Saturday, May 12, 2018 1:23 AM

Friday afternoon: Across the street from the library, three floors up, there's a party going on at either an office or a large apartment. Young people wander on and off the concrete porch with bottles. Group singing erupts on occasion, so indistinct in rhythm and pitch that it could be either a football chant or Eurovision. At the spice shop, the merchant writes down the details of an apartment that a customer is trying to sublet. Odds are good that he'll find someone to rent it. At the produce stand, a ragged line has formed at the counter. A customer is taking a long time to decide between two pieces of ginger. The people behind him shout "Make up your mind! The Sabbath is coming!" The shopkeeper finally grabs one piece from him, declares "You're buying this one," weighs it, and rings it up. By the time that I catch the bus home, most of the other people are gone. I see a lot of Metallica t-shirts on the shoppers that remain.