I was lucky enough to get to take an impromptu trip to New Orleans the end of last week with Matt. I got to see the first Mardi Gras parade Wednesday night and watched three parades pass by Thursday night. It was fun to be among the energy and excitement of New Orleans! Our first parade Wednesday night we stood among the people in the streets and waved and hollered with the best of them. We had pounds of beads hanging around our necks as we walked back to the hotel. And, I ran to the middle of the street...faster than I've run in a long time...to snag a Nerf football for Sawyer. We also got a few coins, a couple cups and a stuffed bear and alligator. I don't know if I was more excited that the kids would be so excited when we got home or just excited at the entire process. The parades take quite awhile to move down the route, so we ate at a wonderful restaurant,Bon Tons, and had crab au gratin while we waited for it to reach us. It was one of the two dishes Matt said I HAD to try when I came down this time. It was fantastic!
Thursday, the three parades lasted late into the night. The floats were more beautiful Thursday night. One of the parades was an all-female crew. Their throws were more geared toward females, and I thought their floats were the best. This night we got to stand in one of the boxes/grandstands. (I'm not sure if they have an official name.) We were more even-eyed with the floats. This was fun too and a new perspective. Thursday we ate at Pascal's and had the most amazing, largest shrimp I have ever tasted or seen. They come out eyes, heads, and all in a buttery flavor-filled sauce. It was a little difficult to eat at first when I saw them, but after the first taste, I got over it. You dip piece after piece of bread into that rich sauce while eating the shrimp. Mmmmmm....
On either side of the street you can see the stands set up for people to watch the parade routes. Not just anyone could go in these. This happened to be in front of our hotel, so the ones on the right we were invited to stand in because we were guests of the hotel.
A look down one of the streeets on the parade route. There were people everywhere. The picture is fuzzy, but on the right side, there is a chicken-on-a-stick, gator-on-a-stick and funnel cake stand. These types of fair-food concession stands (minus the gator-on-a-stick, I suppose) were set up on corners all over the city.
Matt at Bon Tons with Crab Au Gratin.
One of the first floats Wednesday night.
This pic didn't turn out the best, but it does show how all the people on the floats were dressed. They all wore these masks...a little creepy, if you ask me. :-)
After our first parade...by the way...these were very 'family-friendly' parades that we saw, so we didn't have to "work" for the beads we're wearing. :-)
Thursday, the three parades lasted late into the night. The floats were more beautiful Thursday night. One of the parades was an all-female crew. Their throws were more geared toward females, and I thought their floats were the best. This night we got to stand in one of the boxes/grandstands. (I'm not sure if they have an official name.) We were more even-eyed with the floats. This was fun too and a new perspective. Thursday we ate at Pascal's and had the most amazing, largest shrimp I have ever tasted or seen. They come out eyes, heads, and all in a buttery flavor-filled sauce. It was a little difficult to eat at first when I saw them, but after the first taste, I got over it. You dip piece after piece of bread into that rich sauce while eating the shrimp. Mmmmmm....
On either side of the street you can see the stands set up for people to watch the parade routes. Not just anyone could go in these. This happened to be in front of our hotel, so the ones on the right we were invited to stand in because we were guests of the hotel.
Each parade is lead by a King.
Muses was the all-female parade. This was one of the floats. The shoe would change colors. It was pretty amazing.
Another float...very pretty.
Of course, Matt had to work quite a bit while I was there, but I didn't mind wandering the New Orleans' streets...and I felt somewhat familiar with them after being there in November. The weather was windy but pretty nice, so it was great just being outside.
It was a very quick trip getting in Wednesday mid-morning and flying out Friday afternoon, but it was exciting experiencing this event that is so big to New Orleans that it shuts down the city this week ahead. It was fun to be a little part of Mardi Gras!
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