If there's one thing I'm thankful for on a sticky, sweltering summer day like today, it's air conditioning--and as I sweat away the weekend watching movies in my muggy apartment with a fan on my lap, I became distinctly aware of this fact. My 15-minute walk up Fordham Rd. in the Bronx to the D train only adds to my appreciation for the cooling contraption. With Fordham Rd.'s mango vendors and blaring reggaeton, it already seems like a tropical island...but especially in this heat. And if I didn't already smell like incense and halal meat by the time I got to the subway, now I have to reek of sweat and deal with moisture in places I don't care to mention. Yet as I trek on daily, past Duane Reade and Mr. Softee , I know I can at least look forward to an air-conditioned, and hopefully soporific, ride downtown.