New York City, March 22, 2015

★★ The sun and the food trucks were out, in defiance or denial of the intransigent cold. Exiting the children’s concert, the boys mountaineered the steps outside Alice Tully Hall, clambering over sharp dried-salt sneaker prints. Young women bundled up in scarves sat at the very top, eating cart food from foam clamshells. Even a Mister Softee truck was attempting to make a day of it; the three-year-old wanted share in its unfounded optimism, but settled for a pack of Life Savers from the newsstand. The bright superficial reflections among the buildings went from white to amber to red.