How Upper East Siders Can Stay Cool During NYC's Heat Wave

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — As brutally hot weather hits New York City, Upper East Siders may want to make plans to stay cool this week — although residents have just one official place to do so.

The city is under a heat advisory until Tuesday at 8 p.m. as temperatures are expected to feel like 101 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.

On the Upper East Side, there is only one official cooling center open this week for residents to escape the heat: I.S. 167, between Second and Third avenues.

Though there are more cooling options — more on that below — City Councilmember Ben Kallos told Patch that "one cooling center for the entire Upper East Side is not going to cut it."

Here's a list of cooling spots on the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island:

Cooling centers:

• I.S. 267 (220 East 76th St.)
• Open 8 a.m.–5 p.m., closed Thursday-Friday.
• Wheelchair accessible
• Good Shepherd Community Center (541 Main St., Roosevelt Island)
  • Open 3 p.m., 10 p.m. Monday–Thursday
  • Wheelchair accessible

Other indoor spaces:

• New York Public Library branches:
  • 96th Street Library (112 East 96th St.)
  • Webster Library (1465 York Ave.)
  • 67th Street Library (328 East 67th St.)
  • Roosevelt Island Library (504 Main St.)

Outdoor cooling options:

• Central Park: there are spray showers in the park along Fifth Avenue near East 67th, 71st, 77th, 79th, 95th and 100th streets. The entire park, of course, is also covered in shade-casting trees.
• Twenty-Four Sycamores Park: there's a spray shower at this park near the FDR Drive on East 60th Street.
• St. Catherine's Park: this first Avenue Park between East 67th and 68th streets also has a spray shower.
• John Jay Park: there's a misting station and a spray shower at this park near the FDR Drive between East 76th and 78th streets. There's also a pool (see below).
• Carl Schurz Park: the beloved park on the East River Esplanade has a spray shower near its East 85th Street entrance.
• Ruppert Park: there's a spray shower in the park at East 90th Street and Second Avenue.
• Holmes Towers, Isaacs Houses: both of these NYCHA buildings east of First Avenue at 92nd and 93rd streets have spray showers, the city says.

Public pools:

• John Jay Pool: (East of York Avenue on East 77th Street

Kallos also said he was directing constituents to the Stanley Isaacs Neighborhood Senior Center (415 East 93rd St.), the Carter Burden Luncheon Club at the Church of the Epiphany (1393 York Ave.) and the Roosevelt Island Senior Center (546 Main St.).

He also called for a cooling center on Roosevelt Island, hours before officials announced one at the Good Shepherd Community Center.

"Let's not wait until our residents face emergencies or tragedy strikes," he said.

There is some logic to the East Side's lack of city-run cooling sites: its heat vulnerability index is among the lowest in the city, meaning residents are among the least likely to die from extreme heat based on typical temperatures, air-conditioning rates, green space and racial inequities.