Desperately Seeking Cold Rooms in a Hot England
As tennis again descends on Wimbledon while temperatures rise, very rare air conditioning is at a premium.
WIMBLEDON, England — On a few rare occasions, I’ve worked on a story that keeps me up at night because of its subject.
This, instead, is a story about what has kept me up at night this week in London, night after sweaty night.
There’s been record-breaking heat across much of Western Europe this week, as there increasingly is across much of the world due to global warming.
But despite a hot summer becoming an annual event, much of Europe—particularly England—remains bafflingly ill-prepared for this inevitability. This is frustrating for many of us folks—U.S. folks, often—who visit annually during this time of year and struggle far more indoors than we do outdoors.
“I just feel like every year during Wimbledon there’s a heat wave, and everyone tells me that they ‘don’t need air conditioning,’” Madison Keys told Bounces, with relatable exasperation, of her experiences in London. “We, in fact, need air conditioning that week!”
To read the rest on this hot topic—with input from many Americans, plus other nationalities on tour including the British—please become a cool customer of Bounces! -Ben