“Show the units on the same page you show the loss. The number is the story; the bet is a fence around it.”

“Power in this city is a budget line and a roll-call vote. Follow the money to the name that signed for it.”

“A signal problem is a thousand people late to work. A toll is a budget line and a borough's morning.”

“An eviction filing is a household, not a statistic. A rent guideline is a year of someone's life.”

“A block changes one storefront, one rezoning, one community-board vote at a time. Stand on the corner and count.”

“Every wage is a number on a check and a name on a route sheet. Follow the paycheck to who signs it and who is shorted.”

“A scene is also a balance sheet and a license file. Cover the room and the rule that decides whether it stays open.”