MANHATTAN — There's some relief for overheated New Yorkers as the record-setting heat wave continues: the city's 54 pools will stay open until 8 p.m. on Friday night and open again on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
City officials also announced that spray showers in playgrounds will remain on until 9 p.m.
"During this heat wave, New Yorkers should take advantage of the free places around the city that offer relief from the heat: pools, spray showers, beaches and cooling centers," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a statement.
Four city beaches have been deemed unsafe for swimming — South Beach, Midland Beach and Cedar Grove Beach on Staten Island and Brooklyn's Sea Gate Beach — because of raw sewage being dumped into the Hudson after Wednesday's fire at Harlem's North River Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Also, the Hudson River, the East River from the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge to the Verrazano Bridge, the Harlem River and the Kill Van Kull to the Goethals Bridge are unfit for recreational activities such as swimming, canoeing, kayaking, windsurfing or any other water activity that would entail possible direct contact now through Monday, city officials said.
But most city beaches remain open, including Coney Island Beach, Rockaway Beach, Orchard Beach and Manhattan Beach.
Bloomberg added: "Remember to stay out of the sun, drink plenty of water, and check on your friends and family who may be at risk for heat-related illnesses."
