When the heat gets this blistering, coping comes in different forms.
At Southwest Ice Arena in Crestwood, a mite level hockey practice drew a sizeable crowd.
Megan Haggerty, with her 4-month-old daughter Nora in her arms, joined the shelter seekers.
"We had to fight. Dad or Mom- to see who was sitting in the cold air today. I won," she laughed.
A few seats away, John Fitzpatrick watched with a smile on his face and a cold beer in his hand.
"It's better than the movie theater. It's better than the swimming pool. It doesn't get any colder than this."
Actually, it does.
There's no time like summer time at Tinley Ice in University Village in far south suburban Cook County.
"When it gets hot, people want you," said Harry Teehan, owner of this 39 year old ice manufacturing business.
Teehan keeps the temperature at 20 degrees in the room where he stores bags of ice for days like this.
"The heat means a lot. Anything over 90 really can boost sales for us," he said.
The same goes for Shawn Michelle's Homemade Ice Cream in Blue Island, where at 7 o'clock, the line almost went out the door.
"When you walk in the door and you see that look of, 'Aaah,' between the air conditioning and once they taste the ice cream, this is like the perfect, perfect treat," said owner Nataki Muhammad.
