Taylor’s Takes: Five ways NYC can beat the heat that Mamdani didn’t mention

Hot enough for ya?

I don’t know about you, but when temperatures climb into the high 90s and low 100s at this time of year, I don’t really count that as a heat wave. To me, that’s summer in New England. It gets hot.

If you experience several days of 90-something degree heat in late October… yeah… we can call that a heat wave.

Nevertheless, the warnings continue to ring out up and down the East Coast as we head into Independence Day weekend about staying cool and hydrated during this eXtReMe HeAt!

That’s fine. People absolutely should find the best ways to stay cool and properly hydrated when it’s hot outside.

The Ugandan-born Mayor of New York City is taking things a step further.

Zohran Kwame Mamdani, a Communist in Democratic Socialist clothing, is telling New Yorkers to adjust their air conditioner thermostats to a frigid 78 degrees.

I don’t know about you, but my A/Cs aren’t allowed to go above 70 degrees. I don’t mind tossing on a hoodie and a blanket and building a fire during the winter to keep warm and save a few bucks. But there’s only a finite amount of clothing you can remove to keep cool in the summer and keep the neighbors from calling the local authorities on you for indecent exposure. And I’m more than willing to shell out a few extra bucks to sit in a comfortable climate in my own home.

The purpose of Mayor Mamdani’s ask, of course, is to conserve energy and reduce the strain on the power grid. Perhaps he’s listening to France and feels guilty that our air conditioners are causing their “heat wave.”

But his ask went further than just the air conditioners.

“Set your AC to 78 degrees, turn off lights/electronics you’re not using, and unplug what you can,” wrote Mamdani on X.

Sounds like London during a WWII German air raid.

New York: it’s hot out there, and the power grid is working overtime to keep us cool.

Set your AC to 78 degrees, turn off lights/electronics you’re not using, and unplug what you can.

Our City is doing its part too: maintaining the 78 degrees rule in our buildings,…— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) July 1, 2026

Well, to those who are likely to comply with Mamdani’s “Rule of 78,” I have a few ideas outside of the public pool and community center suggestions that Mayor Madman mentioned:

1. Subsidized Subfreeze

This is an oft-overlooked opportunity to maintain a low core body temperature during the sweltering heat. Locate your nearest city-run grocery store. As soon as you fight your way through the looters absconding with taxpayer-purchased goods, head to the frozen foods section, push the Breyer’s aside, and crawl in! You’ll be frosty in no time!

2. Refuse Refuge

So far, I’ve only seen one New Yorker make this move. But you may want to act on it quickly, as supplies are limited. Amid the chaos of a riotous sports celebration in the crowded streets, casually overturn an overfilled trash bin, dumping its contents carelessly onto the sidewalk. Place yourself under the overturned bin so that the bottom is over your head, providing much-needed shade from the sun’s blistering rays. Bonus points if you’re able to take the bin home with you on the subway!

🇺🇸 JP Morgan DEI exec fired for stealing Knicks trash can

40-year-old DEI executive Angie Báez has been fired after she was caught on camera emptying a Knicks-colored trash can onto the street and hauling it home like it was free game.

This is the same woman who previously… pic.twitter.com/IY7eDCanz0— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) June 24, 2026

3. Rooftop Respite

This opportunity to cool down is more for the athletically inclined of the New York City population. Choose any skyscraper in the city and climb your way to the top, a la King Kong. The cross-breeze is to die for! It also makes for an ultra-romantic spot if you’re looking to pop the question to your equally deranged life partner.

BREAKING: Two people have climbed to the top of the Empire State Building in New York City, holding a banner from the skyscraper’s antenna reading, “When the power of love beats the love of power, the world knows peace.”

As of now it’s unclear how the pair reached the top of the… pic.twitter.com/rUPZ6nc1eK— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 1, 2026

4. Cooling for a Cause

June is over, and the activists have found other outlets for their self-hatred, but you may just be lucky enough to stumble upon a small “Queers for Palestine” demonstration. If that’s the case, crouch waist-level directly behind the largest twerking drag queen there. That fanny’ll fan you off in no time.

In Zohran Mamdani’s New York, a Free Palestine Gay Pride float symbolizes how insane this city has become. pic.twitter.com/titU1fPdLx— Leviathan (@l3v1at4an) June 30, 2026

5. Shalom Shower

Use NYC’s plague of rabid anti-Semitism for your benefit. Obtain a yarmulke from your local synagogue and simply walk down any New York City street. Hate is so plentiful that the Hitler Youth of Manhattan will voluntarily spit on you wherever you go. This has a two-fold effect: you remain cool while your detractors are dehydrating themselves.

And a bonus for our Bostonians:

Mayor Michelle Wu has yet to send out her own version of the “Rule of 78” for city residents as of this writing.

But if you’re a Boston Police officer out on patrol, and the heat starts to get to you, all you have to do is try to make an arrest in Dorchester. The onlookers will realize your desire to beat the heat and sacrifice their hydration needs, throwing their beverages onto you!

Wild footage of a mob throwing trash at a Boston police officer as he tries to arrest an alleged criminal is going viral.

This comes as critics say Boston’s elected officials do not prioritize police pic.twitter.com/fQsbXzv3Tf— Mass Daily News (@MassDailyNews) June 29, 2026

The opinions in this column are solely those of the author and not necessarily the opinions of The Howie Carr Radio Network