Since the NOLA blog started recently, we did not have a chance to mention Mardi Gras this year. It's impossible not to mention, it was so wonderful!
Mardi Gras 2006 was a throwback to the way it was meant to be. Lots of locals taking this opportunity to enjoy themselves, many adults in the French Quarter enjoying the celebration (in recent years, it was filled with college-age kids), many costumes of all kinds (see Mardi Gras), no nudity (well, we did see one girl; she looked so out of place this year); no “drunks” — just lots of people having lots of fun, catching and throwing beads from the French Quarter balconies and seeing the many costumes.
Marc and I walked in Pat O' Brien's for a drink; walked up and down Bourbon Street taking pictures of the costumes; there was no mass of young kids to maneuver through; you could actually walk side by side even though it was crowded. We ate at a little restaurant overlooking the people walking by. We visited the Quarter immediately after the truck parades passed by on St. Charles Avenue; we did not stay all night; but compared to years past, it was so nice it was unbelievable. And it was the first chance for so many of us to enjoy the New Orleans we love …
