The Heat Is On

Posted by Rachael Wright at 22:47 on 7 Jul 2010

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As a Brit, I naturally excel in moaning about the weather, but I’ve outdone myself over the last few weeks as New York City hit temperatures beyond anything I can reasonably be expected to deal with.

The heat here is different to any other heat I’ve experienced. New York is all concrete and glass, which soaks it all up and keeps the city hot as hell - day and night. You know, like an oven. Also, because it’s so built up, you rarely get the respite of a summer breeze and the humidity hangs in the air, clinging to you like a piece of damp cling film. In summary, it's a bit like torture.

This was yesterday:


RealFeel 108.
108!
Once more for the cheap seats in the back… ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT DEGREES!

Today it was 99 degrees with a RealFeel of 101. Lovely.

‘How does one deal with this?’, I hear you ask. 
The answer is: Badly. While sweating profusely. Attractive, no? These kids have got it right though…









Every time I pass a spraying fire hydrant, I’m tempted to go and sit in it (for three hours straight), but I’m yet to see another adult doing this, so I’m not sure it’s socially acceptable.

I put off buying an air conditioning unit for my apartment because, frankly, I’ve got more interesting things to spend $120 on. I thought a big fan would do the trick, but it just blew the hot air at my face a bit quicker. Not ideal. So I begrudgingly stumped up the cash and ordered the AC. Of course the day it arrived, the temperature went down to a comfortable 77 degrees and I had an ugly white box sitting in my window doing nothing. It has since made up for its few days of being useless and I have taken to stroking it out of gratitude. I will not be leaving my room until mid-September, or until someone invents a portable air con system. Whichever comes first.

Now I'm hearing stories about New York’s electricity grid not coping with the extra demand due to the heat and there’s talk of a city-wide blackout happening. I remember seeing this on the news when it happened in 2006 and they focused on how strange the Manhattan skyline looked without all the lights on. NEVER MIND ALL THAT, HOW WILL I COPE WITHOUT MY ELECTRICITY-GUZZLING, OZONE LAYER-MELTING AIR CON IF THE POWER GOES OFF??

My To Do List is now as follows:
1. Move to Alaska
2. Sue Jay-Z and Alicia Keys for false advertising. They did not mention any of the above while harping on about being 'in Neeew Yoooork' during 'Empire State Of Mind'

Listening to: Washed Out - Life Of Leisure EP

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