I’ve lived with steam heat all of my life in New York City, and although the silent or near silent central heating systems of new homes (such as forced air) is vastly superior, the sound of steam on a cold winter’s day gives comfort. I’m like a Pavlovian dog – I have been conditioned to the sound of steam and its association with warmth. Anyone who has been without heat for days knows how the sound of steam rising is literally music to the ears.

If you wonder why I say that modern systems are vastly superior, take a look at my photo and story, The Dark Ages, here. Steam heat output is controlled in a very primitive manner, with no thermostats to regulate temperature. Often, apartments or offices are blistering hot. Turning off the system is not recommended or not possible, requiring windows to be opened mid-winter. Valves often do not work properly or leak, and radiators bang.

Most buildings in New York have their own boilers and provide their own steam. However, Con Edison, New York City’s local utility, has the world’s largest district heating system, and provides steam to 100,000 commercial and residential customers in Manhattan, from the Battery to 96th Street. Customers include the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the United Nations. Hospitals, such as St. Vincent, make use of steam for sterilization procedures.

Steam is produced at five generating plants – three in Manhattan, one in Queens and one in Brooklyn. Water is boiled under high pressure to 1000 degrees F and is delivered at 358 degrees through a 105 mile system of pipes. Read more here.

Regardless of safeguards, there is inherent risk in such as system. There have been numerous steam pipe explosions in the city with fatalities and spewing debris, including asbestos, into the air. There has been controversy and talk regarding the feasibility of maintaining such a system.

One of most often asked questions is about the nature of steam rising from the streets of New York City. This steam is typically not from leaks, but from water making contact with the steam pipes and vaporizing. The steam is often vented through cones to prevent it from diminishing visibility for motorists.

For now, in mid-winter, the sound of steam is always good news to my ears and only spells one word – cozy 🙂

About the photo: This Con Ed repair truck and crew were located on Grand Street, coincidentally in front of John Jovino Gun Shop.

I enjoyed Wayne’s World on Saturday Night Live the first times I saw it (for those not familiar with the sketch series, see here). A friend at the time was incredulous that I would find such juvenile humor entertaining. But she missed the point entirely.
The brilliance of the numerous skits was the accuracy of how they captured the sophomoric humor and thinking of many high school boys. The simple inane things that would be incredibly funny to them. Of course, not every high school student finds the types of anecdotes on the show entertaining. Many are not ridden with an unsophisticated sense of humor. Unfortunately, I was not immune to the plague.

At the time I was enrolled in the university, we frequented the same all-night deli near our dormitory. There was one particular cashier who had a very distinctive accent and, in a characteristic fashion, would drop the “v” sound in five to become “fi” and drop the “f” sound in “fifty” to become “fit-ty.” So we lived for purchases that had 5 or 50 in the total.

Of course, a dream total was anything that ended in 55, becoming our beloved “fit-ty fi” – a total of $1.55, for example, was enough cause for jubilation. It had the feel of roulette: place our bets (items) on the counter, wait for the wheel to stop spinning, and see if our numbers came up. We won a single 5 or 50 often – the perfect game for impetuous youth. We were realists, and we never aspired for a dream total such as $5.55 – the odds here were quite poor, and we rarely spent that much. Better to hope for a 5, 50, or 55.

It has been a very long time since this even entered my mind, and I am proud to state that my sense of humor has become more sophisticated. But recently, at dinner, the total was so stunning that I could not help but think that this was the ne plus ultra of my youthful dreams. The unattainable. A total so perfect, we dared not think or speak it, less we live in perpetual disappointment and frustration. I had to recount this tale, of course, to my fellow dinner companions so they could fully appreciate the miracle that lay before us – a bill for $55.55 🙂

This scene in a restaurant is far from unique to New York City, but what particularly struck me was the absolute resoluteness and immediacy with which these two women wielded their phones after sitting down. One immediately began texting,  the other speaking on her cell phone. They continued through the entire meal without saying a word to each other.

Reading through numerous articles and online forums, I was actually surprised to see what appears to be an overwhelming majority who find the use of cell phones at dinner (at home or in a restaurant) rude and unacceptable, including younger people. The reasons cited were many, but most felt that eating is a social activity. Some also made the point that pulling out a cell phone during dinner makes a statement of relative importance – an insult to those who are physically there. Others, however, stated that among teenagers particularly, texting and phoning maintains a continuity of contact with their social circles. The whole phenomenon has created quite a furor, with many individuals seeking counseling.

A lot has been written since the rise of the Internet and cell phones about the nature of electronic communication technologies and whether they are tools that isolate people or bring them together. Like any other tools, they can be used or abused. There are many individuals who, for any number of reasons, have a limited social circle, and communication technology has allowed them to make new acquaintances. For some, it is difficult, if not impossible, to have much live social contact with others, perhaps due to health issues or living in a remote geographical location. For others, communication with existing friends and family is broadened beyond the time they are able to spend together physically. One could also argue that in aggregate, all the new methods of communication – texting, calling via cell phone, instant messaging, emailing, video calling, voip – have increased communication.

Personally, I try to limit cell phone conversations at dinner to receiving calls that are extremely important or where the caller would be difficult to contact. Like most things, this is a matter of degree and circumstance. People have answered landline phones during dinner for decades. In the case of these two women, they are both involved simultaneously and look quite happy sharing time together doing something they both enjoy. I’m sure the debate will rage on – whether what we have here is rude, antisocial, or perhaps a new form of social behavior: togetherlessness 🙂