I lived in Phila and NY in the Summer and it is NO FUN! I asked for an air conditioner for my graduation gift (I got it too). I lived in my bedroom for a month.

...it's hotter than hell from May through October. And it's been that way since forever.

We're screwed. Gonna dry up like beef jerky.

Or to think of it in another way, 1 car engine is dumping several fold the heat via the radiator.

It sucks, I try to keep AC use to a minimum and open the windows to cool off when I can. But NYC tends to heat up like an oven, especially in the afternoon around 3-5PM where all the cement and blacktop just absorbs heat.

Tried going 'au naturel' one day last summer, that was a dumb mistake. My apartment basically turned into a kiln, which isn't surprising as it's a brick building that's ~100 years old. Also got a first-hand lesson, that heat rises

That said, there ARE things one can do.... I also got new AC units last summer, replacing the old ones that came with the apartment. It's amazing how much more energy efficient new units are. My electric bill went down by a significant amount, and I didn't change the usage patterns of the AC.

Usually June is cool and rainy here. For the last couple of summers I didn't use my air conditioner at all.
We'll see, maybe I'll put the AC unit in the window this year.