Readers are introduced to Mia in September, when school has just started. The season could represent the new beginnings in her life. She takes her diary everywhere with her so that she can comment on her surroundings. Mia has mastered the Manhattan landscape where she lives. Her Greenwich Village loft apartment, especially her room, and the Moscovitz and Hakim Babas apartments shelter her from the hostile environment outside. Although Mia expresses fondness and loyalty for her community, she admits that the city is not always pleasant. She comments that sometimes people spit on her for no reason. Mia also disgustedly tells about the blind man who gropes bewildered tourists and unsuspecting people who help him cross the street.

Mia frequents New York City landmarks, including the Plaza Hotel and Tavern on the Green. The opulent hotel contrasts with Mia's crowded apartment. At the hotel, she encounters snobbery based...