What New York Had That Warmed Me Most

I live in Ohio’s snowbelt, now. In my memory, New York, with streets on which the snow seemed to melt like magic, was warmth itself. All fall, I loved taking the bus, and rode around looking at all that New York is. But in the winter, I dove into the subways, where it was wet and steaming with a sodden humanity in a relative warmth. Emerging onto Broadway outside the campus was like a daily rebirth into winter’s bright cold. Clutching my books to my chest for their warmth, I hurried off to my classrooms to blanket myself with intense thought and heated discussion.