Bearing the brunt of dangerous ocean conditions, the turbulent ocean rip currents gain an upper hand. I’m pulled further away from the disappearing shoreline to the point of no return. The carefree youthful years of the 1970s—vacations in Ocean City, Maryland consisted of bikinis, Ray-bans, and black Speedos—strolling along the boardwalk wolfing Thrasher's French Fries. Fifty-five years later, a recurring vivid nightmare revealing the Atlantic’s dark side returns every summer. Time to wake up.
At dawn, the crepuscular scream of a wildcat opened my eyes. To appease a demanding feline; I say “Hi.” Then deliver a quick comb with a back rub to promote well-being. For daily relief from the exhausting heat, I take a brief shower.
I go downstairs to get a newspaper to read while having breakfast. The doorman quietly informs me I’m the only person in a 60-unit Manhattan building still receiving a daily print subscription delivery of The New York Times. A quick diagnosis of the day’s events reflects the day-to-day aches, pains and complaints of the world. Sound like a Beatles song?
Fearful eaters are going feral avoiding vegetables. Nobody’s buying lettuce. Could part of the problem be those annoying Niagara Falls’ high-quality misting systems that over spray in the grocery store produce aisle? The wet floor always needs a mop-up; I get soaked just looking at all the wilted greens. What gives? Test that water.
This year’s sweltering summer is setting record-breaking numbers with a wide range of dangerous health hazards. A simple sandwich ordered in a stuffy, hole-in-the-wall, poorly air-conditioned bodega garnered an irritated glance from frazzled, overworked counter person. It makes you wonder if your order is properly prepared. Should’ve known better, there’s a Health Department C-grade proudly displayed in the window.
“You want Cyclospora, Listeria, or Salmonella on that?” the counter guy asks.
“Have any E-coli hiding back there?” I reply.
Of note: major cleaning efforts are currently underway around the City for buildings testing positive for deadly Legionella bacteria; body count so far this year: six.
It’s the weather. Here’s a suggestion for 2026 meteorological throw-down match: Heat Dome vs. Winter Vortex. Walking out the door stepping outside for a bit of fresh air? Not today. There’s a post-pandemic N95 mask revival in place because of hot “very unhealthy” Canadian wildfire smoke conditions. I’ll have to admit; the thick toxic veil of reddish orange haze that blanketed the Northeast cities during June 2023 was a surreal event.
Why would anyone want to live on Mars? I prefer earthbound. On late-night TV as a kid, I watched 1953’s disturbing Invaders from Mars. The movie scared the hell out me, stoking life-long childhood fear of sand. Shot in hyper-real SuperCinecolor, I couldn’t get over the frightening red planet’s menacing humanoids’ sand pit swallowing people whole. The Martians also put strange things on the back of parents’ necks turning them into killers.
Daily chaos shows, the stalled traffic and sirens everywhere contributing to air and sound pollution. A 43-year-old US Army vet armed with knives staged a gasoline fireball attack complete with fireworks outside the heavily-guarded entrance to 26 Federal Plaza located on Worth St. The suspect was immediately arrested. Anxiety continued as a thick cloud of dark smoke dissipated. Add to this, a multitude of uranium enriched sports events around the City; invasive tourist season kicked off early this year. The nonstop hoopla began with the Knicks championship coupled with World Cup festivities.
It’s a shame too, because out-of-town visitors and New Yorkers are missing something special. One of the better views of The Empire State Building is gone. Under New York law, property owners have no automatic legal right to an unobstructed view, however, there are exceptions. That should’ve applied to this situation. On the corner of 23rd St. and Broadway in front of the Flatiron Building looking north, there was a picture-perfect, dynamic panoramic vista of the Empire State Building.
Across the street in Madison Square Park, I frequently gazed-up upwards during my work lunch breaks having a 1933 flashback of King Kong with Fay Wray reaching the Empire summit in all his defiant glory. Planes shot him down. On July1st, 2026, Kong’s feat was surprisingly surpassed by an extreme daredevil couple’s climb to the spire’s top proposing marriage. Both were quickly arrested.
The landmark Art Deco building view is now blocked. A new, pencil-thin skyscraper is located at 29th St. and 5th Ave. The promotional hype for this polarizing, high-rise architectural eyesore lists residence sales starting at $7.5 million. “62 Fifth Avenue, holistically engineered and meticulously designed, sets the new standard for balanced living.” Nothing could be further from truth. The unfinished parking garage, scaffold-looking exterior reminds us, another slice of Gotham’s skyline has disappeared.
In coffee shops around town, jitterbugs are taking a break from their screens. Start-up culture patrons’ mindsets are landing on their feet over the news. They’re busy meeting the hard problems, scheduling private Zoom calls to regurgitate buzz. It’s now okay to drink up to five cups of coffee a day. What about grinding your stained teeth to a pulp? Experts say there’s a caveat: not all caffeine is created equal. Nix the canned energy drinks. Even so, that’s a lot of caffeine. Is Starbucks secretly behind this research?
I felt agitated and stopped drinking after my fourth cup, couldn’t handle it. Nervous. Thunderstorm coming, had to close windows. Lightning filled the sky. The magic of Hollywood has repetitively depicted how the Earth would be destroyed. What then, a rebirth where survivors seek peaceful technology? Sounds like something from a 1950s science fiction movie. It could happen tomorrow.