That's funny.
The rat/roaches thing is a big deal for me. I tried the subway. Until there was a rat on one of the trains. From that moment on, I made my friends take taxis - I was willing to pay.
I haven't been in the summer since I was a kid, but a group of us are planning on meeting there in late July or early August. The humidity is something I dread - my hair is very important to me.