New York City, August 23, 2017

★★★★ Feathery-edged strips of pure white stretched across clean deep blue. The air had dried out, and the breeze hit before the warmth of the sun set in. Underground was still hot, and the air conditioning was only half-effective on the train car stopped dead in the tunnel just past Times Square. It finally crawled into Herald Square and stayed there long enough to give up on. On the long walk down Broadway, the sidewalks were heating up. A dog flopped on the pavement and lay there at the end of its leash. A dozen blocks was enough to raise a sweat. By midafternoon, though, the shade was in control, and summer could be felt slipping off.