Mardi Gras starts Feb8th. Trip?

“I've NEVER been to New Orleans or have experienced Mardi Gras! Anyone would be interested in a TT trip? I guess it would involve some walking, but not a lot of hiking... :-/

i guess it would have to be the weekend after feb 08th


last edited: 1/24/05 10:44:24 PM”

“One of my buddies went down there for Mardi Gras a couple years ago. Drove from Binghamton, NY to New Orleans, LA (about 1500 miles each way) for a weekend. Said it was an absolute blast though. Now that's a trip of Roam Around proportions.

I'd love to go to Mardi Gras sometime, but it looks like it just ain't happening for me this year...”

“Mardi Gras on the bayou style.

http://community.webshots.com/photo/259426508/259426508szuQxd
last edited: 1/25/05 1:35:50 AM”

“Gem, you could always do Mardi Gras in Mobile......actually Mobile had Mardi Gras before New Orleans......I went to New Orleans in 2000....had a GREAT time....took my kids.....we went to daytime parades....quite an experience......”

“Here are the dates of the parades.....you need to go the weekend before the 8th......don't forget to wear Mardi Gras colors!!!!!”

“I've been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans 9 times. The first few years, I stayed along the gulf coast of Mississippi and spent only a couple of evenings in New Orleans. I learned that Mardi Gras is a regional event. The best time is spent in New Orleans near and at the French Quarter.

If my memory serves us correctly:
The first Mardi Gras in North America was actully held on the banks of the Mississippi River by French explorers.
Mobile Alabama has the longest annual celebration. Sundays "Joe Cain Day" is the best parade in Mobile.
There are celebrations throughout the south, and parades in many of the small towns between Mobile and New Orleans on the weekend before Fat Tuesday.
If you are into the parades, drinking, huge crowds, lack of restrooms, crazy people... Go to New Orleans and find yourself a room close to the French Quarter.
Mardi Gras actually begins on the 12th day of Christmas. It ends at Midnight Tuesday prior to Ashe Wednesday.
There are a few parades thoughout the Mardi Gras season, but the best parades arent' held until the final 2 weeks as the celebration gears up.
My favorite New Orleans parades are in downtown on Friday night (Orpheus), Saturday eve (Endymion), Sunday night (Bacchass), Lundi Gras-Monday night (Orpheus), Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday (Rex, Zulu)

I've found that arriving Friday and staying until Wednesday works out best. Plenty of time to experience most of what the season has to offer.
Friday night in the French Quarter (Bourbon Street) is a good time to get a look and feel of the place before the big crowd comes.
Saturday on Bourbon Street is insane. I am not a small guy, but I've been in a crowd so tight, my feet were lifted from the pavement. Don't let that scare you away tho... The French Quarter is a large area and most of the streets are easy to get through.
In the French Quarter, you will see and be entertained at every step. It is easy to loose your friends no mater how small or large your group.
I had been walking with a group of 15 friends. We got to a corner and found that we had lost 1/2 the group. Turned the next corner and I was alone. The following day, I purchased one of those long plastic horns. Each time I got to a corner, I blew the horn and waved it above my head. My friends heard the Viking Horn and eventually came to the corner. We were never lost from each other again.
The police are very passive. You don't want to be stuck in a New Orleans jail. I've seen a courtroom set up on the street just off of Bourbon. Unless you are being an idiot, you'll be ok. Crime is low for the most part, considering the millions of people that converge on the city for the weekend. Watch out for pick pockets. Don't be a fool. Security since 911 has increased. I saw armored vehicles in the French Quarter in 2002. Haven't been to the celebration since then.

Watching the city's mood change through the celebration is interesting. Thursday prior to Fat Tuesday, "the greasing of the poles". Business owners grease the poles which hold up the balcanys. Friday afternoon is subdued, but gains strength by 9 pm, and is a roaring party until late Sunday. Monday again is subdued in anticipation of the all out celebration on Fat Tuesday. It is best to get some sleep on Monday because you don't want to miss anyting on Tuesday.

New Orleans is a very dirty city. I don't think I've ever left that place without getting sick within 7 days of my departure. You must eat well and take your vitamins.

Hey, this years Crawfish season is a bumper crop! Don't forget to "pinch the tails and suck the heads."”

“Like I said... restrooms are not easy to find. The best part about this photograph is the fact that people are walking by without noticing what this guy is actually doing.


last edited: 1/25/05 5:39:37 AM”

“Sorry Gem, I can not attend this years Mardi Gras. If you go alone, feel comforted by the fact that there are many singles looking to share thier time.


”

“LOL! Was just thinking that New Orleans at Mardi Gras would be something to see. Leave it to the goat to be our "on the scene" reporter. (and no, he is not a small guy!!!)”

“I did Mardi Gras in New Orleans in 1992. I was the only female w/ 4 guys and was happy to have that many males around me. Whatever you do, just be careful!

We were there for 5 days. Saw parades, did the nightlife stuff, daytime stuff, too. We didn't stay downtown. Instead, we stayed at the campground in Slydell. (sp?)

I had a great time. Met some interesting folks. Saw some awesome street musicians. Etc. But, I'm not sure I'd go back. I think I'm just too old for that sort of party.”

“I really, really wanna go!!
got to check more details about this. I know I have to hurry...

I think I would also stay in a campground though. Tara, you think it's too much of a party? see I have never gone, so I really don't know what to expect. I think I should experience it at least once in my life. :)

goat, lmao! It seams like it's almost sort of like the German "fasching". Pretty nuts there too and I think it's around that time.

Not going alone though.
If it's not going to work out this year maybe next year.

I heard the New Orleans food is the best ever! (I love seafood)”

“New Orleans isn't know for its seafood. It is know for its creole.

I love creole food so I am in hog heaven there. I enjoy going to the Big Easy about twice a year and always when there are no crowds. If you are going for Mardi Gras season, expect it to be shoulder to shoulder and the French Quarter can get ugly sometimes late at night. There is nowhere else in NO that I want to go other than the French Quarter and I can only take about two or three days of that at a time.

IMHO, the best place to go to Mardi Gras anymore is Mobile. On Fat Tuesday, you can catch the morning parade in Gulf Shores, the afternoon parade in Orange Beach and the night parade in Mobile.

Cleaner, cheaper, and SAFER.”

“I would like my first real Mardi Gras to be in Rio.”

“If you want to party at Mardi Gras go to the French Quarter. If you want to take your kids go to the garden district or to the suburbs. There are about 4-5 state parks within 1 hour of New Orleans. Here is the link to Louisiana State parks. You could also probably still find a room outside of the city. Most downtown rooms are booked by now and not very cheap. [url]http://www.lastateparks.com/parkslisting.htm [/url] The parades in Mobile would be a fun family experiance as well. The parades in the suburbs of New Orleans are more like Mobile and family oriented and organized. Guess who lives within an hour or two of both Mardi Gras cities?

Hint: He pours alcohol back in beer cans after he modifies them.”

“Sadly, M.G. has been the only time I've been to the Big Easy. If you have problems with large crowds and tight quarters, I would not recommend it. At times the streets have a current, an ebb and flow, with thousands of drunk personages. Shoulder to shoulder, baby stepping through spilt beer, vomit and piss.

Good lucky finding toilet,,,I almost got busted but apparently urinating in a cup and not on the building was o.k.

A friend used to work for Coors, the years I went down we partied at the Royal Senesta at the corner of Bourbon and Grand, I think. Getting a balcony view really put the crowd into perspective. The flow of bodies.

I much rather do the N.O. when its not MG time.”

“I went to New Orleans for a bachelor party (brother-in-law) about 5 years ago. Damn was it a good time.”

“you couldn't pay me enough to go! well, maybe you could. any offers? bidding starts at 1 million monkeys.”

“German Fasching... Rio Carnival... Venice Carnival.. New Orleans Mardi Gras... all the same celebration. You see, pegans party all the time. The christians tried to keep them from parting all the time, but couldn't. They finally struck a deal - don't party during Lent. So the pagans partied from the 12th day of Christmas until Lent began.

The carnival season begins on Epiphany, January 6, the day the three kings visited Jesus, and lasts through Mardi Gras, the day before Lent (Ash Wednesday). It changes as does Easter, but is generally sometime in February. People confuse "Carnival Season" with Mardi Gras. Carnival is the entire time period from January 6 until midnight on Fat Tuesday. Mardi Gras is the actual day of Fat Tuesday. Carnival can last less or more than thirty days, depending on when Easter occurs. This is all based on the old Gregorian calendar made my Pope Gregory.

Camping would be really cool. Being your first time, you may choose to spend just one day in New Orleans. Skip around the region to experience a wide range of celebrations. I've heard about backwoods celebrations in which people in costume and on horseback ride from house to house collecting ingredients for the evening gumbo. The people in the homes will give the riders chickens and other goods. I've always wanted to experience this. (maybe the Lafayette area)

If I were you, camping and what not... Get your feet wet along the Mississippi Gulf coast during the weekend. Maybe do Joe Cain Day in Mobile, Sunday. Pascagoula, Goutier, Ocean Springs, Biloxi, Gulfport, Pass Christian, Bay St Louis each have a parade of some sort during the weekend. When you get into the area, stop at a rest stop for regional info. They are always well staffed during this this celebration. Make sure you are in New Orleans for Fat Tuesday as this is the day in which the best costumes are found in the French Quarter. If you do Fat Tuesday in NO... get there early (like 6 am) because many roads are closed for parades. Hard to get around after you get off Interstate 10's parking lot.

I'd love also to see Carnival in Rio... However, since visiting Venice, I think I'd much rather spend the season along the Grand Canal and at St Marks Square than any other place.”

“Gem, I have always wanted to go too! I cannot go the weekend after the 8th though. What about the weekend before? Has Mardi Gras even started by then?”

“Gem - Yes, for me, it's too much of a party. But, my preference has always been smaller crowds and more low key partying.
On the other hand, like you said, it's something you should experience, at least once. I really did have a blast and I don't regret going. Briar mentioned the havoc on the crowded streets and he's right on. Bourbon Street was so crowded at times that I felt my feet come off the ground as I was, essentially, being carried by the crowd.

My recommendation... Go. Experience it. Check out the Bourbon Street scene for one night. Then, spend other evenings along the riverfront or at bars that aren't on the main drags. Look for street musicians and the like. Get a taste for the local culture during the day, as well. There's a neat outdoor market and other stuff to do. I wanted to do the riverboat cruise (dinner/jazz/etc) but we were young and broke so noone else was interested. You can do swamp tours, too.

There's a website out there, somewhere, that'll give the parade and festival schedule for NO and the surrounding areas (including Slidell, where the CG is). The parades and such start a few weeks before Fat Tuesday.

Oh, and keep your shirt on, lol. You can get plenty of beads w/out every showing your chest... Trust me.

Lastly, I agree w/ Briar. I'd love to get back to NO just not during MG. They have an annual jazz fest I wouldn't mind visiting.

Embear - Oh, yes, Mardi Gras has started the weekend before... You wouldn't want to go after Feb 8 anyway. The biggest day for celebration is Fat Tuesday (Feb 8) and the days leading up to it. The whole point is to get all the partying done before Ash Wed since excess is a bad thing during lent... or something like that. We started our drive home on Ash Wednesday, and I assure you, there was plenty of excess on the 2 1/2 day road trip, too. lol”

“Thinkbubelz and I went to N'awlins over Labor Day one year (our anniversary trip.)

We didn't realize it, but we went down during the largest national lesbian/gay pride week... the "wildlife" was quite interesting-- I understand that it's the 2nd craziest week outside of Mardi Gras....

Lots of cool music in the bars, and interesting artists... We went to one bar and they had oysters on the 1/2 shell for $0.25 during happy hour... and we saw shrimps the size of a person's hand at the seafood marts...

We took a boat on the Bayou and got to see the alligators, too....

Stayed at the Hotel St. Regis, outside of the Bourbon Street area-- it's on the edge of a seedy neighborhood (from what the locals said), but also on the trolley line straight to Bourbon Street.

As I recall the hotel prices were reasonable (I think about $69 or $79 with a full breakfast). The breakfast was outstanding... ;-)

We also took a steamboat ride on the Mississippi... lots of things to do even on a short weekend trip! We tried to go to a nightclub to go swing dancing which was owned by Sam Butera (who was a "lounge musician" from the days of Louis Prima, but because of the Labor Day weekend, they had closed up... :-(

One of these days we hope to get back down there (although I could do without the humidity!)....

Another cool place to experience Mardi Gras (from what my friend says) is in the Dominican Republic or Trinadad & Tobago....

Here in Michigan, we just settle for Polish Packzi (pronounced "poonch kee") which are the ultra-rich jelly or custard donuts.... they have about 5 tablespoons of lard and 5 tablespoons of sugar PER packzi (in other words, the Polish/Catholic equivalent of "Elven Lembas Bread"...) One Packzi is enough to fill a man's stomach.... LOL”

“Been there, done that. If I ever do it again, there could be a divorce involved.”

“LOL@Tarabull.
I head about the shirt thing. That's funny.

They have one day in Germany (during Fasching) where all the married women take off their wedding rings. Not really sure what they do...if it's just a rumor. If you ask you get no real answer (of course) I wasn't married back then. Crazy stuff I tell you.

em, let's go! Let's grab a couple TTers and have a blast! I don't care if we go into New Orleans, french quarters or Mobile. I just wanna experience it at least once!!! this year, next year...I don't care, but before I die please and before I get too old.”

“Tarabull-- I think you are right-- going to NO on a weekend where there aren't outrageous hordes of overly drunken masses might be a lot of fun--they definitely have enough music to entertain every type of musical taste! :-)

I wouldn't recommend going in the summer, though-- way too humid for me! Thinkbubelz & I really enjoyed the jazz / steamboat cruise-- lots of fun and the sunset on the river was fantastic!

When is the jazz fest? Think & I might want to go sometime in the future... :-)”

“I WANNA GO! Take a chair, some snacks and drinks, a couple cameras to film the entertainment. And just sit there and watch the parade go by.... Hmmm, I wonder how long I would just sit there....”

“We went to NO in 2000 to the Isis parade....after, my kids ( then 16 and 13) wanted to walk down Bourbon Street so I said ok.....as we were walking down the street ( it was daytime and not too crowded) we approched a group of men surrounding a woman...they were all saying with cameras ready..."Oh come on!!"...and she was giggling...and her husband/boyfriend was saying..."oh come on...go ahead"...about that that time she went to pull up her shirt, and I shoved my 13 yr old son into a doorway......boy was he mad at me...later he said..."Mom...you ruined my first time to see real boobs.." .....I said...."omg...you have seen em...you were breast fed"....LOl..hahahahaha.....grossed him out...LOL..I love doing that stuff to my kids.....I earned the right to do it!!!

anyway....I almost threw up walking down Bourbob St....it smelled like beer, pi$$, and puke.....we took off running, holding our noses!!!!”

“okay...only serious posts please!! heeheehee...no phony "I WANNA GO!" posts please!! ;)”

“so... It was late, or early as the drinking continued until 4am. I couldn't see much while while walking on the sidewalk along Bourbon Street. It was then that I noticed a lady walking in the gutter next to me. I said, "Hello, what is your name?"
She replied, "Ivy."

"Hello Ivy, If I took you home and planted you in my bed, do you think you could take root and crawl all over me?"
Ivy looked up and smiled. Then she invited me to the store across the street. It was a sex toy shop. She went to the magazine rack and picked out a publication. I shot a photograph of her holding the magazine, and we exchanged information.

So much happens at Mardi Gras, it is nice to have a camera to catch the details. After the film was processed I noticed that she was holding the publication titled... Shaved Clean.
Anyone seen this Ivy, from ummm.. the city in Louisiana... French for Red Baton?”

“Well I am not going to be able to go to NO this year. To much on my schedule already. But I can dream........”

“I think the strangest person I saw in NO was the (very hairy) and rather homely guy wearing a royal blue lame (pronounced "Lam ay" shiny metallic fabric for the fashion challenged) prom dress..... he wasn't trying to be a drag queen because he was quite obviously a guy... To top it off, he was wearing a "cat in the hat" top hat out of blue lame as well...

Was definitely a strange sight!”

“did he look anything like this guy?

”

“You go girl!”

“The strangest person I encountered was a worn-out looking stripper on some deserted side road that beckoned us to cross the street and share a j w/ her. She kept walking ahead of us and lifting her short, leather skirt so we could see her bare arse. Then, she'd turn around and flash her bare chest (white woman w/ nipples painted black). She insisted her full name was Maggie Mae Rod Stewart. I ended up calling my other cat by that name after we got back...”

“my "other" cat?”

“OMG thats hilarious! Was she wanting money for her peep shows?”

“I have a cat that lives w/ me. And, one that used to live with me but I ended up having to give to my parents because the two didn't get along... So, it's my parent's cat now. But, it's also my cat. It's just my "other" cat.

C'mon, how hard is that to understand? lol

Nah, Em, I think she was just high and looking for attention. She got it. lol
last edited: 1/26/05 10:46:23 AM”

“A Mardis Gras Classic:

http://www.louisianamusicfactory.com/real/1874-1.ram
ifn that don't work try the link at:

http://www.louisianamusicfactory.com/showoneprod.asp?TypeID=71&ProductID=1874”

“I went in 94, it was a blast. ...however, I don't know that I'd go back. I'd like to visit New Orleans during a quieter time.”

“I went to 2 Mardi Gras... in '98 and '99. My girl friend at the time was from New Orleans, and it was sort of reunion time for her. She'd had a job at a major tourist stop in the French Quarter, and one time we stayed in an apartment in the Quarter.

Mardi Gras away from the French Quarter can be very much a family affair. There are places where families set up coolers and barbecues and picnic all day and watch the parades and kids run around playing and chasing after the "throws" - or whatever you call the toys, beads and other stuff they throw off the floats.

It's near the college dorms and the French Quarter and places like that where the parades get R rated (e.g. women flashing their breasts for the nice beads).”