New York City Braces for Heat and Humidity |
Weather: Partly sunny, with a high in the mid-90s. |
Alternate-side parking: In effect until Sunday (Independence Day). |
 | | Spencer Platt/Getty Images |
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After a few wonderful, balmy days last week, a different weather pattern descended on New York over the weekend: high heat and heavy humidity. City officials warn that temperatures are going to climb even higher in the coming days, and they are urging residents to stay inside. The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory through Tuesday and said that the heat and humidity were likely to last until Thursday. |
"Stay indoors if you can stay indoors," Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference on Saturday warning of the coming heat. "Don't spend too much time outside. Stay hydrated. Check in on your neighbors, especially anyone vulnerable in your family or in your building who might need a little more help." |
The Weather Service said it expected that the heat index — a measure of how hot it actually feels when factoring in humidity — could climb to 104 degrees in parts of New York City, New Jersey and Connecticut. The temperatures are expected to be the hottest between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., the Weather Service said. |
City officials said cooling centers — air-conditioned places like schools or recreation centers where people can escape the heat — would be open. People can find information about cooling centers online, or by calling 311. |
Mr. de Blasio encouraged people to visit outdoor public pools, which opened on Saturday, or beaches. Mitchell Silver, the parks commissioner, said that there are "spray features" in many city parks that can douse visitors in mist. |
But city officials said places that might have served as cooling stations, like some libraries and recreation centers, still have not opened because of pandemic restrictions. |
"They're all coming online in the next few weeks," Mr. de Blasio said. "They're not open, they're not staffed. Normally, if we wanted to use them as cooling centers, it would be very easy to just activate them. Now it depends on the day, because some of the libraries are not open on certain days, open on other days." |
Parents and educators say the rollout of the city's summer school program is encountering a host of problems two weeks before it is scheduled to start. [Daily News] |
Transportation officials are seeking public input on a plan to improve street safety and accessibility. [amNY] |
New York City officials say they have shut down more than 300 construction sites this month because of unsafe conditions. [ABC 7] |
And finally: Reflections from L.G.B.T.Q. trailblazers |
L.G.B.T.Q. people unite every June to celebrate milestones like the Stonewall uprising and the activists who have made significant contributions to the advancement of gay rights. Often overlooked, however, are the unsung heroes of color who have broken ground. |
My colleague Derrick Bryson Taylor spoke with some of them. Here are two of their stories: |
Lee Soulja: In the late 1970s and early 1980s, you could find Mr. Soulja working the dance floor in some of New York City's exclusive clubs, including Studio 54 and Paradise Garage. |
A Bronx native who now lives in Harlem, Mr. Soulja, 55, is a visual and performance artist who has performed off Broadway as well as at Lincoln Center and the Apollo Theater. After a close friend died from AIDS in the early 1990s, Mr. Soulja became an H.I.V. and AIDS activist, volunteering with community organizations to connect with struggling young L.G.B.T.Q. people. He later became a promoter and event creator. |
In 2009, Mr. Soulja created the NYC Center for Black Pride, which took over Black Pride, an annual event scheduled to run this year from Aug. 19 to 23. He said he established it "to give more visibility to L.G.B.T. people of color, saying we have a voice, we have contributed to history and to culture in this country." |
Brenda Holder: Ms. Holder, whose stage name is Brenda Continental, got her start in New York City's ballroom scene in the early 1980s when she was 15. She was mentored by Paris Dupree and other ballroom legends. |
Ms. Holder, 54, who was born in Guyana, began her transition in 1989, after four years in the Army. When she was growing up, and during her transition, there weren't any dedicated spaces or centers for Black and brown L.G.B.T.Q. people in New York, she said. |
Now living in Brooklyn, Ms. Holder said she talks to anyone in need, particularly people who want to transition. "The work I do, I don't do it for accolades," she said. "I do it because I love my community. I believe in my community. So why not help my community put the best version of themselves out there, because nobody else is going to do it." |
It's Monday — support your communities. |
Metropolitan Diary: Churros for sale |
It was a hot day in Brooklyn, and I was at the park with my two children. |
Standing just outside the park was a woman with a metal cart covered in plastic wrap. Inside it were dozens of churros. She was also with two young children. They were sitting next to her quietly. |
I watched as the woman sold a few churros, and then dark clouds began to fill the sky. As my children and I gathered our things to head home, I wished I had brought some money with me so I could buy something from her. |
Just then, a man approached her. |
How much for the rest of the churros, he asked. |
Eighty-eight dollars, she said. |
He pulled out his wallet, handed her $100, took every churro she had and walked away, just as the rain started to fall. |
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