Hot and Humid In New York

When it's hot and humid in New York City, everybody talks about it. Shuffling onto another crowded, unair-conditioned subway car, you can hear people murmuring how hot it is. Emerging once again from the damp heat of the underground subway to the almost as uncomfortable air at ground level, you can see people giving each other the eye communicating with emphasis that it's really hot. Walking along the city streets, with the built-up heat from the sidewalks and buildings making it feel even hotter, you can't help but notice people nodding at each other with their grim faces and then adding with a kind of obvious satisfaction - "Boy, it's hot."

But the heat also presents fun opportunities to get cool. The cool breezes on the Staten Island Ferry are always welcome, as is the icy environment inside most large movie theaters. We have been regular attendees at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival, held in the beautiful and spacious Walter Reade Theater. It is perhaps the best venue for viewing films in New York City. Whenever you go in, it is cooled to perfection, never too cold, but always providing welcome relief.

Finally, our tiny apartment, in part because it IS tiny, gets cool and comfortable immediately. And there is nothing quite like coming in from the heat to a small but cozy room where the effects of reliable air conditioning can be immediately felt. Great for sleeping, perfect for reading the New York Times in the morning, and just right for sipping a small glass of wine at the end of a long day before turning into bed and finding yourself ensconced in cool, comfortable sheets.