The time has come! The long awaited sequel to Disastrous Saturday #1. And if you were lucky enough to read it before the world blew up and I was forced to take it down, then you'd remember one of the very last sentences: "If we had known what was to come next Saturday, we'd consider ourselves lucky" or something to that effect. Anyways, I like to start out with a picture.
That's a big pic to give you some scale. Here's a smaller one of just the route:
Now, why all the fussy maps? I'll tell you. This is the route we walked. I will tell you the almost entirely true story. I will of course, leave some things out, but such is the way history is told.
Ok. It was Saturday July 14th, 2007. Two days before my birthday and we were smack dab in the middle of the 26th Annual Space Cowboys Ball. My friend was in town from California, and we were going out. No, I mean OUT. We were going OUT. We met at Cochon. Which is here:
The 'H' is roundabout where we live. So we just took the ferry and walked. Not too far. About 1.5 miles. Two more friends met us there.
From there, we all went to Coop's. One of our favorite dive bars. I believe someone drove us there. (It's a little fuzzy). Anyways, Coop's is here:
From there we all went to Mimi's for 70's dance night. I should tell you before we left Coop's, Jason royally pissed me off. Which is normally not hard to do, but this time it was valid. I was pissed and would be for the rest of the night. Oh yes, at Coop's, three more people joined the troupe. Now to Mimi's.
At Mimi's, we danced and some of us got accosted in ladies rooms by strange girls, and then we danced, and then I stepped outside to smoke. What followed are some messy details that I will spare you and just skip to the part where we get kicked out. Well, Jason actually, but since I was there, I'm sure you know what happened. So we get kicked out and I am so pissed at this point, I just start walking. Not very smart, considering we had ridden to Mimi's with a friend. Jason is following me. I walk 40 or so blocks before I realize I have no clue where I am. Then my shoe broke. This is when I break down crying. The fight becomes second priority when I realize, we are lost in the Marigny. Mere blocks from the Ninth Ward. At two or so in the morning. Yeah.
Up and down Poland Ave we went. And there was no one out. No cars drove by. Which is good because every time I heard an engine, I thought we were dead. I seriously doubted we'd make it home without get mugged, raped, beaten, assaulted, or killed. It was terrifying. There were no payphones, we had no cell phone, no stores, no people, no nothing. Just empty, deserted houses, and a couple crackheads every ten or so blocks who didn't bother us. Thank gawd. Oh, I feel compelled to mention that Jason was more or less certain that the Quarter was just over that bridge. Yeah, the bridge that leads into the Ninth. Now, I am usually the directionless one but I knew that was not the way. Especially when we didn't cross one getting here. Duh. I actually convince him to go the right way once but after a couple of blocks he backs out, makes me doubt myself and we turn around.
Finally, a truck with a couple of rednecks stop. I am terrified and stay back. They call out "Yall are lost aren't you?" Jason steps forward and receives the direction back to the Quarter. Back down Poland to Royal and then god, I don't know, a hundred blocks back to the ferry.
By the time we reach the Ferry, my other shoe has broken (two broken shoes!), a bum told me to wash my hair when I said I couldn't give him any change, and the sun has come up. Jason actually carries me piggyback for a couple of blocks when I start crying again. We've bought Frappacino's along with the rest of the Sunday early birds but I couldn't drink mine, it made me so nauseous. We decide to screw the two blocks it takes to get from the ferry to our house and just take a cab. The cab driver blasts his island music and speeds us home. I almost puked in the cab.
We arrive home at 7:15 A.M. Broken, dirty, and exhausted. We sleep for four hours and then have to get up to go to a baby shower. Yeah.
For this reason, along with the previous Saturday, and many other wild adventures, we always say "Never a dull moment with us!" Thank god we can laugh about it in hindsight. Thank someone anyways.
this colored line drawing
