Day 2: Epic Heat Wave

100° heat on the way for East

That is a current headline at cnn.com. In Durham, I might have complained a bit if the daily high temperature was a hundred or more, but my apartment has central air, so I would've stayed relatively cool. Here, it is a completely different story.

I read the cnn.com article, and then I looked at the comments below it. Some people are mad that northerners would dare complain about temperatures in the high nineties. "Move along people, nothing to see here. 100 is hot now?" writes one poster. Another writes: "Oh cry me a river. Deal with it. If you are that hot go inside to your a/c. It's that easy."

Well readers, I am here to tell you that it is not that easy. I admit that I was also a skeptic about northeastern heat waves - if I can go about my day in 100° heat in South Carolina, why can't those northern folks do it too? The sad truth is that New York City is extremely unprepared to deal with extended heat waves. The buildings are old and don't have central air conditioning. People don't drive to work - they walk, often for blocks on end, and so the commute could even become dangerously warm. In short: I will never take central air for granted again.

Off to get ready for work now.