Nicole Bengiveno/The New York Times Any shade will do: escaping the sun on a non-tropical island on Ninth Avenue.Updated, 10:55 a.m. | We'll not mention that we're in the midst of a seven-day heat wave, ending only on Sunday.
Or how heat waves this long have occurred just seven times in the city since 1896, according to Con Edison. (There have been longer ones, but we don't want to upset you with the details.)
Or that the forecast high is 97.
Instead, we're going to discuss cool. Where to find it. How to stay it.
And you're going to help.
We were struck on Wednesday by the announcement that New Jersey Transit is keeping air-conditioned waiting rooms open late to offer some relief, and started wondering:
What's your special place to keep cool?
Leave a comment below or send ideas to @nytmetro using #NYToday, and we'll post the best ones here.
(Ours is the “Rain Room†installation at the Museum of Modern Art. Or its humbler cousin, a fire hydrant with a sprinkler cap.)
Here's what else you need to know to start this uncool Thursday.
COMING UP TODAY
- On the mayoral campaign trail, Bill de Blasio and John A. Catsimatidis will appear at a Bronx youth fair at St. Mary's Park Playground. Other candidates have cooler ideas: Anthony D. Weiner is going to the Annual Seaside Summer Concert Series in Brooklyn (believe it or not, it's Lynyrd Skynyrd).
- The city's firefighters' union plans to go to court to try to halt the use of the new 911 system. [DNAInfo]
- Nelson Mandela, ailing in South Africa, turns 95. Celebrate Nelson Mandela International Day with special events at the New York Public Library. [Free]
- At 10 a.m. the Services for the UnderServed Veterans Job Expo begins. Open to active duty military, veterans, retirees, reservists and their family members. Come with résumés to the Fashion Institute of Technology Conference Center in Chelsea.
- Go hear accordions in Bryant Park at the “Accordions Around the World†series this evening from 5 to 9. [Free]
- Have a “botanically inspired cocktail†at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx and listen to music amid foxgloves, poppies and lavender.
- Make unusual mosaics out of reused material at the Materials for the Art warehouse on Northern Boulevard in Queens.
- Take in a concert of poetry at Lincoln Center's David Rubenstein Atrium at 7:30 p.m. [Free]
- Clamber up an outdoor rock wall in Manhattan with a new guidebook (when it's a little cooler, please!).
- For more events, see The New York Times's Arts & Entertainment guide.
IN THE NEWS
- Voters say empathy is the most important trait for the next mayor, according to a poll by The New York Times and Siena College. Ms. Quinn is leading, with 27 percent, followed by Mr. Weiner, with 18 percent. [New York Times]
- Deadly heat. What may be the first heat-related death of summer occurs on Staten Island. [NBC New York]
- Countless New Yorkers were woken before 4 on Wednesday morning when their cellphones blared with an Amber Alert about a baby who had been abducted by his mother from a foster care agency in Harlem. He has been found in good condition. Why did the alert go off? We explain. [New York Times]
- The mayor proposed changes to the building code that would nudge people to take the stairs. [New York Post]
- A man fell to his death from a Brooklyn rooftop after being pepper-sprayed by people who were trying to rob him, according to the police. [New York Post]
- Watch out, rats. The M.T.A. is hiring more cleaners. [Daily News]
AND FINALLY…
Anyone lose a chicken? According to the message board of Just Food City Chicken Meet Up, an urban chicken enthusiasts' group, one was found wandering around Prospect Park in Brooklyn near Windsor Terrace on Wednesday.
The chicken is, according to Helen Dames, who found her, “very sweet.†Here is photographic evidence.
Ms. Dames is trying to return the hen to her rightful farmer. Failing that, to find an adoptive home.
Michaelle Bond and Andy Newman contributed reporting.
We're testing New York Today, which we put together just before dawn and update until noon.
What information would you like to see here when you wake up to help you plan your day? Tell us in the comments, send suggestions to Sarah Maslin Nir or tweet them at @nytmetro using #NYToday. Thanks!
