Subway stations in New York CIty are not air-conditioned. Occasionally they are drafty or far enough underground that the heat dissipates. Certain stops might have trains running through every 2-3 minutes or so, so that the air doesn’t have time to go still. But in Brooklyn, this is often not true. At my subway stop, off the A, it is definitely not true.Most trips on the subway are a sweaty and light-headed endeavor. The walk to the station itself is about 13 minutes from my house, down seven stark, sunny blocks, and then through a park where a club of men are gathered daily, playing chess.

Entering the subway requires a hike down two flights of stairs — one to get to the ticket turnstiles, another to get to the platform. I never imagined I would understand what it felt like to descend into hell, but the process of walking…