Mardi Gras in New Orleans was so different and so much more than I had originally expected. Like many people, I thought it was going to be a total drunk fest with girls flashing people for beads and pretty much just one big mess of a party
(aka college?). I knew there was more than that to the celebration of Mardi Gras and the culture of New Orleans as a whole, but never to the magnitude that I experienced it. And I loved every minute of it.
We had some complications getting to New Orleans due weather and
apparent plane malfunctions, but finally arrived at our hotel just
before midnight on Friday (2/8>
excuse the late posting!). Wasting no time at all, we dropped our bags
off in our room and headed to Bourbon Street. We stayed out until
nearly 7 am drinking daiquiris, eating shrimp po' boys, going to the oldest bar in the US with literally no lights- all candles, riding the bull
at Bourbon Cowboy (the country bar on Bourbon, that I obviously loved)
and hanging out with cute southern gentlemen that we met along the way.
On Saturday we made it outside to the crowds in time to watch the Krewe of Iris roll past with beverages in hand, of course. I was so excited to see the parades, their elaborate decorations and enthusiasm from the crowds. We walked around the French Quarter and down Bourbon Street in between parades and caught the next parade from a different viewing spot. That night the Krewe of Endymion rolled with elaborate floats, throws, costumes and lights. There were tons of people still lining the streets watching the parades and catching all kinds of fun trinkets from the floats. It was getting late by this point, maybe 9 o'clock and we hadn't eaten dinner yet. We had said that we would get something to eat after the parade, but decided we couldn't wait any longer and also didn't want to miss any of the parade. We got small bowls of jambalaya from a street vendor and it was delicious. As we're eating our jambalaya among the masses of people with the parade continuing to roll by, a bag of beads was thrown from the float hitting Audrey right in the hand and knocking her bowl to the ground. Rice flew everywhere and everyone around her was covered in it, not knowing what happened. It was very comical. The man who threw the bag full of beads from the float realized what he did and signaled to Audrey to come closer to the float. There are baracades in the street to block viewers from coming closer, like most parades have, but he signaled her to come up to the front. He then handed her a big necklace of beautiful beads as an apology for knocking her dinner from her hand. I would have taken those beads too! haha
Parades did not start until a little later in the afternoon on Sunday. We woke up and went to a nice traditional New Orleans/ Cajun meal at Palace Cafe on Canal Street. The food was amazing. We ordered a Crabmeat Cheesecake, Duck Spring Rolls, and another appetizer that I can't remember the name of but it had a fried tomato, shrimp and a wonderful spicy sauce on it. They were amazing. Then we had soups- two different types of gumbo and turtle soup. Yes, turtle. I tried that one, and liked it, but probably couldn't have eaten the whole cup. The gumbos were amazing. Different than gumbos I have tasted before with slightly different textures as well. My dad makes a good gumbo, but these were totally different... they looked different, were different thicknesses and seemed to have different ingredients as well. It's cool how many different ways there are to make generally the same thing... For our meals (I know, how could we eat more? I don't know, but we did) we each had another unique option. I had the Crabmeat Keesh and can't remember what other people had, but we tried each other's and there was not one that I didn't like. The food was amazing. After brunch we were almost too stuffed to drink. hahah
almost! The parades started and we caught another unbelievable amount of beads.
Prior to our trip we purchased tickets for access to viewing stands outside of our hotel on the parade route. These were great because they ensure us having a great view no matter what time we came to watch the parades.
Monday was another day of late parades, except on this day they started even later. In the morning we went to Cafe Du Monde for Bienets and Coffee. OMG, they were heavenly delicious. We then walked around the cute streets of New Orleans, Jackson Square, and down to the Mississippi River. We stopped at a bar that was recommended to us for a Voodoo Brew. I can not wait to remake this drink. It was delicious. We then walked to Pat O'Brien's, the spot of the original Hurricane and of course had a few too many. This is the famous Paino Bar with Dueling Pianos. This was by far my most favorite bar I have ever been too! I love live music and singing along to songs. These people play the piano together so wonderful and sing, while the entire crowd joins in. They can play pretty much every song there is as well. We first requested Glory Days, by Bruce Springsteen and then Jersey Girl (which they surprisingly did not know). We wanted a Bruce song to highlight our Jersey roots! :) We reluctantly left Pat O's to go back to our viewing spot as the parades were starting to roll. We watched the parades, then gathered massive amounts of beads that we didn't want to keep and headed to a friend's hotel room on Bourbon street to throw beads from the balcony. It was such a cool experience being able to be a part of Bourbon Street like that! :)
Mardi Gras day quickly came as the final parades rolled with a few delays due to weather and other unexpected factors. The final parade of Mardi Gras was over before 5 o'clock. We went back to the hotel, then headed out for some last minute shopping and walking around Downtown New Orleans. We went back to the corner bar for a VooDoo Brew, did more shopping in the French Market, then headed to Pat O'Brien's again for some more piano bar fun! This time the piano players knew Jersey Girl! I seriously couldn't get enough of that place! :) It was the perfect way to end a wonderful vacation with my cousins who I love so dearly.
Some things that I learned about Mardi Gras/New Orleans:
- Carnival is the season of Mardi which starts in January and runs until Mardi Gras Day (the day before Ash Wednesday, aka Fat Tuesday).
- Krewes are made of members of each carnival association (Krewe of Rex, Krewe of Endymion, Krewe of Bachas) that ride in the parades. Each Krewe has a theme for the year and decorates their elaborate floats and wears costumes and masks. Some people are very secretive about what Krewe they're in. To be in a Krewe and roll in the parade costs lots of money for the members. They all have to buy their own throws. One time when a parade was stopped in front of us, I heard one of the members say that they had nearly $10,000 worth of throws and $6,000 of alcohol on that one float.
- Throws are anything that is thrown from the floats.... beads, beads, beads, cups, stuffed things, light up things (think Disney), trinkets, anything really.
- King Cake is a circle cake with icing and purple, green, and gold sprinkles on top. Traditionally King Cake has a tiny plastic baby inside and whoever gets the baby in their piece is supposed to buy the next cake. Our hotel gave us a King Cake one night and it was sooooo delicious. We ate the whole thing.
- My favorite parades/Krewes were Endymion (Saturday Night), Toth (Sunday Day) and Rex (Tuesday- the final float parade of Mardi Gras) We met people in both Toth and Rex prior to them rolling so being able to call their names and get their attention as they rolled by added to the excitement.
- You are allowed to drink everywhere. There are no "open container" rules, so you are literally allowed to get a drink and take it with you on the street. Awesome.
This was my first time to New Orleans and it couldn't have been better. I fell in love with the city, the culture and the tradition of Mardi Gras. It was wonderful and something that I recommend for anyone who loves to experience new and wild things. I literally felt like I was in a different country, but I love realizing that our wonderful country has so much to offer that we sometimes don't realize or take for granted.
I can't wait to continue traveling- experiencing new cultures and traditions that our country and those around the world have to offer. I hope this travel bug that I have in me never goes away!
I've mentioned before how much I love cultures. Experiencing new cultures and traditions is one of my favorite things and honestly you can find it everywhere. One of my favorite cultural immersions was going to Mardi Gras in New Orleans and I think it's something that should immediately go to the top of your bucket list if you haven't experienced it already, and here's why:
New Orleans is an incredible place by itself. Filled with welcoming people, cajun culture, french heritage, distinct food and historic buildings, I was continuously in awe of my surroundings.
First of all, the marching bands in the parades are jaw dropping. They come from all over to march in the best parades of Mardi Gras. But also, you can feel the music emanate on the street. From the ones playing on the sidewalks to in the bars and clubs, the music is enough to write home about. The piano bar at Pat O'Brien's was completely amazing- 2 piano players/singers taking any requests and a man tapping coins on a tray. The music will speak to your soul. 
I had some of the best, most exotic food while I was in New Orleans for Mardi Gras and it was all sooo delicious. This includes beignets from Cafe Du Monde, turtle soup, jambalaya from a street vendor, shrimp Po'boys, crawfish, and of course..
King Cake is a circle cake with icing and purple, green, and gold sprinkles on top. Traditionally King Cake has a tiny plastic baby inside and whoever gets the baby in their piece is supposed to buy the next cake.
Walking around Bourbon, Canal, and the French Quarter with Daiquiris or Hurricanes in your hand is all totally fine since there are no "open container laws"! And if you buy a drink at a bar and decide you want to go somewhere else, you can just ask for a to-go cup! One of my favorites drinks was called Voodoo Brew from a bar called The Corner in Jackson Square. Sooo good!
The parades are perfect for all ages. Families bring ladders for kids to see the parades as they roll by and others bring chairs to sit up close to the barricades. Mardi Gras is definitely an event that is not limited by age group and everyone has a wonderful time. 
