New York City, January 10, 2016

★★ Snow and salt were still thick on the schoolyard. The trampling had done remarkably little to the old accumulation around the sidewalks. The cold had softened, and there was no particular reason not to wear the sneakers, but the chill did seep up through the soles. Thick broken chunks of ice, solid and translucent, lay roped off where they’d plunged from the Apple Store. The sun was a white disc smashed in a little at one side. The gains on the thermometer were being offset by the gathering damp. By nightfall, the pavement was wet.