I zigzag my way through the roaming Boar’s Head trucks and Morgantown residents wearing sunglasses and mismatched pajamas (it somehow works as a stylish outdoor outfit) who are smoking and loitering on the benches in front of Brooklyn Natural and Cafe Swallow.

“Young lady, got some change?” an older man standing in front of the overpriced grocery store asks me. It’s freezing and his words turn into steamy chunks as he releases them from his mouth. I am not lying when I quickly shake my head, apologizing for the lack of cash funds on me.

I park myself at the corner of Bogart and Seigel Streets and move my feet from side to side in a mini silent polka to try to prevent my toes from freezing in my size-six Men’s Timberlands, which I got for warmth and durability, not for fashion. (But yes, I was quite pleased when I saw them on a French fashion website.)