Pick Your Poison: Heat Waves Or Crime Waves

Crime waves in New York are slightly unsettling but always intriguing, as long as they're not ripping through your neighborhood of course. The latest example of the classic purse-snatching spree was just the tip of the iceberg, as you can see by taking a virtual stroll through your local precinct's police blotter using SpotCrime. Billing itself as the best source of "local maps, crime reports, classifications, and real-time interactive maps," Spot Crime's profile will be on the rise as the mercury keeps its steady ascent into the 90's this summer.

Based out of Baltimore, SpotCrime filters its information from police outlets as well as local media, both of which are not 100% reliable. Nonetheless, it makes for an interesting addition to your early summertime apartment hunting research. Just don't watch too many episodes of The Wire and you should be able to keep it all in perspective.