's MOTD Tue 8/29/2006 - New Orleans visit

[Guest guest]

's Daily Message

Tuesday

August 29, 2006

NOT THE HEALTHIEST PLACE TO LIVE

Greetings from the Vieux Carré! I had a wonderful time with my brother and

his wife last night. I had 2 raw oysters, a small bowl of gumbo, and an

order of crawfish étouffée. Those are some of my parents` favorite dishes,

and when I order them, I feel like they`re there with us.

After dinner, we drove around the city because there were areas my brother

wanted me to see. There are so many neighborhoods that have not been touched

yet. It looks as if the hurricane just happened a week ago. All the houses

are in pieces, and clothes and broken furniture are scattered everywhere.

There`s no gas; there`s no electricity. These neighborhoods are now ghost

neighborhoods.

Lenny drove me around a few hospitals that were closed, and they look like

tall skeletons in the skyline. Many doctors and nurses have moved away to

practice medicine. A lot of people who`ve resided in New Orleans for decades

left, too.

The people here are depressed, to say the least. There are not even enough

psychiatrists to go around. Coming from this city, I know what people do

when they get down in the dumps. They eat and overeat. They smoke, they

drink, and some turn to drugs. Right now, New Orleans is not the healthiest

place to live.

I will spend most of the day with Lenny and when I`m not doing some

press. I`ll get to see their new home! As you know, their original home was

consumed with 8 feet of water. I want to see where the 6 foot by 8 foot

portrait I had painted of myself will hang. ;-) LOL! I`ll also roam the

French Quarter and visit with some old friends. I lost a few dear friends in

Katrina. I will miss seeing them.

I`m also gonna stop by and see Leonard and Shirley. It`s been a while since

I visited them. Oh, if I could just spend a few hours with my parents, I

would take them to Arnaud`s and watch my mother eat raw oysters and my

father, gumbo and crawfish étouffée. I`d tell them all about the projects

I`m working on. I would have so many questions for them. " Have you met him

yet? Is it really great up there? " Well, I can dream, can`t I?

I leave here tonight and head for home to work on my PBS special. Make the

best of your day!

Love,