Today’s the first day this year that the city has opened its cooling centers, the specially designated air-conditioned havens where heat-addled New Yorkers can go for a breather. On this 92-degree day, our family seemed to be hitting the limits of a no-AC summer—inspired by equal parts cheapness, bravado and child cruelty—so my 6-year-old son and I packed up bag lunches and headed to the nearest chilling station.
As it happens, the Dorchester Senior Center, tucked into the basement of an Orthodox synagogue, is a cheerful little place. It has a chatty atmosphere where people tend to cluster at tables with their ethnic ilk (Asian, Russian, African-American and so forth). I am disappointed when we are assigned to dine by ourselves, and our attempts to bridge the gap between tables are only intermittently successful (though we do learn that baked chicken legs—Wednesday—is a favorite.) Read the rest of this entry »
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