The West: 3 cool cities to visit (and cool things to do) on a super-hot Saturday

If you can’t stand the big heat forecast Saturday in the central U.S., Southwest and Southern California, head north for a cool-down getaway.

Excessive heat warnings and heat advisories have been issued for Saturday in the Plains states as well as the Midwest and Southern states. 

Temperatures are expected to reach 93 degrees in Los Angeles, 112 degrees in Las Vegas and 113 degrees in Phoenix, according to a National Weather Service forecast.

By contrast, these three cities will have highs in the 60s and 70s Saturday, making for a much cooler weekend.

— San Francisco’s high is expected to be 69 degrees; you may even need to wear a sweater as you bop around town.

Best cool thing to do: Check out “Stanley Kubrick: The Exhibition,” which includes magazine photographs from the 1940s through his movies in the 1990s. Tickets cost $15 for the show at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission St. 

— Seattle’s high is predicted to be 73 degrees.

Best cool thing to do: Tour the opening of an exhibition of quirky glassworks by David Huchthausen at the Tacoma Glass Museum at 1801 Dock St. in nearby Tacoma.

— Portland’s predicted high of 78 degrees would be a welcome break from triple-digit heat. 

Best cool thing to do: Pucker up for the city’s 10th Puckerfest, billed as “a celebration of funky and sour beers” at the Belmont Station cafe, 4500 S.E. Stark St. Order by the glass and pay in cash.

But back to the heat. 

President Obama tweeted out a temperature map Wednesday with some simple suggestions on how to stay safe in the heat.

The National Weather Service’s online heat safety guide also recommends staying hydrated with plenty of fluids and limiting your outdoor workouts when temperatures are high.

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