Remember when you were a kid and awaiting the last day of school and the first day of summer were like waiting for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?

It’s still that way for me and I haven’t been in school for quite a while. Nevertheless, you never lose that feeling that something wonderful is about to happen. Despite it being the longest day of the year, the first day of summer also ushers in the beginning of days getting shorter.

When I was a kid my mother always told me the story about her mother telling her on the first day of summer, “Now the days will be getting shorter and shorter.”

That always depressed my mother but it didn’t keep her from repeating that observation to me each and every first day of summer. But, it never really got me down as sleeping later, staying out well into the summer night, and staying up late watching TV easily overcame the sudden realization that summer was on a short leash and the first day of summer and the last day of school would suddenly and inexorably transform to the end of the summer and the first day of school.

John Sebastian said it best, “Hot Fun Summer In The City.”

The air conditioner didn’t make its appearance at Apartment 6, 1261 Leland Avenue, until the summer of 1975. Window fans kept us “cool” from the fifties through half of the seventies. Subways never had airconditioning when I commuted to Manhattan on the 6 train. The subway wasn’t just hot, it was jam packed with hot, sweaty people…it was lovely.

The best part of the work-day was arriving at 200 East 42nd Street after an unbearable subway ride and an equally unbearable walk along 42nd Street. Once inside the haven that was 200 East you were ensconced in cool, moist vapors that revived you in an instant. So much so that you were eager for a hot cup of Horn and Hardart coffee from Kathleen who brough our brew each morning in her coffee cart.

Having cooled off and imbibed a hot cup a Joe, it was now time to make our rounds and deliver our mail to the executives of the company.

Actually, we made our deliveries to the secretaries which was the best part of our day.

Our bosses thought we were merely go-getters and hard workers when in fact, we just wanted to talk to the girls (back then it wasa ok to call them girls) of the office.

Hot town in the summertime .

To quote my dear friend, “Hey Ice keep cool.” Good advice during a summer heatwave.