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Opening Hours
Today: 5:30am–10pm
Tues:
5:30am–10pm
Wed:
5:30am–10pm
Thurs:
5:30am–10pm
Fri:
5:30am–10pm
Sat:
6am–8pm
Sun:
6am–8pm
Location
555 East 90th Street
Asphalt Green 1 Fitness Centers and Gyms Playgrounds Pools Recreational Courts Swimming Upper East Side Yorkville

Asphalt Green is a non-profit organization that provides facilities and programs to all ages in the hopes of promoting health and fitness. The Upper East Side campus is composed of an entire city block between York Avenue and the FDR Drive.

The organization was founded in 1972 by Dr. George E. Murphy, a Cornell professor of pathology, and his wife, Annette. Asphalt Green got its name from the fact that it was built on the site of the abandoned Municipal Asphalt Plant, which was declared a city landmark in 1976, thanks to the couple’s efforts. In 1984, the Upper East Side campus officially opened. Today, facilities include an enormous outdoor turf field, an Olympic-size pool, and a 15,000 square foot fitness center. In 2013, a second location opened in Battery Park City.

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Asphalt Green 1 Fitness Centers and Gyms Playgrounds Pools Recreational Courts Swimming Upper East Side Yorkville
Asphalt Green 2 Fitness Centers and Gyms Playgrounds Pools Recreational Courts Swimming Upper East Side Yorkville
Asphalt Green 3 Fitness Centers and Gyms Playgrounds Pools Recreational Courts Swimming Upper East Side Yorkville
Asphalt Green 4 Fitness Centers and Gyms Playgrounds Pools Recreational Courts Swimming Upper East Side Yorkville
Asphalt Green 5 Fitness Centers and Gyms Playgrounds Pools Recreational Courts Swimming Upper East Side Yorkville

More places on 90th Street

Lost Gem
Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel 1 Churches Upper East Side Yorkville

Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel

My visit to the Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel came only a year after it merged with the Church of St. Thomas More in 2015. Though the two buildings remain open, the Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel is considered the parish church. The reasons for the merger were spiritual, financial, and community-based. It is the hope of the combined parishes that they continue to grow stronger under one pastor.As for the history of the Our Lady of Good Counsel, the church had its beginnings in 1886 and moved into its current home in 1892. Though its origins were Irish and German, the Roman Catholic Church now embraces a diverse community and offers Spanish masses every week.Louisa, a member of the staff, led me into the beautifully ornate sanctuary. The altar was decorated with cherry blossoms for springtime, an attractive addition to the stained glass and marble. The vast, two-tiered space is blindingly colorful and features an enormous working organ. Music, Louisa informed me, plays a central role in the congregation.Louisa spoke to me about an event called Catholic Underground that happens on the first Saturday of every month from September through May. Hundreds of people, often young people in their teens or twenties, fill the sanctuary for an hour of “Eucharistic adoration.” After the ceremony, everyone goes downstairs to the lower church where singers, bands, or individual musicians play. The musical groups come from around the world. As Louisa explained, the event began as a way of “bringing culture to the people.” This did not originate in the Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel, but has taken place there since the early 2000s. Though everyone is invited to attend, Catholic Underground’s primary goal is to connect with young people in the community...and it appears to be working nicely.