Returning to the City after this short journey, I resisted the impulse to
throw myself to the ground in joy, stopped by the trash and the
obnoxious presence of the illegal cab drivers clamoring for passengers
at the baggage gate. Yet the question remained: what was the mysterious
attraction of this place?
Later, once reacclimation eased the thrill of return, and the familiar hardening to the rudeness and harshness of the City had taken hold again, I was able to think clearly once more.


      
continued