It feels almost impossible to escape the heat.
This week, New Yorkers are scrambling to find any shade from the sweltering temperatures gripping the city.
Temperature readings topped 100 degrees on Tuesday, with the heat index soaring to a staggering 113 in parts of the city, as reported by a thermometer carried around town.
The heat was so intense that even the local butcher seemed like an oasis.
“On days like this, the best thing about being a butcher is wanting to find the coldest place around,” said Robert Jamarinaro, 64, owner of a butcher shop in Bayside.
His shop’s freezer chilled to a frosty 26 degrees, while the sidewalk thermometer outside read 121 degrees, a stark contrast.
With three air conditioners buzzing away inside, Jamarinaro quipped, “Without them, you’d just die.”
Fortunately for him, he can balance the costly AC bills, as hot days mean customers lean more towards cold dishes instead of cooking hot meals.
“I adore New York. I cherish the seasons. I really can’t imagine living or working anywhere else,” he reflected.
Over in Brooklyn, Mel Watkins and his 9-year-old daughter, McKenzie Brown, escaped to a nearby Baskin Robbins.
Although an ice cream shop might seem typical for a day like this, they were dealing with a broken AC system.
Inside the store, it was 75 degrees, while outside, it felt like a suffocating 102.
“Stepping outside, it really hits you—it feels like heat stroke. Inside is such a relief,” said Watkins.
They were celebrating McKenzie’s fourth-grade graduation with milkshakes, which helped distract from the lack of cool air.
“It’s 99 degrees. We just came from her graduation where there wasn’t any AC either. It’s just outrageous. Getting out of the heat feels amazing. I really don’t like this kind of heat,” he added.
Queens didn’t fare much better, with temperatures reaching 115 according to another thermometer.
“People keep stopping by and saying how wonderfully cool it is in here,” Ashley Chai, 18, said while working at an ice cream shop along the Horace Harding Expressway.
During her breaks, she ducked into the walk-in freezer set at a brisk 34 degrees.
“Customers are buying ice cream in bulk. Just the other day, a guy bought a whole six-pack of flying saucers,” her coworker Phylicia Lynn chimed in.
Meanwhile, Nasil Glover, 18, from Newark, faced the heat as he handed out flyers for city council candidate Chanel Thomas Henry in East Elmhurst.
The formidable heat coincided with a crucial campaign day, and Glover was forced to find whatever shade he could.
Outside the library, the thermometer was stuck at 107 degrees.
“The sun was blazing! I had to find some shadows. I even grabbed a chair to sit in,” he shared.
“The first hour was brutal! But once I found shade, I started to get used to it. I’m just trying to enjoy the day while making $300. I’ll jump straight into a cold shower afterward,” he concluded.
