March 1st
Saturday there were even more parades, but not right near our house so we decided to take a much needed parade break and go to the movies. We saw the Lego Movie and it was a lot of fun. And look who's starring in the new Muppet movie!
March 2nd
Mardi Gras weekend was in full swing for most, but we were winding down. Sunday was the last day of parades that staged near our house and we decided to make it our last as well. Three parades were scheduled, but we only made it through the first few minutes of the 1st, skipped the 2nd, and rallied for the 3rd. Thoth marked the last parade in our neighborhood and there were lots of horses and bands in the this one, and it was a pretty nice to way to end the parade season.
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| Horses walking by our house on the way to the Thoth parade |
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| checking out the floats of Okeanos |
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Named for the Greek God of oceans and fertile land,
the king and queen floats had an oceanic theme |
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| Magazine Street pre-Thoth parade (Whole foods in the background on the left) |
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| Last chance for beads and throws! |
A friend of ours invited us to a party on Bourbon Street, and we decided we couldn't pass up the invite. We got a baby-sitter for the kiddos and rode our bikes into the French Quarter, where their friend had rented a room with a balcony at the Royal Sonesta. As soon as we stepped onto the vacuum sealed carpet, I knew this would not be my scene. Bourbon Street already isn't at the top of my list, so I shouldn't have expected anything else, but I honestly thought we'd show up to a semi-calm setting above the craziness of the crowd. Not so much. The base was pumping in the tiny hotel room and it was stuffed with people, food, drinks, and bags upon bags of throws to toss off the balcony. The balcony was about 5 x 1 ft, and once we found a spot at the railing, the people watching began. It really is everything people say it is. It was still pretty early, but the streets were full of all sorts of revelers. I decided to make the most of it and started throwing beads down to people who just seemed generally happy to be there. Yes, there were the flashers and stumblers, but I think since we were there relatively early, things weren't too out of control when we left to relieve the babysitter.
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waiting for a spot in the front row
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| Oscar and David getting into the spirit |
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| view from the balcony |
The best part of the French Quarter Mardi Gras experience? The bike ride into town through the beautiful neighborhoods. I hadn't had the chance to ride through the city yet, and it is yet another way to appreciate the beauty of the Garden District. The streets were also really quiet, and if we glanced up towards St. Charles we could see the parade floating by in the distance. The worst? Well, Bourbon Street. Mardi Gras or no, it is still my least favorite place in New Orleans… Although it was fun to throw beads for a little while! It was probably the closest thing to riding on a float in a parade, and people would get so genuinely excited when they caught the beads! Maybe they were just happy I wasn't shouting down for them to expose something in exchange for the beads…
Mardi Gras is amazing. The whole city shuts down and embraces this season and all of its glory. As a parent, it's amazing to experience it through your own eyes, as well as your child's. You relish every moment when they get a great throw and grin ear to ear, and feel their frustration when someone next to you gets something cooler. You tell them there are other parades (and a backpack full of "good stuff" to go through at home) but also wonder what they're getting out of it. Oscar loved getting the throws, and hung in there much longer than Livi. She would get really excited for about 15 minutes, and then would be ready to head home, even with beads and animals flying.
You are in awe of the detail and effort that goes into every float, dance performance, and marching band that goes by, and can see a wide range of emotion on paraders faces - from focused concentration, to annoyance, to absolute joy. One of my favorite things about the parades has been the music. Fitting, since it plays such a huge role in the city! A ton of bands perform in the parades and while the Krewes ride in floats, the bands march the while way, performing with gusto.
A high school band in Krewe d'Etat (with a little cameo at the end)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZAFTmOqzC0
What's most amazing, is that every parade creates such a spectacle and is such a major event, in any other place IT would be the highlight of the year. But New Orleans doesn't do anything small and over
50 parades later the beads disappear and the trash is quietly swept away, until next year!
Want to know more? Here's a great Mardi Gras site chock full of info about the whole season, not just Fat Tuesday…
http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com
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