New York was quite beautiful this morning until around 11 when the rains began to wash it away. The bus ride up to Columbia was lovely: quiet, snow-filled, and the moisture in the air made everything look as though it was being seen through a misty screen. I hadn't been onto the Columbia campus since my Pulitzer Prize trip in 1984, and it's quite a beautiful obne. I found the library, the 6th floor Rare Books & Manuscripts Collections, examined the GENTLEMEN BE SEATED! drafts, photocopied what I need and now I'm home, hoping to not leave it again today. The snow is melting, the rains continue and it's mess and slippery out.