New York City Heat

Hot time.. summer in the city.
(Click picture for larger view)

"Long lion days
Start with white haze.
By midday you meet
A hammer of heat...."

~ Philip Larkin (1922-1986)"Long lion days"

I've seen my share of 100+ degree days in Dallas, Oklahoma City and Mississippi. I've seen air conditioners that have exploded after a power failure on these days; the overworked condensers not able to handle the pressure. I've seen cars with boiling radiators, their drivers standing on the side of the road with sweat pouring down their faces. I've seen my beagle struggling to breath, her tongue and gums turning blue as her body's ability to regulate broke down and her core temp soared above 108; a heat stroke. And I've felt that thick and heavy weight of tropical humidity in the deep south that makes even temperatures under 100 feel like 120.

This picture captured the heat wave of summer in New York City. No breeze to evaporate the sweat on your skin, no clouds to break the pounding sun, the deep red haze of the heat that did not abate at nightfall.... 104 in the shade at supper, 103 at midnight, no relenting, no rain, no storm... just heat. Broadway shows, museums and restaurants are the coolest places in town. Oppressive, stifling, overpowering heat... just thinking about the summer heat makes me appreciate the cold front that just came through... Oh, the joy of 40 degree temperatures!

Submission for PhotoFriday topic "heat". (end of post)