I survived NYC without AC for three years. Here’s why I finally caved

Nora (a pseudonym) is a Californian who relocated to New York City after going to college on the East Coast. She works for a financial company, which helps pay for her passion projects in audio editing. She shares how she survived NYC’s sweltering summers without AC since 2021, and why she finally bought one. 

I moved to New York in the middle of a hurricane on my birthday. It was just me on the floor on my mattress with a hurricane raging outside while I Facetimed two of my friends for a little birthday celebration. It actually was really fun.

When I first moved in, living without AC wasn’t so bad. I’ve lived in very hot climates. I’ve lived on the East Coast for a good amount of my life. And in California, you don’t tend to have air conditioning in your house—or at least I didn’t. I’m used to dealing with heat.

[Editor’s note: Brick Underground’s Inside Stories features first-person accounts of dramatic, real-life NYC real estate experiences. We are presenting this again in case you missed it.]

Can’t live with it, can live without it

My first summer in New York was deep and utter chaos for so many reasons.

I was in and out of the city and out of the country to places that were much hotter than here—I went to Israel for a friend’s wedding and for work, and I went back to California.

My roommate caved and got an AC unit immediately, so I got a little bit of a residual breeze from that. But here’s the other thing: I technically had an air conditioner, it just did not work. It was so large and it did not fit in our window because we were on the first floor and we had bars on the window. There was a little alcove for it, but we couldn’t put it in the window without it falling into the room. 

It was already such a pain to put up and take down. I also thought, “I can’t buy an air conditioner if I have an air conditioner. But also I can’t use the air conditioner I have. So I guess it just has to be this way.”

How I survived

I made excuses for myself, like: this is much more environmentally conscious. I also had a really good fan. I would sleep with only my sheets and not my blanket. And I stayed really hydrated. I also think that summer was not as bad. 

I also froze a lot of ice packs in the freezer. I started making a lot of cold brew iced teas. (Staying hydrated was definitely one of my top solutions.) I got a face ice roller and I would do that a lot because it felt nice. And having plants in your room helps. They also just make me happier. 

Why I caved

I did decide to buy an AC after a couple of things happened. 

My mom sent me an air purifier, which was helpful when smoke from the Canadian fires was bad. I would put my hands over the part that blows purified air into the room and think, “Man, it’d be really nice to have a fan in here.” My really nice fan had broken.

Also, it’s been really humid already this summer. I recently moved to Crown Heights and I only have one window, so I was still debating whether I wanted to take up some of that window space with an AC unit. But when the fires were happening—and I’m sure they will continue to happen—the air was so awful.

Finally, I had a lot of people coming to visit me this summer and sleeping in my room on an air mattress. While I can subject myself to the heat, if other people are staying with me, I can’t make them deal with it too. They deserve better.

Why I feel like I made the right call

We experienced the hottest day globally on record, which is so concerning for global warming reasons. But that’s just one piece of it—the smoke from the Canadian fires also pushed me.

I know that AC is not the end-all-be-all solution. But it is what we’ve got, which is sad and unfortunate and makes me want to think a lot more about the environment. I’ve been reading a lot about when the temperature is so high that it can be lethal to people. 

My mentality in the past has always been, “I’m tough. I can deal with it. I’ll have a thick skin about it and it’ll be fine.” But seeing all of the news about global warming makes me think that I’m going to need more than a thick skin to get through a NYC summer.

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Hundreds cram into front yard for the auction no-one wanted to miss

8 Warrane Place, Roseville Chase sold for record price for a home on less than 1000sqm in the suburb.

More than 200 people watched a new house in Roseville Chase sell under the hammer for a record $6.25m.

The underbidder only turned up drawn by the big crowd, but he promptly registered and helped bid up the price to the third highest in Roseville Chase and the highest for a home on less than 1000sqm.

Stefon Bertram, of Pello, said 22 contracts were handed out on 8 Warrane Rd and bidding opened at $5m at the weekend auction.

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It has an impressive street presence.

And a resort-style pool in the back yard.

There are five bedrooms.

“The first bid flew out of the gate before we had finished our opening spiel,” he said.

“Often you just hear crickets at the beginning of an auction but this one saw very fast bidding and it was all over very quickly,” he added.

The guide for the five-bedroom, four-bathroom home with pool on a 681sqm level block was $5.3m – way higher than the suburb median of $3.455m.

A local developer bought the original house on the block in August last year, knocked it down and rebuilt. The new owners are a family from Mosman.

Stefon said buyers loved the design of the home, the northern aspect, the pool visible from the house and the outdoor kitchen.

Outdoor dining.

Full of natural light.

“There has been confidence in the market since the election and after the second interest rate cut it was like someone had turned on a hose,” he said.

“We had old buyers from 12-18 months ago cycling back into the market with new buyers, so although stock is similar to last year there is now more demand,” he said.

Roseville Chase is one of Sydney’s most tightly held suburbs with only 2 per cent of homes changing hands in a year compared to 4.6 per cent turnover for Sydney as a whole – according to PropTrack.

The suburb record is $6.67m for a house in Lockley Pde on 1239sqm of land which sold in 2022 and the second highest sale is $6.4m for a house on Ormonde Rd on 4518sqm which changed hands last year.

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FY24-25’s eye-watering top 20 home sales revealed by Property Edge

SA’s prestige property market continues to fire on all cylinders, with the top 20 sales of the 2024-25 financial year sporting some truly eyewatering price tags.

According to Property Edge – a division of the South Australian Integrated Land Information System – the top settled residential sale for the past financial year was a whopping $12.5m for a grand villa at 4 Victoria Ave, Unley Park.

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The home – sold by Penny Riggs and Isabela Klemich of Alexander Real Estate, settled on August 14 and eclipsed the $11.2m paid for second-placed neighbour 3 Victoria Ave by a staggering $1.3m.

It also set a new state record for an on-market sale.

4 Victoria Ave, Unley Park.

Painting a picture of the depth of wealth in SA, and the confidence in top-end property, the 20th placed 155 Barnard St, North Adelaide, which settled in January, sold for an impressive $6.4m.

The list consisted of predominantly near-city blue chip suburbs, with a couple of coastal properties and a hills hideaway rounding also making the list.

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Jamie Brown of Booth & Booth Real Estate, who sold the second, third, fourth, and twelfth-ranked properties on the list, said the prestige market was as well-founded as he has seen it.

“It’s unheard of,” he said.

“There are flagship properties out there now that are worth up to $18m, $20 million, they just haven’t hit the market.

Jamie Brown of Booth Real Estate

“We’re going to see another echelon of new top-end results fairly soon I think.

“When you start getting eight figure sums from the areas outside of the usual ones – it’s a very wide spectrum and a much bigger pool.

“In the old days it needed someone from left field like an ex-pat to set the pace, but now they’re predominantly Adelaide buyers”.

Stephanie Williams of Williams Real Estate, who also sold four properties on the list, said the past two quarters had been the strongest selling period in her company’s history.

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“South Australia is definitely on fire and it’s continuing – the growth patterns are still strong, the desirability is there and the short supply continues.

“We’re 18 per cent down on stock on market for the same time last year and that’s fuelling these huge prices.”

She said the amount of wealth in the top end was extraordinary, with interest rates having no bearing on their purchases.

MOST EXPENSIVE AND CHEAPEST SUBURBS

Real estate agent Stephanie Williams on Dutton Tce, Medindie. Picture: Brenton Edwards

“Some of them are cash buyers still, locals doing really well in the wine industry, IT, building, or wellness and health – and interest rates really won’t affect them.

Mrs Williams said there was nothing on the horizon that looked to take the wind out of the prestige market’s sails.

“If anything, with the uncertainties in the world, people come back to what they know and love, that safe haven, and that’s South Australia,” she said.

“Adelaide is just such a beautiful place to live and for that reason an interest rate cut is going to be fantastic, but I think we’re going to still see continuing growth patterns for the years to come.”

SA’S TOP SETTLED SALES FOR FY24-25, ACCORDING TO PROPERTY EDGE

20

$6,400,000

155 Barnard St, North Adelaide

155 Barnard St, North Adelaide

Sold by: Sally Cameron of Toop + Toop

Settled: Jan 27

19

$6,500,000

2A Victoria Ave, Medindie

2A Victoria Ave, Medindie

Sold by: Jordan Begley of Toop + Toop

Settled: May 6

18

2 The Ave, Medindie

$6,600,000

2 The Avenue, Medindie.

Sold by: Stephanie and John Williams of Williams Real Estate

Settled: November 29

17

114 Mills Tce, North Adelaide

$6,600,000

114 Mills Tce, North Adelaide.

Sold by: Sally Cameron and Bronte Manuel of Toop + Toop

Settled: February 28

16

1B Victoria Ave, Unley Park

$6,850,000

1b Victoria Ave, Unley Park.

Sold by: Stephanie and John Williams of Williams Real Estate

Settled: December 11

15

2A Rutland Ave, Unley Park

$6,900,000

2a Rutland Ave, Unley Park

Sold by: Stephanie and John Williams of Williams Real Estate

Settled: February 14

14

9 Fairview Rd, Crafers

$6,900,003

9 Fairview Rd, Crafers.

Sold by: Arabella Hooper and Taryn Varcoe of Harris Real Estate

Settled: March 5

13

15 Trinity St, College Park

$7,000,000

15 Trinity St, College Park.

Sold by: Sally Cameron of Toop + Toop

Settled: October 4

12

1 Stannington Ave, Heathpool

$7,200,000

1 Stannington Ave, Heathpool.

Sold by: Jamie Brown of Booth Real Estate

Settled: May 28

11

27 Esplanade, Somerton Park

$7,650,000

27 Esplanade, Somerton Park.

Sold by: Brad Allan and James Marron of Allan Real Estate

Settled: May 28

10

39 Godfrey Tce, Leabrook

$7,688,000

39 Godfrey Tce, Leabrook.

Sold by: Stephanie and John Williams of Williams Real Estate

Settled: May 2

9

561 Esplanade, Grange

$7,700,000

561 Esplanade, Grange.

Sold by: Grant Giordano and Jacqui Ilicic of Giordano & Partners

Settled: April 30

8

16 Dutton Tce, Medindie

$8,300,000

16 Dutton Tce, Medindie.

Sold by: Sally Cameron of Toop + Toop

Settled: August 21

7

2-4 (Lot 10) Windsor Ave, Burnside

$8,500,000

2-4 (Lot 10) Windsor Ave, Burnside

Sold by: Sally Cameron of Toop + Toop

Settled: April 14

6

7 Edwin Tce, Gilberton

$8,800,000

7 Edwin Tce, Gilberton.

Sold by: Sally Cameron of Toop + Toop

Settled: November 20

5

4 Woodland Rd, Springfield

$9,100,000

4 Woodland Rd, Springfield.

Sold by: Sally Cameron of Toop + Toop

Settled: March 3

4

12 The Grove, Lower Mitcham

$9,500,000

12 The Grove, Lower Mitcham.

Sold by: Jamie Brown of Booth Real Estate

Settled: June 6

3

39 Rochester St, Leabrook

$9,750,000

39 Rochester St, Leabrook.

Sold by: Jamie Brown of Booth Real Estate

Settled: April 28

2

3 Victoria Ave, Unley Park

$11,200,000

3 Victoria Ave, Unley Park.

Sold by: Jamie Brown of Booth Real Estate

Settled: March 21

1

4 Victoria Ave, Unley Park

$12,500,000

4 Victoria Ave, Unley Park.

Sold by: Penny Riggs and Isabela Klemich of Alexander Real Estate

Settled: August 14

Source: Property Edge

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New and updated Queensland icons stun at state’s largest architects awards show

An outdated hospital and an old heritage pub have received updates stunning enough to sweep Queensland’s biggest architect awards show this year.

The Australian Institute of Architects Queensland Awards took place on Thursday night, celebrating standout residential, commercial and public projects build across the entire state.

Co-chair of the Institute’s Queensland chapter, Jonathan Goh, said the awards showcased a wide range of state architects “punching at an international level”, especially in Queensland’s regional areas.

“Sometimes architects and projects in the regions are just sort of quite far away, and we tend to be Brisbane centric – but in the regions there’s some excellent work happening,” he said.

“There’s an appreciation of history, the stories that buildings hold … architects are trying to engage more with the story of older buildings.”

The new Caboolture Hospital scored several huge wins at the Australian Institute of Architects Queensland Awards. Picture: Ashley Bullas

As part of the Caboolture Hospital Redevelopment project, development company Jacobs designed the Caboolture Hospital Clinical Services Building, winning them two of the night’s biggest prizes.

With a design created in heavy consultation with First Nations people, the jury calling the final product an “integration of community, culture and clinical health services”.

“They’ve done a really good job breaking down things that are often big and intimidating, and just breaking them down to feel more approachable and welcoming,” Mr Goh said.

The Clinical Services Building was designed to expand much-needed services north of Brisbane while having a welcoming look to First Nations people. Picture: Murray Rix

ANZ Health Section Lead Megan Reading said her team was “incredibly proud” to have created the building in an area that had reached capacity for its current patients.

“We actually delivered the design during Covid,” she said. “It was a very challenging project, but truly worth the effort.”

“There are really big signposts to say First Nations people are welcome in the hospital – we worked really hard to have a design that welcomed them and helped reduce their fears to accessing health.”

The hospital is now open for patients, and now features an emergency department nearly four times larger than its previous design – along with more enclosed bedroom spaces and nature-filled courtyards on the ground level.

“Hospitals are all about people, and delivering care and connection to people,” Ms Reading said.

Matso’s Sunshine Coast Brewery turned a heritage pub into a popular tourist attraction in regional Queensland.

The heritage-listed Joe’s Waterhole, located in Eumundi, received two awards on the night after its transformation into Matso’s Sunshine Coast Brewery.

The new brewery, restaurant and beer garden was designed by Five Mile Radius and Knight Wilson Architects, represented one of several regional projects Mr Goh praised on the night.

When awarding this project, the jury praised it as a “respectful execution of a substantial renovation to a heritage building” that created “a space that now attracts an all-ages clientele, resulting in a deservedly popular destination”.

Kangaroo Point Bridge won the biggest award of the night: the Queensland Architecture Medallion.

But the biggest award on the night went to one of Queensland’s largest projects: the Kangaroo Point Bridge, which received the Queensland Architecture Medallion for 2025.

The huge 460 metre structure, linking Kangaroo Point with the CBD, was designed by Blight Rayner Architecture in collaboration with Dissing + Weitling Concept, and had Brisbane City Council, Arup and COX Architecture working on the reference design.

“In some ways it’s totally transformed the way you can understand Brisbane,” Mr Goh said, highlighting the design’s innovative methods of keeping slim and sleek.

The jury, meanwhile, praised the project for showing “how investment in key public infrastructure can enhance mobility and liveability”.

The project was said to have helped “transform” the city with new pedestrian walkways and bike paths, connecting the CBD and Kangaroo Point.

Other winners across the night included St Marcellin Centre at Marist College Primary School, which won the People’s Choice Prize and an award for educational architecture.

The jury hailed the design, made by Phorm architecture + design, as a benchmark for standards within contemporary architecture, as well as “a physical and visual bridge” between both school and sports.

The St Marcellin Centre at Marist Primary School scored the People’s Choice Prize this year. Picture: Christopher Frederick Jones

Another award winner for educational architecture was the Cathedral School Sports Precinct, which won the Regional Project of the Year Prize.

The work covered eight multipurpose hardcourts out in Townsvile, with two of them covered by a roofed structure with wide openings on its sides.

Described as a responsible gathering space for the community, the judges of the awards called the work an “unabashedly monumental structure for the school campus”.

“It’s just great seeing a regional architect do work at that level; it could fit in Brisbane and punch at the same level,” Mr Goh said.

The James Cook University Engineering & Innovation Place swept awards with three huge wins in educational, interior and sustainable architecture. Picture: Peter Bennetts

Meanwhile, the James Cook University Engineering & Innovation Place took home the Jennifer Taylor Award for Educational Architecture, the GHM Addison Award for Interior Architecture and Harry Marks Award for Sustainable Architecture.

The Douglas-based site was designed by KIRK with i4 Architecture and Charles Wright Architects. It won many of its accolades for a design praised as “driven by a response to site and climate”, making a “spectacular” location and a benchmark project for education design in tropical regions.

Judges hailed the Douglas-based school site as a benchmark for this type of building in other tropical areas. Picture: Peter Bennetts

Many residential projects won accolades on the night, but only three won named awards: Mapleton House by Atelier Chen Hung, Niwa House by John Ellway and Four Dwellings on 800m2 by Clare Design.

Mr Goh called Four Dwellings a visually creative and clever solution to the country’s current housing shortage.

“A lot of modular housing looks a bit pedestrian, but this one was … quite beautiful,” he said. “It’s just a clever example of trying to fit more within an existing suburban block, and just trying to raise the density there … without feeling all cramped in.”

Finally, associate director of Urbis Dr Kali Marnarne won the Queensland Emerging Architect Prize for her research and community involvement.

Four Dwellings on 800m2: a residential site praised by the Queensland co-chair of the Australian Institute of Architects.

See the list of winners here:

Winning Projects

– Queensland Architecture Medallion: Kangaroo Point Bridge (Blight Rayner Architecture, Dissing + Weitling, Brisbane City Council, Arup and COX Architecture)

– People’s Choice Prize: St Marcellin Centre (Phorm architecture + design)

– Social Impact Prize: Caboolture Hospital Clinical Services Building (Jacobs)

– Regional Project of the Year Prize: Cathedral School Sports Precinct (Stephen de Jersey Architect)

– Enduring Architecture Award: Bethany Home for the Aged (Goodsir Baker Wild)

– EmAGN Project Award: Matso’s Sunshine Coast Brewery (Five Mile Radius and Knight Wilson Architects)

– Art & Architecture Prize: Sun Stadium (Amrita Hepi, Jazz Money, Dialogue Office, Five Mile Radius and Sibling Architecture)

18 top prizes and named awards were given out for star buildings across the state on the night.

Named Awards

– The FDG Stanley Award for Public Architecture: Caboolture Hospital Clinical Services Building (Jacobs)

– The Jennifer Taylor Award for Educational Architecture: James Cook University Engineering & Innovation Place (KIRK, i4 Architecture and Charles Wright Architects)

The Robin Dods Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (New): Mapleton House (Atelier Chen Hung)

– The Elina Mottram Award for Residential Architecture – Houses (Alterations and Additions): Niwa House (John Ellway)

– The Jobs & Froud Award for Residential Architecture – Multiple Housing: Four Dwellings on 800m2 (Clare Design)

– The Beatrice Hutton Award for Commercial Architecture; Piccadilly, 340 Queen Street (Blight Rayner Architecture)

– The Don Roderick Award for Heritage: Mulgrave Gallery (TPG Architects)

– The GHM Addison Award for Interior Architecture: James Cook University Engineering & Innovation Place (KIRK, i4 Architecture and Charles Wright Architects)

– The Karl Langer Award for Urban Design: Kangaroo Point Bridge (Blight Rayner Architecture, Dissing + Weitling, Brisbane City Council, Arup and COX Architecture)

– The Hayes & Scott Award for Small Project Architecture: Sun Stadium (Amrita Hepi with Jazz Money, Dialogue Office, Five Mile Radius and Sibling Architecture)

– The Harry Marks Award for Sustainable Architecture: James Cook University Engineering & Innovation Place (KIRK, i4 Architecture and Charles Wright Architects)

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