Saturday, 04 January 2003 | Tour guide

I somehow found myself playing tour guide to two people from England I'd never met before, on a night I'd wanted to spend at home, alone. But I figured I wouldn't be miserable (I wasn't), and I generally feel compelled to give advice when asked for it, even if I am somewhat unqualified.

On Thursday night, the night I met them, I had gone to the Mercury Lounge to watch some friends play, taking the train near my house that goes overground rather than under, giving me glimpses of a bad car wreck, a building on fire, and the approaching Manhattan skyline, growing bigger as it began to engulf me. During the show, the snow quietly started to fall, clinging to the tops of cars and black trash bags, pleasing a girl from L.A. named Lisa Marie.