Park your bike outside (there are plenty of bike racks), and walk into the lobby of the Community Center. This is where you'll first say ''Wow!'' And this is definitely a ''wow'' building, says Council Member Phil Monroe, who heard that word repeatedly on opening day.

The lobby features soaring dimensions with floor-to-ceiling windows looking straight-away to Glorietta Bay's sailboats, the golf course and bridge beyond. This view is emblematic of the entire Community Center, which celebrates and optimizes the formerly closed-off bay throughout the complex.

To your right is Mount Coronado. On our island, where the closest thing to a mountain is the downward slope from A to Pomona Avenue, Mount Coronado teaches the skills necessary to scale the upper reaches of Yosemite. People ages six and up with no prior experience are welcome to learn the ropes. And speaking of ropes, you'll be assisted by instructors who will raise you up (along with your self-esteem) with a rope-pulley system called ''belaying.''

Belayer/instructor Hilary David says rock climbing is an integral part of the learning and growing process. ''It really builds self confidence.'' she says. ''It teaches problem-solving skills. You learn to trust that your left foot will hold and that you can reach that hand hold to your right. It teaches you that you can go farther.''

Check-in central is opposite Mount Coronado where the recreation staff is eager to tell you about the many programs offered both at the center and throughout the city. There's also a snack bar offering candy bars and soft drinks as well as plenty of healthier choices.

South of the lobby you'll find the massive gym with a full-size regulation basketball court bustling with activity. The gym can be configured to hold two basketball games or four half-court matches simultaneously. Or, half the space can be used for other activities such as volleyball or fitness classes. Lois Hughes' popular morning Jazzercise classes take place in the gym, while her smaller evening classes will be held in the 40-by-34 foot Coral Dance Studio across the hall. The Studio, with hardwood floors, ballet barres and floor-to-ceiling mirrors, is one of several activity rooms on the bay side of the gym, all enhanced with stellar views.

Feel like working out? The Fitness Room features cardio and strength-training fitness equipment including treadmills, elliptical trainers and stationary bikes, all facing the bay. Windows can be folded completely back, allowing fresh air to breeze on through. But then again, fresh air isn't much of a concern at a completely air-conditioned facility.

Additional activity rooms include the Sand Dollar Room with a refrigerator, microwave, deep sink and kiln (did someone say ceramics classes?) and the Abalone Room with a demonstration kitchen (think: cooking classes!).

Heading north from the lobby, you'll find the Community Playhouse, offering cabaret-style seating for 100 and utilizing a sophisticated sound and lighting system. Here you can look forward to more productions by the Coronado Playhouse, which has occupied a former Navy Quonset hut, complete with a novel center-stage pole, for its 59-year history. The Community Playhouse can also be rented by community members for seminars, parties and other events. At intermission, guests can meander out onto the adjacent patio that overlooks Glorietta Bay. This spacious patio, complete with umbrella'd tables and chairs, also serves the Nautilus Room, a full banquet room that can accommodate up to 250 for a sit-down dinner. This venue also offers panoramic bay views, with a portable dance floor and sliding doors that open to the patio. The room can be divided into two sections for smaller functions.

Coronado's Director of Recreation Services Linda Rahn sees the Nautilus Room as an ideal setting for wedding dinners. She even offers up the perfect scenario for a Coronado wedding day: An outdoor ceremony on the Promenade, cocktail reception on the patio followed by dinner and dancing in the Nautilus Room.

A fully equipped catering kitchen, large enough to accommodate two caterers simultaneously, serves the facility. Several caterers have been pre-approved for use, although any licensed caterer can be permitted after completing a short training session.

Now, out to the pools! Two new pools function like four. While water aerobics can be held in one end of the ''C'' shaped pool, little tykes can be learning to swim just around the curve. The larger, 52-meter ''competition'' pool is outfitted with a moveable bulkhead, allowing two activities such as diving and water polo to occur in tandem. Better still, the pool's central location is an improvement over the former facility where parents couldn't keep an eye on toddlers using the kiddie pool while their elementary-aged kids were using the main pool since the two facilities were located on opposite sides of the locker room.

The ''vanishing edge'' pool uses a state-of-the-art filtration system so that water flows gently and evenly over a ledge into a catch trough and the pool appears to have no walls. Timid first-time swimmers find the recreation pool's zero-depth entry on one side less threatening; allowing them to frolic in as little as one inch of water. And along the bayside of the pool complex, a strip of artificial turf provides a green space for you to relax, watch the kids or enjoy the ancient art of sunbathing.