Mardi Gras 2012!

The only time I have gone to Mardi Gras in New Orleans was in the 1980s. Of course, I had a great time! I went with two friends, and we booked a hotel room outside of New Orleans to save some money, and because it was really, really hard to find a room in or near the French Quarter.

Some things I learned from that Mardi Gras trip:

• Prior to my trip, I had only heard of the raucous, depraved side of Mardi Gras. I found the celebration to be much more family friendly than I expected;
• In my 20s-something mind, I thought the parades would be boring. Little did I know, they were so much I wanted to experience them all to the end;
• When you put 100s of mardi gras beads around your neck, they are really hard to detangle and remove at 3 a.m the next morning;
• You don't have to do any thing risque to get those beads;
• Some floats are more likely to give you beads than others. You can yell at some floats all you want, and you still won't get them;
• Pralines still are wonderful;
• It really would be a good idea to get a hotel room in or near the Quarter, as you don't want to spend all of your time fighting the crowds to go 25 minutes away.

Let the Good Times Roll!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/mardi-gras-celebration-rocks-new-orleans-with-fat-tuesday-music-revelry-and-parades/2012/02/21/gIQAjfeMRR_story.html