The Heat Is On

It's just ridiculously hot out, and looks to stay in the high 80s and low 90s for the foreseeable future.

It's especially unfortunate that many ways that Chicagoans traditionally use to cool off are unavailable due to the pandemic restrictions.

It's a bad time for people who are living without air conditioning (or who may not want to use it for financial reasons), and people living outside. The city strongly urges you to call 3-1-1 for well-being checks for those who may be ill-equipped to handle the heat.

The city has issued a list of cooling centers. A map is here, and we are listing the ones in Uptown and in the surrounding areas below:

• Uptown Branch Library, 929 West Buena. Open Monday and Wednesday, 10am-6pm, Tuesday and Thursday, noon-8pm, Saturday 9am-5pm.
• Bezazian Branch Library, 1226 West Ainslie. Open Monday and Wednesday, noon-8pm, Tuesday and Thursday, 10am-6pm, Saturday 9am-5pm.
• Sulzer Regional Library, 4455 North Lincoln. Open Monday through Thursday, 9am-9pm, Friday and Saturday 9am-5pm, Sunday 1pm-5pm.
• North Area Center, 845 West Wilson. Open July 7-10: 9am-5pm
• District 19 Police Station, 850 West Addison. Open Saturday and Sunday.
• Levy Regional Senior Center, 2019 West Lawrence. Open July 7-10: 8:30am-4:30pm.

The Park District has turned on the water features at several area playlots through July 10th. Park District employees will monitor the splash pads to ensure families are safely social distancing while finding relief from the extreme heat. A map is here, and the ones around Uptown are listed below:

• Broncho Billy Playlot, 4437 N Magnolia.
• Aster Playlot, 4639 N Kenmore.
• Buttercup Playlot, 4901 N Sheridan.
• Cedar Playlot, 5539 North Winthrop.
• Welles Park, 2333 W. Sunnyside.
• Juniper Playlot, 3652 N. Greenview

Stay cool, and be aware of your neighbors and check on them.