, but I just wanted to relay a chat I had with a coworker - he was bitching about his gym two days ago and I asked where he went and he said Blink (the one in Nolita or Noho).  He said it was great when it first opened and then it just fell apart and it got dirtier every day.  You really get what you pay for ($20) -no towels, no classes, no free weights, teeny locker rooms (that might be because of the location) and they never clean the bathrooms.  I was suprised that they only have machines.  I'm not going to join a gym that doesn't have free weights or classes.

He said he's been trying to quit and it's been a nightmare of them being extremely difficult and pulling out a bunch of hidden fees.  Just be very careful if you join and get the cancellation policy spelled out for you very clearly. 

I went online after talking to him and I saw a bunch of similar complaints. 
Hopefully this one will be nicer but the cancellation policy will still be the same, so just be aware. 

I wonder what will happen to my paid-for EFZ membership if Blink takes over. I wouldn't mind a bright clean place with working machines, but I hope current staff get the option to stay. I'm not sure where they plan to put 150 machines, unless they take over more than the two rooms that the current gym has.

I recently quit NYSC because it's very expensive and even Sunnyside is too far away for me.  I thought I would go but getting on a subway to go to a gym is not as easy as you think it will be.  Even they have ridiculous cancellation policies - I always read anything I sign so I know what the policies are.  I did let them this area is starving for a good decent gym and to open up here, and I hope they do.  But at this point, hell, I'll take Blink.  Just going to adopt a wait and see attitude on it, and if I like what I see and if it's clean and comfortable, then I'll join up.  At least it won't require a subway to get to and I can go home to shower.  I understand it's along the lines of Planet Fitness but that's ok to me.

Yes, sadly I was informed of Blink's postponement as well. Of course, I'm still interested as it seems they are soon to be opening two locations very near my office in Manhattan. It would be extremely convenient to have the option to work out at either location.

It's nice to hear someone say "nice, decent" in the same sentence with "we deserve it."

I work in White Plains, and belong to the Blink there. It's pretty terrific. Complaints about there being no classes, towels, etc. are pretty irrelevant since the gyms are designed to be very basic (and thus the low cost). Their gyms are huge, have tons of equipment (especially cardio), are super clean, and have adequate locker rooms. They are not owned by Equinox, but Equinox does have a share in Blink. I belonged to Equinox in the past and I find Blink to be maintained (and cleaned) as well as Equinox.

I was told that sales for JH will begin in early 2014 with a summer opening. The Astoria gym is opening in December.

That's good EFN will stay in the neighborhood. It ought to ease overcrowding at both places, and offer options for people. I actually just joined Blink in Astoria recently. Management seems to be very good. It's always well-occupied, but never packed. The place is kept really clean. The atmosphere is friendly. But it's on Steinway, which is lined with gyms, so gym-goers are distributed along the commercial strip. It will be interesting to see how it goes in Jackson Heights, but with good management and some local competition, I think it will a success.