New York City, December 11, 2013

★★★★ Litter levitated and swirled chest-high, or went tumbling end over end. The thin wires and tiny bulbs of holiday lights, wrapping a tree on Broadway, were conspicuous in the sun. The deepest puddles had not finished freezing over. Light shone through the wall of a sidewalk film-catering tent, through someone’s plastic takeout food bowl, and through the leaves of a tree in the middle distance that had still not let go. Late in the afternoon, a lilac glow appeared out the window, calling for further attention. From the icy roof, the downtown sky was purple veiled with orange, the Freedom Tower dark and dotted with lights against it.