If there was one pool I would do just about anything to float a cake in...

... it would be the Neptune Pool at Hearst Castle. It is 104 feet long, 58 feet wide and 95 feet wide and would certainly feature the 5-tier wedding cake for the sake of grandiosity. The one and only time I visited it, I tried so hard to think of a way to "fall in" as if it was an accident. I was recently talking with my friend Jessica about it and her opportunity to visit Hearst Castle featured the pool DRAINED! They should advertise that on the website before visiting. How horrible!



Legal ways to swim in the pool:

1) In 2008, Friends of Hearst Castle auctioned a one night stay and chance to swim in the pool on ebay. Every once in awhile they auction two hour swims for ten of your best friends to enjoy the pool. Yet another reason why I need to win the lottery that I have never played.

2) There is an annual employee day swim for family and friends. I have often wondered if those employees found ulterior methods to go swimming any other day of the year.

So with this in mind... I think our best option (Nancy you have to participate in this) is...

The Not So Legal Option:

Follow Sophie Calle's method of getting a job as a housekeeper in her series Suite Vénitienne at Hearst Castle just long enough to participate in the annual swim. Something tells me that we would find "other" ways as well.



The interior Roman Pool is also quite spectacular but not exactly "outdoors" enough for this project. Images via this funny Luxury Pool website which incidentally features a good selection of "weird pools" and one that Nancy and I were caught swimming in by the clean up crew in our underwear well after the pool had closed...



The Joule in Dallas! One of the best swimming pools in Texas! Image credit.