Take a Dip

It's not summer until you've felt the glorious sensation of chlorine up your nose. And then it's still not technically summer until the solstice on June 21, according to the same unfun pedants who insist that the 21st century didn't actually start until the year 2001. Get a jump on the solstice and the pedants today, when the Kansas City, Missouri, Parks and Recreation Department throws open the gates at all its public pools. Finally, you can play Marco Polo where God intended — in a variable-depth, Olympic-sized pool of clear, chemically treated water. Just don't splash that kid who has tubes in his ears, because the lifeguard is totally watching. For hours and locations, see kcmo.org/parks.nsf/web/aquatics.
May 24-Sept. 1, 2008