It was really hot in LA last weekend. The mercury reached triple digits and was the cause of way too many deaths and blackouts. In my west LA apartment, I closed all the blinds and tried to keep it as dark and cool as possible. I’ve lived in the same place for 7 years and have never needed a fan. I dressed in light clothes and drank lots of cool water. And when I couldn’t handle it anymore, I went and watched a movie.
Back in Hacienda Heights, it was much worse. My grandparents were the main beneficiaries of the new portable air conditioner which only cools up one room of the house. The rest of the house — which gets a lot of sunlight — was as hot inside as it was outside. Lori and I washed my car and tried to cool down with water from the water hose, it helped like it did when we were kids. A cool shower didn’t help much, according to Robbie, a family friend. Robbie said the cold water ran hot for at least ten minutes.
Further east in Ontario, my cousin Valerie asked tío Pancho if she could turn on the central air conditioning. They never turn on the a/c, even though it gets pretty hot out in the Inland Empire. Valerie didn’t want a/c so she and her sister could cool down. Nope, the a/c was for the crying puppies. As soon as the house cooled down, the puppies quieted down, snuggled together and fell asleep.
La pregunta: How do you deal with the sweltering heat (and humidity, if that affects your part of the country)?
these days i live in an air conditioned bubble for three months of the year. its the only thing i refuse to compromise.
Central a/c is my best friend. I’ve actually had it on since March or so and usually keep it around 65. My visitors always says it’s cold, but I don’t handle heat/humidity well at all so it’s just right for me.
When I was out in LA…i’d just deal with the heat..usually by sitting outside or trying not to move. Here in Providence, the heat is HUMID and gross. To combat that, I have the central air on…its nice.
i live in downtown LA but my daily obligations are in Riverside… its generally 10 deg hotter in Riverside than in downtown LA.
I just try to stay air conditioned air doors as much as possible. My days are often like this:
between 7-9 am i head on out to riverside. its not hot outside at downtown LA around that time.
get to work between 8-10 am. i pull out my xootr from the back of the trunk and glide my way to the building where i work instead of walking in the sweltering riverside heat. its a leisurely 4-5 min glide on my xootr, or a miserable 12-13 minute walk in the heat.
all of my meals that i eat during the day are either home cooked meals that i brought to work and are stored in the fridge, or misc. stuff in my drawer. that way i don’t need to step outside at all to walk anywhere to eat. plus its much cheaper this way than to eat 2-3 meals during my work day.
by the time i step out of my building to go home it can is anywhere from 8pm – 12 am (depending on my workload) and the weather outside isn’t hot. a little warm at most.
that is how i avoid the heat.
Would you believe I spent last Saturday dunked in a Hacienda Heights swimming pool to avoid the heat? Getting out was terrible, so I only did that once, just to get a bite to eat! Other than that, it’s all about the cheapo fans, no fancy AC for me!
We have had the central air blasting for weeks. Last Monday on Labor Day my Hija Krystal had a mandatory track practice session. She could go any weekend day, but, waiting for it to get cooler, she chose Monday. Chihuahua! I didn’t want her to go alone, so I put on my jogging shoes and tagged along. I did 3 laps and died…she ran 8 100 Meter sprints and four 200 meter sprints. I can’t recall ever being in such heat.
Over here in Miami, we keep the a/c running 24/7/365. Believe me, you wouldn’t last very long without it. Walking from my apt. to my car can be bad enough.
I just lay on my bed with the fan blowing in my face and the A/C blasting.
I love these preguntas. éy, Cindy, just be lucky you don’t live en Téjas!
I am so glad that summer only is for a few months here in Chicago. Otherwise I would DIE!!!! I hate the heat! Hate it hate it hate it!!! The only thing you can do is blast the AC drink plenty of water and try and stay cool. If you have a pet, I take my dog to PetSmart to walk around when it gets too hot.
Low 70′s and sunny through October in San Francisco…Last week in Black Rock City kept cool in the high heat with lots of Tecate con limon, and vitamin water- essential is my favorite flavor.
Summers in Berkeley (and the East Bay) are splendid. But obviously, short of moving there, you’re out of luck. Never much cared for SF but it’s summertime is cool there as well (remember what mark twain said about summertime in SF).
Movies and indoor malls are an alternative.
At any rate, summer is dead. Last weekend’s heat wave seems ages ago.
it’s the best part about living/growing up in Santa Barbara… it’s never really too hot nor too cold. I can’t remember a day my ma’ had to turn the heater on, and we’ve never had air conditioning.
when it gets really hot i just opened my window wide open and chill, and let the sea breeze flow through, the pacific oceans only 10 blocks away!