It is a cold, gray, spring morning, and Warsaw is dragging itself to work.
Commuters push into trams with a sense of resignation that has survived communism.
Unlike the Czechs or Hungarians, Poles seem not so much in transition to capitalism as in a headlong rush toward it. Early in the 1990s, Polish natural enterprise found expression in the many street markets that sprang up overnight. Today, Poles have forsaken the outdoor market for the stock market, encouraged by almost daily reports of new millionaires and by a strong sense that this is the train to be on. In the trendier parts of Warsaw, sausage and sauerkraut downed with vodka or beer have been replaced in sparkling new establishments by healthier fare for diners with less time to kill. Some of the optimism can be attributed to the government's privatization program, which has brought more companies onto Eastern Europe's largest bourse, sparking the interest of Western portfolio investors.