I moved to the city during the hottest time of the year – mid July. This summer was especially hot and due to the Amtrak construction going on for emergency repairs at Penn Station, even the governor of New York referred to this summer as the “summer of hell.” Before moving here, I had heard that although summer was hot, there would be less people on the subways and in the city in general to escape the heat. There is a reason summers in NYC are often synonymously thought of as summers in the Hamptons – or so that is what I thought of after watching the series “Revenge” on ABC.
I still need to plan a trip out there to see if all of the hype lives up to the standards. Even last week I saw the Hampton Jitney on the street that is featured in Sex and the City with New Yorkers making the trip to the Hamptons – Not sure what the appeal is during this time of year but to each their own.
I had been to NYC once in June about six years ago to visit my friend Christina. We spent a day in the city and I knew then that visiting in the summer would not be a good idea again. I had worn a dress since we had tickets to see “Anything Goes” on Broadway so I wanted to look nice and that was a mistake. I’m a pretty petite girl but that doesn’t mean that I have ever had a gap between my thighs so I spent the day walking around with the hot New York Sun reflecting down on us from every angle and my legs rubbing together in the most awful way that the inside of my legs ended up feeling like sandpaper when I went to bed that night. There is also the issue of trash in certain areas of the city. It gets piled so high outside the businesses that at night, the trash piles were taller than me. After a day in the sun, they don’t have the most fragrant odor… Let’s just say that I never visited NYC in the summer again and made my annual trip around the holiday season when it is cool out instead.
So why did I decide to move here during the hottest time of the year again? Well in reality it wasn’t much of a choice. Our year end for work is June 30th and my promotion to Manager was effective July 1st and with that promotion came my transfer to the city. Since we hired a moving company to move my things in from the Budget Truck, we did not have to do a lot of heavy lifting in the sun that day other than supervise – so that was a relief. But being in a small New York apartment with six people trying to unpack, organize, and build random things from Ikea, it makes for a hot experience. I learned quickly where my window units were in the bedrooms and had them on full blast 24/7. When I got my first utility bill for the partial month (17 days to be exact), I was shocked! $231.66 for my little apartment! A few adjustments and turning off the units when I wasn’t home helped dramatically. The bills have been around $40-$60 per month since. Talk about a huge difference!
Another unexpected issue in the summer months was that my windows in my bedrooms face the east where the sun rises. In the morning as the sun rose, I was instantly awoken due to the brightness and felt as if I was on fire as the heat of the sun pierced through my windows directly at my spot on the bed. When talking to other residents that live on the same side of the building as I, they told me that the only solution was black out curtains (which I still have not had installed). One resident told me that the sun completely bleached the side of her bedroom set that was in the direct path of the sun’s rays. Talk about being able to get a tan without even stepping outside or into a tanning bed! Once I put up my curtains it helped a little bit but mainly I just rolled to the other side of the bed when I needed to in the mornings. It sure made for a beautiful view every morning seeing the sunrise over the East River.
Although hot outside, it wasn’t as hot as I remembered during my summer visit. It was bearable but I also had a place in the city to come and change if needed. I think my cousin took that notion seriously and took multiple showers per day when she was here visiting. The first time I did laundry I had a whole washer full of just bath towels. I couldn’t understand why the ratio of towels to people was more than double. When you have to pay to use the machines on a per use basis, you learn to ration what you use on a daily basis to avoid having to use multiple machines.
I remember one hot day in particular when I was making my daily commute down to the financial district via the 4/5 Express Subway Train. I must have gotten on a car without Air Conditioning without realizing it. It was especially crowded because I chose to make my commute in the heart of rush hour. I was still learning the city and had not quite gotten into a groove to know the best time of day to leave my apartment. Rush Hour starts around 7am and goes until around 9am on my trains. I realized that I could get up early and try to beat it or go in a little later and miss it. Since I am not a morning person AT ALL, I have chosen the latter. That day it was so crowded on the train I was standing body to body with the other commuters. It was so hot that I could feel the sweat dripping down my forehead, on my chest and down my legs. I was so uncomfortable. I would look around at the other commuters and I didn’t see any sweat on them at all. I was confused how I could be the only one drenched in sweat perspiring at that rate! They must have either been used to it or able to conceal it better than I was. I have about 10 stops between my apartment and my client site and I can typically sit down within the first three stops but not that day. I had to stand the entire way which takes about 40 minutes on the train alone. When I got into work, I immediately went to the bathroom and was rubbing myself down with paper towels before I ran into anyone I knew. When I walked into the audit room I told my team about the train ride and they asked me about the air conditioning. I never made that mistake again!
One of the good things about the summertime is how light it stays in the evening. I would get home from work and still be able to enjoy the day. I could go for a walk around Central Park since it was only a couple blocks away or I could explore new places in my neighborhood. Every day was truly an adventure. I look forward to sharing those adventures with you each week. Until next time ❤
Alicia in the City 