PSA: The ice pack trick for cooling body temperature
I know this isn't NYC specific but it's heat wave specific!
To anyone struggling with the heat especially without AC, I highly recommend the trick where you put an ice pack wrapped in a towel between your thighs. Because we have major veins/arteries in our thighs, it helps to keep overall body temp down. It really has helped us, especially in getting through hot nights.
We have an AC we have been using intermittently, but I have done multiple summers (both in NYC and down south) without AC.
Con Ed has also been doing some distributions of dry ice for people in southeast Queens at Resorts World Casino since there have been a lot of power outages. Hopefully this weather breaks, but just in case, FYI.
EDIT: if you aren't familiar with dry ice, I'm NOT suggesting putting dry ice on your skin, wrapped or unwrapped, just to be clear that's dangerous! Dry ice can be useful for cooling your environment if you lose power but don't touch it. Stick to regular ice for your body.