Hot in the city

It’s only 8.50am and already 86 F in my apartment. The humidity is also supposed to be pretty high today, making it feel like 100+ degrees (around 36C for those Europeans in the audience). Summer. Is. Here.

After the last few weeks of chilly, cloudy ‘spring’ this change in heat comes as a bit of a shock for most of us. One suspects that the weather’s gone “hold on a mo, I’ll make up for being so chilly by being extra hot for a few weeks” – great. The familiar New York ‘air conditioner spit’ has kicked in, constantly throwing out a light drizzle as you walk past tall apartment buildings. I always think that the excess of air conditioners in the city just makes the problem worse. All these people pumping their heat out into the street to keep their little boxes cool must surely make the outside a few degrees warmer. In fact Manhattan definately throws off it’s own column of heat that affects the local weather – sometimes even causing clouds to split apart as they pass over the island.

So for the moment I’m trying to survive without an air conditioner, although I suspect this won’t last. What I really need is good dark wooden blinds outside my window in true European style. Since most of my windows face west this would be highly useful, especially for staying asleep in the mornings when the sun hits. Luckily I have one window on the shadey side of my house, although unfortunately that goes onto the fire escape so I can’t leave it open while I’m out. Being on the top floor is great most of the time, but in summer it really ups the heat level.

Mustn’t grumble.. could have no light in my apartment at all which would be much worse.