Lifestyle

The 9 spots to avoid in a blistering NYC summer

It’s hot out there.

The city has a lot to offer New Yorkers in the summertime, but finding a cool respite from the searing heat can be a minefield. Beat the heat by steering clear of these seemingly cool locations that will have you sweating through your shirt.

The subway

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Combine the stifling humidity, temperatures that can top 106 degrees, some New Yorkers’ objections to deodorant, and the inevitable train delays for a truly uninspiring travel experience. The blast of air conditioning when the doors open won’t do much to save your already sweat-stained clothes.

Everyone says their local stop is the worst, but a tally of our team has Grand Central, Penn Station, Delancey & Essex Street and the 14th Street L stop at the top of the hot list. Also best avoided by the elderly and the faint of heart is 34th Street at Herald Square.

Speaking of the L line, some techie created a genius (or depressing) tool to give real-time temps at each stop. Remember, you don’t even need to lift a hand to flag a ride on the street these days.

Times Square

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“I see Spider-Man mugging people all the time” is how one man described the cesspool of Times Square.

A stroll around 42nd and 7th quickly devolves into a battle for survival against overly friendly (or muggy) mascots, creepy scammers, endless construction and clueless tourists hypnotized by giant video billboards.

And that’s just the standard recipe.

Add to that a scorching sun on a giant block of concrete surrounded by high-rises and you have hell in a box with a bow on top.

Avoid at all costs and live a long and prosperous life.

The line at Shake Shack

R. Umar Abbasi

Oh, the FOMO and the curious attraction of a huge line.

But no shake or meat-and-bread (it’s not rocket science) meal is worth the hour-plus wait at the Shake Shack in Madison Square Park.

Your brain will be so fried by the time you reach the counter, you won’t even remember your order. Opt for one of the thousands of indoor eateries in NYC as a safer alternative.

Outdoor fitness classes

Robert Miller

Enough said.

Your apartment

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Winter’s over, and that cozy two-bedroom converted to share with four roommates isn’t cute anymore.

Your landlord will install that fan he promised you when pigs fly, and those six flights of stairs to your apartment aren’t getting easier with practice.

The back-breaking trauma of getting an AC unit into your window frame, only to have it fall on an unsuspecting family of four below, is a low-percentage play.

Find a friend, find a man (or woman), get an AirBnB — whatever it takes to get out of your apartment this summer.

Hell’s Kitchen

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What’s hotter than hell? Hell’s Kitchen.

Don’t let the allure of the neighborhood’s bars and restaurants blind you to the scorching reality: Hell’s Kitchen is hot.

Many of the local apartments and restaurants still sit in World War II-era buildings, and everyone knows what that means: No AC.

Metropolitan Museum rooftop

Hyla Skopitz

When elegance and heat combine, watch out. Sky-high temperatures and very little surface area make for a crowded — and sweaty — evening. Long lines for drinks and a strict “No Sitting” policy mean you’re more likely to sweat out your time on the roof than soak it in. Culture and cultured people shouldn’t be this much work.

Yankee Stadium

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Even Derek Jeter is calling it quits. You probably won’t catch a fly ball — but you’ll definitely go home with a sunburn after an afternoon at Yankee Stadium. What’s wrong with saying goodbye to the baseball great from your neighborhood bar instead?

The High Line

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Going for a breezy walk on The High Line may seem like a good way to beat the heat, but don’t be fooled — The High Line is no boardwalk. Sure, it’s carefully landscaped to evoke feelings of the shore, but miles of hot pavement surround you and water stops can be few and far between. The fountain you can stand in is the least they can do.