Gym: Larry North Fitness at CityPlace
Parking: Free parking is available in the garage. Just take your parking ticket to the club, on the second floor of the Cityplace tower, to get it validated. It’s also right above where DART drops you off, so it’s pretty easy to take train or bus there.
Hours: Weekdays, 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; closed Sundays
Price: Membership starts at $69, with an enrollment fee of $295; memberships are month to month (they do complimentary freezing of accounts if you’re traveling.)
Who Goes There: About 70 percent of its membership is office workers from in the Cityplace building. When I visited at 6 p.m. on a weekday, I saw a lot of young professionals.
Rush Hour: They are busiest during lunch.
What To Wear: Pretty much anything goes. I saw some Lululemon, but I also took a class with three other ladies in college t-shirts. It’s laid-back, so wear what’s comfortable.
Best Views: Grab a treadmill on the third-floor cardio area. The windows look towards downtown. It’s beautiful.
Group Classes: About six or so group classes are offered during weekdays and one on Saturdays.
Facilities Include: There’s a basketball court, steam and sauna rooms in both locker rooms, whirlpools, and a spa.
The Lowdown: Gyms scare me, which is exactly why I wanted to launch this series. I’m intimidated by the unknown. Plus I have a perfectly functional (and free) gym at my apartment, so I don’t feel like I need a gym. I hate to say it on my first review, but I fell in love with this place. It’s my kind of gym: it’s decked out, but not overcrowded. It’s got all the bells and whistles, but none of the pretention. It’s convenient and affordable. And it has a basketball court.
Larry North has been in the fitness business for 25 years. The space at CityPlace has been around since 2009. But back then it was designed only for people who worked in the building. When North took over a little more than two years ago, he brought along his approach to fitness programs. The finish-outs on everything are beautiful, and there are special touches throughout. Everyone who works there seems to know everyone who works out there. I like that level of accountability and the friendliness of the staff. I hate to sound so biased, but I’m sold. I’ll probably go back.
Beware: They’re on their sales game here. Within 20 minutes of singing up for the free pass, I received a phone call from a manager. Turns out it was for the wrong location (user error), so he sent my info to the correct location’s manager. The next day, I received two calls from her. I finally answered, and she talked me through the parking process and asked when I’d be coming in. At first, I was a little annoyed I was receiving so many calls. But then I realized they were just making sure I knew where I was going. So I got over it.
