At mid-morning, the U-Bahn platform was nearly abandoned. The young woman with ceaseless layers walked to her usual waiting place and stopped. From this point, her transfers to other subway lines would be most efficient. From feet to head: boots, legwarmers, long socks, tights, a skirt, a jacket, a sweater, armwarmers, gloves, a scarf, a hat–despite the bundling up, from her shoulders to the ground she made a lean European line.

She glanced at the clock over the platform and smiled. Delighting in the four minutes before arrival, she unwound her headphones and set a whimsically serious daydream on her face.

Four tourists buried in a guidebook and map came down the stairs behind her. They toted closed umbrellas, which doubled as weapons that could kindly impale their neighbors while huddling over maps. They moved as a collective group with pale wheat hair, sensible winter walking shoes, glasses down on…