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    100 degrees isn't the same everywhere

    Don't mock the East Coast heat wave: Summer in the city sucks

    Sarah Rufca
    Jul 7, 2010 | 3:48 pm
    • 110 in the shade? Blame the Urban Heat Islands.
    • The best heat relief on the streets of NYC? Fire hydrants spraying water.
      Photo by Kathy Willens

    I've lived all but two summers of my life in Texas, and each brings its own special misery. I remember hanging out in Fort Worth when the mercury hit 109, feeling like the breeze was a hair dryer blowing in my face. I've sighed as the Houston humidity fogged up my sunglasses upon exiting my car. I've learned that if my hair is in pigtails on a hot summer day in Austin, it is capable to get a sunburn on the scalp where my hair parts.

    But I can say with no hesitation that the most uncomfortably hot summer of my life was in New York City. And that was without a triple-digit heat wave, like the one set over the East Coast this week.

    From the first week in my Harlem sublet, without the benefit of air conditioning the heat just seemed to hover oppressively. Fans and open windows had no effect; the only relief to be found was in opening the freezer and eating gelato by the pint.

    Outside the apartment things only got worse. Houston humidity has earned its fearsome reputation, but that doesn't mean we have a monopoly on it, and Manhattan is, after all, an island surrounded by water. Sweat rolls off you, especially in the midday hours when the sun directly overhead bounces off every reflective building surface, multiplying, and shade is impossible to find.

    Heading into the subways gets one out of the sun, but the air is hot and stale and only moves when a train comes whooshing in, bringing a gust of wind that would be refreshing if it didn't feel so dirty.

    The worst thing about New York City is all the ways Texans beat the heat are unavailable. Hitting the beach means an hour-plus commute to Coney Island or Jones Beach, two hours if you plan to hit the esteemed shores of the Hamptons. City pools are virtually nonexistent, and in a city of eight million, you won't be the only one (unsuccessfully) trying to scam your way into the Hotel Gansevoort's rooftop spread.

    Soho House? Even the Sex and the City girls got kicked out.

    Air conditioning must be hunted. For the broke that means movies, museums (especially at the Met, where the ticket price is only a suggestion), churches and the occasional grocery store. On days without triple-digit temps, heading to Central Park to escape the urban heat island effect is doable, but the better tree cover is at the tippy-top of Manhattan at The Cloisters — the Met's medieval monastery museum made up of the remnants of five French monasteries built between the 12th and 15th centuries — and its Fort Tyron Park environs.

    But before I figured out how to navigate the sweaty cesspool that is Manhattan in the summer — and before I moved to an apartment with facing windows for optimal ventilation — I only realized how bad it was when my neck began to itch. After two days, I queried my roommate what it might be. "Oohhhh... that's a heat rash," she said.

    Yes, I was living in one of the most metropolitan cities in the world, and I ended up with an ailment I thought was limited to infants and third world residents. The northeast summers may be shorter and relatively sweeter, but I'll take the a/c-laden, pool-ready heat in Houston any day.

    unspecified
    news/city-life

    flag-waving news

    Texas drops on new list of most patriotic states in U.S.

    Amber Heckler
    Jun 19, 2025 | 3:30 pm
    American flag, Texas flag, patriotism
    Photo by Ray Shrewsberry on Unsplash
    Texas ranked a dismal No. 45 this year after previously ranking as the 36th most patriotic state in 2024.

    This may come as a surprise for many Texans, but the Lone Star State is far from being the most patriotic place in America, according to a new report.

    WalletHub's latest study ranking the "Most Patriotic States in America" for 2025 placed Texas near the bottom of the list as No. 45, marking a significant nine-place drop from its rank as the 36th most patriotic state in 2024.

    According to the findings, the three most patriotic states in America are Virginia (No. 1), Montana (No. 2), and Vermont (No. 3). Colorado (No. 4) and Oregon (No. 5) round out the top five most passionate, flag-waving states in 2025.

    Texas flopped toward the bottom mainly due to its civic engagement rank (No. 47), but it did perform fairly well in the military engagement category (No. 13).

    Texas has the third-highest average number of military enlistees, the report found, but it had the second-lowest percentage of adults who voted in the 2024 presidential election.

    WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said patriotism can't be defined by geographic region or by which states fly the most American flags. Rather, true patriotism can be found in states with high voter turnouts, high volunteer rates, and more.

    “The most patriotic states have a lot of residents who serve or have served in the armed forces, high voter turnouts during elections, and a high share of the population volunteering with national or local organizations," Lupo said.

    States like Virginia and Montana ranked at the top of the list due to their high voter turnout rates during the 2024 presidential election, plus high volunteer rates in local or national organizations. Virginia is also home to the third-highest population of active-duty military personnel per 100,000 civilians, and there are 27 military bases in the state.

    The report further acknowledges that many Americans may not be feeling very patriotic this year because of "societal issues" that span from "relentless high inflation" to tragedies like mass shootings.

    "Many people may find it hard to celebrate a country where countless people are struggling and frequent violence persists," the report's author wrote. "However, an expression of love for fellow citizens is patriotic in itself."

    Joining Texas among the least patriotic American states are Florida (No. 46), Alabama (No. 47), Louisiana (No. 48), New York (No. 49), and Arkansas (No. 50).

    The top 10 most patriotic states in America are:

    • No. 1 – Virginia
    • No. 2 – Montana
    • No. 3 – Vermont
    • No. 4 – Colorado
    • No. 5 – Oregon
    • No. 6 – Washington
    • No. 7 – North Dakota
    • No. 8 – Maryland
    • No. 9 – Minnesota
    • No. 10 – New Hampshire
    The report analyzed all 50 states across 13 "indicators of patriotism" based on military and civic engagement, including factors such as the rate of veterans living in each state for every 1,000 civilians; the share of adults who voted in the 2024 presidential election and the 2020 primary elections; the number of AmeriCorps volunteers per capita, and more.
    texaswallethubreportspatriotism
    news/city-life
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