Mardi Gras Tips for First Timers
Mardi Gras is my favorite time of year. I adore the week-long celebration– full of costumes, delicious King Cake, endless drinks…and with varying levels of debauchery, depending on your style and inhibitions. If you’re celebrating Fat Tuesday in New Orleans this year, here are a few tips! Get to the party early: Mardi Gras isn’t just one day of revelry. The Mardi Gras season begins on Twelfth Night, and it only builds from there: in the weeks preceding Fat Tuesday, there’s more and more parades and events that ultimately crescendos the weekend before. Some of the best Krewes roll the Thursday and Friday nights preceding Mardi Gras. Muses is a favorite among locals, and my personal favorite is Krewe d’Etat, which is a parade full of political satire — on a local and national level. krewe |kroo| noun. A private social club that sponsors balls, parades, etc., as part of the Mardi Gras festivities. Then there’s the Super Krewes: Endymion, Bacchaus, and Orpheus. These three are known for their high-tech floats, intricate design, and elaborate costumes — as a result, they draw enormous crowds. Get there early! Fun fact: Mardi Gras is privately funded by the members of the Krewes. The dues to join a Krewe are hefty, but it covers security, barricades, street sweepers, street closures, permits — and of course, all the “throws”. throws |THros| noun. Items one can catch at a Mardi Gras parade, including but not limited to: plastic beads, speciality beads, doubloons, cups, toys, light-up trinkets at night parades, plus Krewe-specific items (Coconuts from Zulu, Muses throws specialty shoes, toilet plungers at Tucks). Track the parades with WDSU’s Parade Tracker. I LOVE THIS APP. It provides you with all the information you need: Schedules, maps of parade routes, and even the chance of rain. Best of all, once the Krewe rolls, it tracks where on the route the parade is and keeps you updated if the parade is stalled somewhere on the route. The app really comes in handy when you’ve been waiting for thirty minutes after Proteus, wondering where the heck Orpheus is. WWL has a parade tracker app as well — but I prefer WDSU’s interface. BYOTP. Public toilets on parade routes are scarce, and toilet paper is even scarcer. Closer to downtown and the Quarter, hotels require their guests to wear bracelets in order to gain access to their lobby (and bathroom facilities). In Uptown, public restrooms are nearly impossible to find. The city created a new ordinance this year banning private port-a-johns on public property — making toilets even more of a scavenger hunt. There are port-a-johns on most major intersections, although their cleanliness leave a lot to be desired. Always have a few extra tissues (and hand sanitizer!) in your pocket. Get...
Mardi Gras 2013: Let’s Get This Party Started
HAPPY MARDI GRAS!!! Okay… technically, it is the Friday before Mardi Gras, but the party is alive and well in New Orleans! It’s my favorite holiday. It’s superior to Halloween, and it’s a shame the rest of the country is in the dark about what a festive time they’re missing. Free stuff, parades, costumes, masks, music, having a drink at 9am… what’s not to love?! If the rest of the country knew what a wonderful week of celebration this was, they’d be planning their parade routes for next Carnival season. I’m heading back to New Orleans today with good friends to enjoy the festivities over the next four days, and I can’t wait! I didn’t get to go last year, and there’s nothing like the thrill of the first parade and that first catch of beads. To celebrate, here are photos from previous Mardi Gras celebrations in 2009 and 2011. 2009: Laryssa’s First Mardi Gras 2011: Bringing the Friends In putting this post together, I realize these photos are on the tame side – something I vow to fix on my trip to Mardi Gras this year. Laissez les bon temps rouler!...
You know you’ve dated someone from New Orleans for 9 months when…
…you actually get excited about celebrating Mardi Gras rather than condemn it as debauchery.…you’ve eaten red beans and rice more frequently than pizza — and you know how to prepare it.…you’ve eaten shrimp etouflee, po’ boys, and jambalaya.…you’ve been quizzed on the spot as to the correct spelling of Tchoupitoulas.…you understand the prestige of someone returning with the gift of Big Shot.…you learn that jazz can be kind of tolerable at times.…you are extremely aware that Louisiana has parishes instead of counties.…you know “making groceries” isn’t when Kroger introduces a new product.…you know snoballs have flavors.…you have a quiet respect for Camellia Grill, even though you’ve never eaten there.…you know it’s blasphemous to suggest that any kind of food any where else in the world may be better.…you’ve had to watch Stuck in the Suburbs and/or Runaway Jury.…you actually know who Drew Brees is, and you love him some days, but hate him some others.…you know that Magazine is a street with a lot of shops… and it runs parallel with the river.…you know the definition of “zephyr” and its relevance to minor league baseball.…it breaks your heart that you have to wait until 8:15 tonight for King Cake.…your first date was at Chappy’s. (…and you had this proof-read by aforementioned NOLA boy and he still found three errors. What can I say, I’m only from...