Shvitz-O-Meter: when the Big Apple is twice baked...

which retailers offer respite from heat so oppressive even pigeons pooped out in Central Park?

Skip the sample sales (heresy) and sample these alternatives to the official Bloomberg-approved cooling stations, measured in "icicles:" Best Buy on 86th and Lexington (5 icicles) so cold, you may need a cardigan, Metropolitan Museum of Art store (4 icicles) - skip the steps, and enter at base of museum - a Fifth Avenue hot air haven with no admission fee, Barnes & Noble (4 icicles) for air quailty, 1 for limited available seating, restroom and reading materials. Food Emporium @ 1450 Third Ave (82 St) - 3 icicles in store, 5 in freezer section.

Select smaller shops may offer a bigger blast, but you won't be part of the anonymous cool air seeking masses.
 
~nancy brenner, cool as ice.

STICKLEY Furniture: Winter Sale

It may not be known to the public yet, but the Stickley Furniture winter sale has begun right about now. I know this because while I have not bought clothes for weeks upon weeks, I have been intently researching and purchasing furniture and other related items to upgrade my living space. I am also buying additional renter's insurance (as you should if you don't have it! Call the Cafarelli Agency in Smithtown, NY at 631-543-6363 NOW! Seriously, it's cheap and can save your financial life should something like, say, a FIRE destroys your home).

So I traipsed on over to the new-ish NYC location on W. 25th St. right off of 7th Avenue and met with my man Kevin. I am the soon to be proud owner of a new Metropolitan bookcase (see photo) sleeper chair-and-a-half, as well as a recliner covered in upholstery that took me no less than an hour to pick out. And while this stuff is in no way cheap and barely verging on affordable, it is great quality and SO FRIGGING NICE. And with the current sale going on, you really can't go wrong. Oh, and if you want to get an extra 5 percent off, find someone you know who is an interior decorator or architect to send them a note requesting a "professional discount." I did!