Foo - Mardi Gras

I plan to go to Mardi Gras this year. Well I should have planned. I need to put in my vacation time for next year and have not even thought about it. I have students till noon today and have to have my leave figured out before I go home. So I was kinda hoping you (collective foo people) could help me out. What days are good to go? in fact, I dont even know what days it is this year. what is the biggest party days? Where should we (wife and I) stay? Can we stay out of town and ride a bus in? My wife does not ride a bike or walk very far. Any tips and/or suggestions I should know?

Couple things you should know:

Do not try to go downtown (French Quarter) on Mardi Gras day. It's so packed you can't even walk.

They have parades the two weekends before Mardi Gras, so I'd recommend getting there on a Friday, catching some good restaurants in Metairie, hitting a parade on Saturday and Sunday.

The Westbank parades (in Terrytown, Algeirs, etc) are not as crowded. We used to go to the ones on General DeGaulle and they're a lot of fun. They're fairly long, and still lots of people, but you're not crammed into a small space on the sidewalk. There are very large medians there, plenty of room to hang out.

I'm not a huge fan of Mardi Gras really (I guess years of marching in parades kinda does that to you). The last time I went downtown during Mardi Gras, my wife almost got kidnapped. If you go during the day, it's not nearly as dangerous... not nearly as wild, either. Just be careful.

If you are looking for the typical NEW ORLEANS Mardi Gras experience, stay in NOLA. DO NOT EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE ANYWHERE!!! Stay in a hotel on St. Charles Ave (the Ponchartrain for example) in the Garden District. Make reservations for dinner as early as possible. Get there the Wed/thurs before and stay through Ash Wed. On Mardi Gras day, wake up very early (like 5am), and camp out on St. Charles for the walking parades. Some of these are not on the official schedule. I have a pic of my wife getting kissed by Pete Fountain during his walking parade (9 yrs ago).

That said, for the 3 yrs I lived there, I was there for MG once. then left town the next 2 yrs.

Carry lots of beads....

carry a camera and bring us lots of pics....

fify

DO NOT punch a mounted police officers horse, unless you want your beatdown shown on COPS.

DO NOT punch a mounted police officers horse, unless you want your beatdown shown on COPS.

but if Making does it, it really would be a Donkey Punch.

Heh, my wife just did all her flashing for Mardi Gras at related themed parties near her grad school institutions and avoided New Orleans like the plague. Oh, wait, you aren't going for the flashing (which is actually really rare, as I have heard from my perv dad and lots of women friends who have gone there, flashed all night, and felt like they were the only ones doing it).

What are we talking about again?

Oh, ya, my dad went there. He loved it. The pics he brought back (of non-flashing women) made the place look like a dump and somewhere I would never want to go in a million years.

Sorry I am no help at all, but this is FOO after all...

Been to New Orleans once. Walked around the French Quarter for a bit. The place smelled like stale urine to the point that it was off putting. That and the fact that the entertainers at the bar we chose were drag queens or somesuch made me not cherish my time spent in The Crescent City. NTTIAWWT.

The best parade days are Sat, Sun and Mon before Mardi Gras. Try to stay uptown, the Hampton Inn on St Charles is a great locale. I lived in the Garden District and watched the parades there, you'll get tons of throws as the Krewes roll by. Remember, there isn't an open container law in NOLA, so get a cooler and load up on your favorite beverage, bring some folding chairs, pick you spot and enjoy the weekend.