Well things have been pretty interesting here on the Gulf Coast, with Mardi Gras and other celebrations. On Saturday I went to New Orleans with friends from Hands On for the Endymion parade and some celebrating in the French Quarter. We slept in my car as planned, had breakfast at the Café Fleur-de-lis, and drove back Sunday morning. Carnival in New Orleans is a sight — people everywhere, mostly inebriated, teetering under mounds of beads and some garish outfits. The parade was certainly the most elaborate I have ever seen. After a while, pushing through crowds of people screaming for beads gets tiring, but you can always retreat to some of the less insane parts of the Quarter, like the music clubs on Frenchman Street.
The girls at Café du Monde with some of our spoils:
Mardi Gras in Biloxi was almost equally impressive. Although nothing like New Orleans, there were nevertheless huge crowds and hundreds of floats at the Tuesday parade. (Before the storm, however, there were apparently three parades over the course of the afternoon and evening.) Plus, the loop of the parade took it past my house a block away on either side, so– points for convenience.
That may be the end of major festivals for a while (although it is the Vietnamese New Year celebration this weekend, which I’m going to go check out). After all, Jessie has given up Jimmy Buffett for Lent, and it is almost impossible to imagine having a good time without ol’ Jimmy.
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