(It's fun to stay at the) YMCA

A few weeks ago, I decided that I was totally fed up with the meat market atmosphere at Bally Total Fitness and cancelled my membership. Careful not to end up going straight home after work to bond with a theatre size box of Junior Mints and a large slice of white cake from the Safeway, I hot-footed it over the new Dale Turner YMCA in Shoreline.

(I'll give you a moment here to sing the song and do the requisite hand motions. Yes, young man, it's time to put your pride on the shelf.)

I was a member at the Bellingham Y back in the day when I was in college. My good friend (and roommate at the time) also worked there and it was walking distance from our apartment, so those were both bonuses, too. Everyone at the Y in Bellingham was nice and people of all ages went there to work out. I never felt like I had to wear matching workout outfits, they didn't play any music in the workout room and nobody ever hassled me to sign up for personal training.

The feeling that I get when I go to the Y in Shoreline is very similar to the way I felt when I went to the Y in Bellingham - welcomed. I know that sounds hokey, but it's true. The people that work there are really nice and the people that work out there don't seem intimidating and I haven't seen any no-neck body builder guys hovering around the weight area.

And the best part about the Shoreline Y is that it's completely new! They just opened not too long ago and there are four different rooms for classes, an extensive class schedule, a pool, a workout room with bikes, treadmills, weights, etc, a basketball court, and a two-level underground parking garage! It's super nice. (And some of the bikes and treadmills actually have televisions - right on the machine! So you can watch "Parental Control" on MTV and burn calories at the same time.)

If you're looking for a good gym and you're up north like I am, I totally recommend the Dale Turner YMCA. After you go there a few times, you might even stop singing the song in your head. Although, come to think of it, I haven't.