Summer in the City

New York City changes in the summertime. Not just in the obvious ways. It’s hot, it’s humid, it kind of smells bad, yes. But also, it’s empty. Or at least that’s how it feels to me. During New York City summers everyone tries to escape… to the beach, to the lake, to anywhere other than those hot, city streets.

During my first summer in New York, my colleagues at the time would ask me where I was escaping to for the weekend. The truth was that, as an overworked 22-year-old assistant with no friends and no money, I wasn’t going anywhere. Of course, rather than offer that admission, I played it cool… “Oh, I’m just staying here,” I’d tell them as if it was my choice, “I love the city in the summer.”

My words may not have been true when first spoken, but as I spent that first steaming summer in New York, I grew to believe them.

When the weekenders hit the road, the energy in the city shifts. It always felt to me like the people who were left behind were going to make the most of it, heat be damned! We’re sunning ourselves on any rooftop we can find, the kids are running through fire hydrants, the guy on the corner is blasting music louder than usual. All of the summer New Yorkers are drinking, dancing, smiling. Yes, it’s humid and yes, it kind of smells bad, but f*ck it, let’s celebrate.

It’s that New York City summer magic, you can’t find it anywhere else.