By Susan Lee

With summer temperatures toppling 100 degrees and the humidity feeling thick against your skin, keeping cool is the key to enjoying a carefree summer in Queens.

Here are some places you can go for some summer fun with no sweat.

Museums And Parks

While the best advice is to stay out of the sun and avoid extreme temperature changes, an itch to leave the cool quarters of air-conditioned spaces can be compelling.

Consider going to some of Queens’ parks so that you can enjoy being outdoors, and simultaneously remain active and cool.

For those looking to venture out of air conditioning this summer, check out Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City where there’s plenty of shade and even more interesting art. Tribune Photo by Michael Fischthal

For instance, visit the Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City, where trees will provide good shade.  The Park is also next to the East River, and although you can’t dive in, the breeze may feel next to heavenly.

The P.S. 1 Museum also in Long Island City offers a variety of ways to remain  outdoors and beat the heat. 

Artist William E. Massie’s work in the museum’s courtyard, “Playa Urbana/Urban Beach” consists of tubing that provides for shade and shelter, pools, showers, and a hot tub—all in one place for visitors to use.

Pools And Beaches

Queens houses three outdoor pools and one indoor pool for the public to use for free.

Astoria Pool located on 19th Street and 23rd Drive in Astoria, Fisher Pool on 99th Street and 32nd Avenue in East Elmhurst, and Liberty Pool on 173rd Street and 106th Avenue in Jamaica, are open from July to Labor Day with hours from 11a.m. to 7 p.m.

An indoor pool, Roy Wilkins Park Recreation Center, is located on 119th Street and Merrick Boulevard.    

The stretch of seven miles and a half of beaches on the Rockaway Peninsula offers an alternative to the pools.  The Boardwalk runs from Beach 9th Street on the eastern end of the peninsula to Beach 126th Street. The beach continues west to 149th Street.

Make A Splash

Queens is also home to a handful of wading pools and mini-pools:

Wading Pools:
• Fisher
99th Street and 32nd Avenue, call 779-8356

• Liberty
173rd Street and 106th Ave, call 657-4995

Mini-Pools:
• Marie Curie Park
211th Street and 46th Avenue. Call 423-0762

• PS 10
45th Street and 30th Road
777-7599

Fire Hydrant Cool

Fire Department officials told the Tribune that Queens residents can visit their local firehouses to obtain a fire hydrant adaptor for use on street hydrants.

Shopping

Queens Center Mall in Elmhurst has 70 stores all air-conditioned to the delight of consumers looking for summer gear. 

While shopping, keep in mind that lightweight, light-color clothing will reflect some of the sun’s energy, keeping you cool.  Cotton is the fabric of choice in the summer months.

A supermarket where air conditioning is on full blast is another great place to shop. 

Browsing the produce section or the freezer items will make consumers feel as good, because they’ll keep cool and don’t have to buy anything! As no one said you had to buy anything!

But while you’re at the supermarket, you can stock up on foods and liquids for the summer.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate, even when you don’t feel thirsty. 

Water is the key liquid in the summer months, instead of beverages containing caffeine or alcohol, which dehydrate your body. 

(Those on fluid-restricted diets or taking diuretics should first consult with their doctor.)

Also, small and frequent meals are recommended. Perhaps try the new Vitamin Water that is produced in Whitestone and available in most stores in the City.  

Other Cool Spots

If you long for adventure and hear the call of the wild in your native Queens, here are a few suggestions for ways that a real Queensite faces the dog days of summer:

• Frolic in the Fountain of the Planets near the Unisphere in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

You may be given a ticket for your reverie, but you’ll be too refreshed to care.

• Walk back and forth past the large, air-conditioned stores on Main Street in Flushing.

Try to go when it’s busy so the doors will continually be opening and thus cooling you off. It’s a fine way to combine window-shopping and staying comfortable in the heat.

• Hop on any public bus and ride it from one end of the line to the other and wallow in the air conditioning.

Should the AC be broken, sit by a window, throw it open, and stick your head outside the window. After all, they aren’t called  the “dog days of summer” for nothing. (Sticking your tongue out is optional.)

• Venture to Bayside (or any especially leafy neighborhood) and seek shelter and shade beneath the large maple, oak, and cherry blossom trees.

In addition, seek out grassy areas because you never know when you’ll stumble upon a working sprinkler.

• Take a brisk walk or stroll along the nature path next to the Cross Island Parkway in Bayside.

The breeze from Little Neck Bay (and the oncoming traffic) will soothe you, and a stop at the Bayside Marina for a refreshing beverage will further diminish any discomfort.

• Find yourself a bridge . . . any bridge, and sit under it!

The hobby made famous by trolls is a favorite in this multi-cultural borough and a wonderful way to waste away the afternoon in the shade of the City spans.

• Catch a flick at the newly opened Jamaica Multiplex Cinemas in Jamaica or any other Queens theater.

Stadium seating, cushy seats, Dolby Surround Sound, and air conditioning makes theaters a favorite pastime in the summer.

• Standing on line for a homemade ice with 29 different flavors to choose from at the Lemon Ice King in Corona is well worth the wait.

• Visit the Queens Borough Public Library’s branches and peruse the newspaper racks, books, and internet.

— Daniel Bloch contributed to this story