Bourbon Street

My mom finally made it here for Christmas on Wednesday. We picked her up from the airport with Brady in tow and he ran right up to her as if he had seen her every day for the last 13 months of his life. We had an eventful few days, complete with our own "Mini-Katrina" as she called it, which left me up to mid-thigh in water trying to cross the street to get to my car, which was also under water. This after spending three and a half hours at the Health Dept (yuck!) signing us up for WIC and watching pretty much no one do their jobs, but I digress.

We are currently playing tourists in New Orleans and spent the day walking up and down Bourbon Street and around The French Quarter. Of course, the touristy part of New Orleans has reopened, but driving into town was severely depressing. I could see run down, dilapidated houses with the Emergency Services "X" still on the outside, identifying whether or not there were any bodies found in the home after the floods. It's amazing to me how people can bypass this tragedy on the way into town and then walk the streets as if nothing ever happened.

Mom and Patrick are currently out bar hopping and I'm playing the responsible mother who stays with her kid as he sleeps. I am curiously wondering what kind of trouble those two could stir up down there, especially after spending an hour in a bar with my Mom this afternoon and watching her get picked up by a random guy in a Santa hat who wanted to "show her the town"...uh, I think NOT. I begged Patrick not to end up in jail tonight and to keep a watchful eye on my Mother.

Speaking of my Mother, it was quite hysterical to watch Ms. Republican Conservative herself walk all up and down Bourbon Street exclaiming "This is SO cool," and then looking around to see everything from Frozen Daiquiri bars, to tourist shops, to Larry Flint's Huslter Club and Larry Flint's Barely Legal. I about had a heart attack when we passed the first "strip club" which had nude photos of women on the outside, but the real kicker was the place that actually posted pictures of LIVE sexual acts that had taken place in their club. I begged Patrick to put a blanket over Brady in the stroller while we passed such places, but I guess that's the reason New Orleans doesn't dote itself as a family vacation place.

We head home tomorrow and I have to finish my wrapping and get ready for a fantastic Christmas morning! I can't wait!