This past weekend was the hottest of the year. Just outside of Philadelphia, temperatures were reaching 99 degrees, with “feels like” temperatures reaching as high as 110 at times.

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The temperatures were bad, but the humidity and stagnant feeling in the air made everything worse. It was the closest I have ever experienced to a heat equivalent of bitter cold without a coat. Painful and oppressive; any sane person would spend the entire weekend inside, right? I definitely did not do that.

On Saturday I went to a barbecue with my girlfriend. The party was hosted by one of her friends from college and was about an hour away in New Jersey. For the most part, the party was held outside. There were a bunch of tents, fans and a pool to keep everyone cool, not to mention plenty of cold drinks.

Although the temperatures supposedly felt like the mid-100s, sitting in the shade with occasional dips in a refreshing pool capped off with delicious food was an excellent way to spend Saturday. After lots of sunscreen, pool time and sitting in the shade, it was time to head home to the air conditioning.

Sunday was much better — we stayed out of the heat for the entire day. We grabbed breakfast at a local diner before heading to the movie theater to catch a matinee of The Lion King. The remake has been slammed by fans and critics, but honestly, as a kid who grew up with the original, it was perfect. Some new scenes and reworked music really helped the film, plus, it was awe-inspiring to see “real” animals in place of the cartoon.

In all, pools, shade, cold drinks, diners and movie theaters turn out to be the perfect way to beat the hottest weekend of the year.

— Erich Martin, assistant editor