New York City, December 2, 2014

★ Scraps of color hung in the morning sky, then were replaced with a well art-directed assortment of grays. The wind was seething. Rain fell, lightly enough to be tolerable. Little droplets floated against the black paint of the fire escape. Carrying an umbrella had seemed wise; one should always be prepared. But this was nothing an umbrella could help with. Cold drizzle fell in the evening. A woman in a short fur jacket, holding a gold clutch purse, gave up on her Metrocard and crept under the turnstile.