Melt With You

Okay, so "cooler than the city" this beach is not. But there are plenty of ways around that here, fortunately. I have the local news on at the moment and they're having a heck of a heat wave here-- one degree short of the record temperatures, with tomorrow expected to get even hotter. I now know why my friends advised, "Go north!". Somewhere in my native-Californian brain, I still think "ocean = cool breezes". Yeah.

I did get in a nice walk along the boardwalk to explore this morning before it got too bad. There are a lot of buildings connected to one another here, so I can get to plenty without needing to go out in the heat again. That one walk was enough to make me cling to climate-controlled air like a size 8 girdle on a size 18 woman.

As usual for casino-type places, there are some creative solutions to making you think you're enjoying the external surroundings, but in a controlled environment. Walking through the indoor pier shops, which extend out on the water as expected on a pier, there's a long row on the top level with sand pits and Adirondack chairs, looking out onto the beach and those enduring the heat. It's a perfect place to sit with a nice, cool drink, watch the water/beach and/or read a book. You'd never really suspect you're basically in a shopping mall with such activity behind you. It's a pretty smart setup, since it's on the level with restaurants and you're pretty removed. And there's a gym to make up for not getting out of doors, as well.

I'm headed out for dinner in a bit. I've only eaten one meal today and it's rapidly wearing off.