Mardi Gras 2010 Time Flies by

As I am enjoying my morning coffee I can’t help but think how another year has flew by so fast. A year ago today we were in New Orleans celebrating our sons 21^st birthday and Mardi gras. That was some trip we had. 22 people joined us for the celebration and fun. This was not our first time to New Orleans or our first Mardi Gras. We have been to few. Our last Mardi gras was pre Katrina. That is when our son saw that 2010's date would be the day after his 21st birthday.


We arrived on Saturday just in time for all the start of all the bigger parades. We stayed at the Intercontinental on St Charles Ave. right in the heart of things. The hotel was located right on the parade route and a short walk to the French Quarter. We paid a bit more for the executive club level rooms and it was definitely worth it.  We were all able to stay on the same floor plus there is a club lounge which gave us a place to meet up at varies times. The club lounge had light breakfast in the morning, afternoon snacks, before dinner there were appetizers, and beer, wine, and mixed drinks in the evening. It was a great place to go to between parades and site seeing. We also used it to play cards and one night some people stayed in to watch TV there. It was like having your own living room and really made the trip work well with so many people.

   The first night we had dinner at the famous Arnaud’s restaurant. Arnaud’s has been around since 1918 and located in the heart of the French Quarter serving up classic Creole Cuisine. In the Jazz Bistro there was a live Dixieland jazz band the reason I picked this restaurant to get us all in the spirit of New Orleans.
 
  

  For anyone who has never been to Mardi grass it’s all about the parades and getting beads. Parades start 2 weeks prior to Fat Tuesday but the bigger ones are the weekend before. The Saturday before Fat Tuesdays the Kewe of Iris and Tucks parade in the afternoon which are 2 of my personal favorites which we missed this year due our arrival time. Saturday night’s parade is Endymion followed by a post party in the super dome that lasts until morning.
 

  Sunday is a big day for parades as they start first thing in the morning and on into the night.  Bacchus is the night parade and this year’s guess rider was none other than the New Orleans Saints super bowl winning quarterback Drew Brees.  People were out very early Sunday to get a good spot to see him. We watched from the Garden district which gave us a different feel.  
 

   Monday  or Lundi gras the parades don’t start until the evening making it a good day to go into the French quarter.  Zulu hosts a festival down by the waterfront which is always fun. A day filled with Music, food, drinks, and of course the arrival of the King and Queen of Zulu.
 

 We spent the day walking the in the French Quarter going to some of the famous places. We had hurricanes at Pat O’Briens, beignets and coffee at Café du monde. For lunch went to Johnny’s Po Boys. There was a long line but it was worth the wait as these are some of the best Po Boys.  We made a stop at Tropical Isle the home of the hand grenade.  There should be a rule one per customer, as it is one strong drink. Tropical Isle has a upstairs with a balcony which is a great place to people watch and threw beads.

  Fat Tuesday

 The parades start early with Zulu and Rex followed by 2 more large parades. Zulu is all about the coconut. It’s a fun filled day with lots of beads and goodies. Mardi Gras really is a fun time and really is a family time. The only place that gets really crazy is Bourbon Street and none of the parades are in that location.

  We had a great trip and I think everyone who traveled with us enjoyed both New Orleans and Mardi Gras.

    Mardi Gras this year starts later, Fat Tuesday is March 8 but if you go you want to be there by March 5 for all the weekend festivities.  Happy Mardi Gras to All.