Community Post

CD Reruns: How to keep cool in the ‘hood

Global warming is hitting us with a vengeance this week, with high temperatures in the mid-90s for several days on end. Here’s a replay of last year’s deep investigative piece on the easiest way to stay cool when the temperature climbs in our widely air-conditionerless land:

1. Go to the library! The beautifully remodeled Douglass-Truth branch at 23rd & Yesler keeps a nicely chilled indoor temperature, WIFI, and all sorts of ways to keep yourself entertained

2. Enjoy the art of the totally free Frye Art Museum and their stable environment of 72 degree air.  Just go west on Columbia, through Seattle U and the Swedish Campus, to just the other side of Boren.  They’ve got some great paintings in their collection, comfy places to sit, and a lot of peace, quiet, and cool.

3. Take a dip:  There’s a huge body of chilly water just over the hill from us, so pack up the dog and the kids and head east to Madrona beach and cool off in the 73 degree water of Lake Washington.   Be sure to take your $1.75 in change to grab the #2 bus and avoid the hot uphill walk back home.

4. Get an iced latte and read a book at the 23rd & Jackson Starbucks.  Sure, they’re just a big heartless corporation, but they’ve got enough capital to have air conditioning in their stores and a lack of environmental awareness to care about how much energy it requires.  Use it to your advantage.

5. See a movie at the air conditioned Columbia City Cinema. They’re showing the new Harry Potter, and it’s an easy ride south on the #48 bus. Update: CDNews sponsor Central Cinema has A/C too!

6. Unafraid of hospitals?  Check out the Providence ER waiting room at 16th & Cherry.  They’ve got A/C, flattering florescent lighting, free WIFI, and a 19 in. TV tuned to “Scrubs”. (btw – there’s a Starbucks in there too)

7. Cool Thai (new for 2009!) Go check out the new Thai restaurant in Madrona. It’s tasty, air-conditioned, and they’ve got some comfy day bed seating you can stretch out on.

0 thoughts on “CD Reruns: How to keep cool in the ‘hood

  1. Anthropogenic Global Warming is the greatest scam in world history. The Earth has been naturally warming since the end of the last ice age – a consistent 1-2 degrees per century. Stop listening to the liars, thieves and the easily misled – do your own research and be informed in time to stop the cap and trade disaster.

  2. Climate Change is real and not just happening but is escalating!
    Are you one of those Antioch Church people who were at Garfield HS some weeks ago and forgot to get on the bus out of here?

  3. By the time the libraries close for a week next Friday, the heat wave should be over. Good timing!

  4. this heat wave is probably not directly related to global warming, just as our cold spell was not global cooling. The reality is that the reduction of our carbon foot print will improve air and water quality, not to mention reducing the poising of the earth, as long as we don’t move toward nuclear energy which would poison or destroy much of the earth for eons.

    Reducing our forests also is not helpful and is a real contributor to the human carbon foot print.

    Keep cool, all,

  5. Yea, those people who are claiming we are pumping millions of tons of fossil fuels into our environment that were once stored in the earth aren’t going to fool me. /s

    There is nothing “natural” about how we have been living the last 100-150. We cannot be wrong about global warming so we better not ignore the possibility.

    I went with option #3, just not at Madrona Park but had an amazing day at the lake.

  6. Yes!
    I love shameless free advertising.
    I’ll stop off tonight on my way back from the lake!

  7. seriously? the nuclear wastes for an individual for a year is about the size of an aspirin tablet — a minuscule price to pay for inexpensive, reliable, clean, safe electrical power. where does the destroyed for eons thing appear?

  8. I went to All Purpose Pizza yesterday for dinner and have to second the recommendation. The A/C along with a half-priced pitcher made the sweltering evening that much more tolerable.