NOLA and Mardi Gras... some reflections

Home in NOLA

Only a few weeks late... Here's my take on NOLA and Mardi Gras!

Ok folks, this was my first trip to Mardi Gras and first time in New Orleans. And I went. I went for two reasons: 1 - Needed to see how Mardi Gras is done properly (and yes, it is an experience) and 2 - to meet my fella's parents for the first time (and we stayed with them)... no pressure.

Look, Mid-City Chips!

Now, Mardi Gras...
What can you say about an event that is a year in production and spans days (rather than hours)? It was fantastic. We got in late on Saturday, and to our luck (and rocky landing of the flight), it had rained heavily all day, forcing a large number of Saturday's parades to be postponed. Day 1 - So Sunday we started off the morning with a fresh king cake from the local bakery and a few of the local parades. For th Mid-City Parade and Toath we were hosted by a lovely family a two blockes off the parade route. I experienced some great gumbo and amazing hospitality. And there, I learned about Krewes (essentially the social groups/associations/clubs/cults/clans/musical people/crazies that put on each parade) to catch beads (and/or miscellaneous other objects) that are flung (sometimes violently) from slow-moving floats... And the dangerous and vastly specific method for collecting doubloons that are tossed in the air. Yes, there is a method; it is essential to success and the preservation of your fingers.

Bead success! That or we are approving
of the Gumbo and other sustenance.

Will Farrell as Bacchus!

So... After a full day of parades, we moved, en mass, to a slightly different ward for a (my first) night parade. Night parades differ from the day parades in a few ways. First, the floats are lit in ways that are either astounding or absurd, and the lights are partially blinding or flashing, an epileptic's nightmare. This makes catching/seeing things that are thrown from the floats a bit challenging. Thus I learned that those beads hurt... especially when they hit you in the face.

This is what happens if you're not looking at me when
we take a photo...

Hazard of the sport. But Bacchus has been around for a long time, and as per tradition, one person is elected to portray Bacchus (the Roman deity that's better known as his Greek counterpart Dionysus). This year, Bacchus was Will Farrell... a very drunk looking, very happy looking, and gleefully doubloon flinging Will Farrell. And yes, I managed to capture one of the Will Farrell/Bacchus doubloons (victory is mine!).

Day 2 - Lundi Gras: We decided to lay low and recover. The combination of a full day of parades and jet-lag had us feeling a slight need for rest (in preparation for Tuesday of course!). We had a lovely dinner at home with the 'rents, and enjoyed the complete lack of need to go anywhere and do anything... a rarity for us both.

We are completely incapable
of taking a normal picture...

Day 3 - Mardi Gras: This is when the largest and oldest krewes tend to have their parades. We started off with a large breakfast (you're going to eat a lot on the day, but it's important to eat breakfast... it's a marathon, not a sprint). Then we headed off for Zulu. Thankfully, we had a lift toward the parade with a fantastic purple Elvis (Jesse) and his lovely fluorescent pink Katniss (Meredith). It saved a long walk through a part of town that I've heard I wouldn't want to walk through. Zulu is one of the oldest, former all black krewes, and from what I could gather, the entire point of Zulu is to get a coconut... I did, not on my own, but I did. I'm keeping it. And in the middle of Zulu, brunch time bloody marys were had. Right on the heals of Zulu comes Rex, one of the oldest, former all white krewes... Rex is apparently always late, because Zulu always breaks down. Which it did... a few times. We sheltered from all of Rex in the Praline shop (tasty!) and partook in the mischief there.

Look at my bad self...

Pretty Indians!

Cowboys ridin' on the freeway!

Nothing says it like a duck
playing an electric cello

Of course we managed to find
a Guillotine in the Quarter

Bead poodle

A proper Mardi Gras is not complete without a visit to the French Quarter, and the legend that is Bourbon St. It was a challenging drive there, slowed by cowboys on the highway, po-po, and parking, but we made it (even though I had to ride in the trunk). There were so many levels of crazy going on there, it was impressive. The picture below embodies what you'll find in the quarter really... Because nothing says the quarter like a duck playing an electric cello... We grabbed some much needed lunch/dinner at Mojos, decompressed in chairs, watched the chaos (and partook ever so slightly). To close out the evening, we popped over (with about a thousand other people) to Lafitte's (caution to those having the frozen drinks... it's like a strong island from the Backer, a blackout special).

The Mississippi is huge there!

Cathedral

By the time we made it back home on Tuesday, I was, I'll admit, slightly drunk still and tired. It was a full, long day. It was fun. It was exciting and entertaining. And were I still in college, I suspect it would have ended much much differently than it did. I'd say that Mardi Gras is as crazy as you let it be. You can be as ridiculous and wild as you like, you can drink as much as you like, you can do as much or as little as you like. I had a lot of fun, but I didn't regret over indulging, and I didn't have a shameful feeling on Wednesday. My impression of New Orleans following Tuesday was that there was a lot of fun to be had, great hospitality, great food, great music, interesting mix of cultures and peoples with a good healthy dollop of casual racism thinly disguised as tradition. It's a special time in a unique place.

Where they signed the
Louisiana Purchase

Days 4-7: The remainder of our time was spent eating our way around the city, and visiting the museums and landmarks that all the tourists need to see bits (as a first-timer guided by a native). We had more good food. More good entertaining interaction with friends. More culture and experience. It'd take a lot more than a week to see everything I needed to see, and months to eat everywhere I needed to eat. Everyone should visit NOLA, but I really do think that you need a native with you if you're going to Mardi Gras. You'd be lost in everything you could do. And for the record, I did learn that it's called Cadiz "Kay-Diz" not "Cuh-deez"... for whatever reason.