BOSTON (WHDH) -- Instead of trying to beat the heat, some were turning it into cold, hard cash.

Business along Boston’s waterfront was hopping long before noon, including whale watching tours.

“Whale watching is actually up. The reason that whale watching is up is that the really experienced whale watchers know that the minute they go beyond the mouth of the harbor its 15 degrees cooler,” said Tony Lacasse of the New England Aquarium.

Compared to the sizzling temperatures in the city those 15 degrees made a huge difference, especially on day three of 90-plus degree weather.

On City Hall Plaza, where a three day barbecue kicked off Friday, there was a huge demand for dry ice.

“It’s a very hard time to cook for this volume people and have problems with the heat because no matter what we have out here for refrigeration with this it’s hard to keep things cooled down,” said Tom Ferguson, a ribs chef.

The New England Aquarium said its visitors log dropped by 1,000 on Thursday, reflective of how many families decided to stay home rather than line up in the heat for tickets.

Yet, in the North End people were out and opting for dessert before they went for meals.

“[Business is] good, it’s hot, this is what we need, the hot weather, we sell a lot of gelato” said Giovanni Gagliotta of the Gelateria in the North End.

Be sure to check out the video -- 7’s Victoria Block visited a gelato shop in the North End and put her scooping skills to the test!