So...good news and bad news to report...the bad news is that my dear friend and only sister Steph moved to New Orleans. The good news is that it's an awesome place to visit. Since my sister and her family had been gone from Austin for a whole 10 days we decided it was the perfect time to head over to the Big Easy for a visit...it was Mardi Gras season after all!
Contrary to popular belief, Mardi Gras is a very family friendly event.
Of course you can have lots of fun without the kids too, so this year was definitely a different experience to Mardi Gras' past.
All along the parade route, ladders with seats on top, line the neutral ground (a.k.a. median) in order to claim a prime viewing spot.
People claim their spots hours and sometimes days in advance.
My sister and I are originally from New Orleans so we know all about the traditions and such but if you are interested in learning more this website is pretty informative. http://www.mardigrasneworleans.com/
Mardi Gras is all about celebrating and the best way to celebrate is to bring the party to the streets with a parade. There are a few must haves for a good parade...
The Marching Bands
The Dance Troops
The Fried Chicken
The Daquiris
The Floats
And the Beads!
Also contrary to popular belief, you don't have to flash anyone for them...you could actually get arrested for flashing! The whole flashing thing got started when on Mardi Gras day, a parade called Zulu passes out painted and decorated coconuts and some ladies will do just about anything to get them...they are very sought after! And ever since then people are under the impression that you have to flash to get beads, but that's just not the case...if you want a coconut though... ;)
These guys didn't get the memo!
Thanks to our awesome friends, Rebecca and Corey, we had the ultimate spectating location for one of Mardi Gras' best parades!
My loot after the parade
I hope we can come back next year!! It was sooo much fun!
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