Seattle broke its all-time heat record yesterday, with temperatures breaking 100 degrees. I was there and I can report that, yes, it was hot. Last winter I was amused, while visiting my brother in Tucson, at the local paper being filled with stories of how to deal with record-breaking cold temperatures (ie, below freezing). The Seattle Times here (sadly, the other local paper, the Post-Intelligencer, is one of the daily newspaper casualties) was full of articles like Northwesterners not acclimated for record heat, Heat exhaustion or stroke: What to look for, what to do, Tips to stay cool, safe in the scorching heat and (of course) Dog day cares keeping pets cool in heat.

I would normally be excited to be in the presence of history. I would love to have happened to be in a sports bar as Mark Buehrle threw his perfect game last week. But I really could have done without this one, not least because a town where 103-degree temperatures are unheard of is also a town where air-conditioning isn't ordinarily necessary. Or very good.

But I didn't have to suffer that much in the heat. I was mostly suffering in Seattle traffic, a delayed flight, and a wait for a car at the San Francisco airport at the Avis counter, where the motto seemed to be, "We try? Hardly!" I will be glad to be home tonight.

Tags: travel