Lost for Life and I are both going this year. Through e-mail, we’re in the early stages of planning a meet at the BourboCam.
Anyone else planning on going? We’d love to meet you!
Have you ever been? Share some memories here. I’ll start. During Mardi Gras 2001, Mrs. HeyHomie and I arrived at Canal Street for the Endymion parade about 3 minutes after the lead float had passed. Since the crowd was so thick and we couldn’t really see anything we decided to leave. The next morning we read in the New Orleans Times-Picayune that Frankie Muñiz from Malcolm in the Middle was the Grand Marshall. Mrs. HeyHomie and I were so bummed because we’re big fans of the show. Here’s a picture.
Anyone else with Mardi Gras memories or plans please post here. Maybe we’ll even plan a meet.
My god, I went about 7 years ago and had a fabulous time. My friends’ dad gave us his timeshare week so we were in a really nice condo/hotel place just a few blocks from the action. I went with a bunch of graduate school friends and it was perhaps the most fun I have ever had. Admittedly, it was the company as much as the locale.
I have 520 funny stories, I can’t even begin.
I will say that having had that adventure, I have little interest in going back again. It was a week of hard livin’ and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to muster that much energy and stamina again.
I grew up in New Orleans, so I went several times. It was fun for a while. Then, when I became a driving teenager and was supposedly at the prime age for it, it became a nuisance. My girlfriend lived right off of Veteran’s Highway in Metairie, as did a good friend of mine, so this was a two month period where it was nearly impossible to drive over and see them. Plus, I became more withdrawn and uncomfortable around crowds and enforced fun, so I stayed away. Once I got to college - absolute optimum Mardi Gras enjoying time, I was at school in Baton Rouge and would rather chew my leg off than go into New Orleans for it.
(It also didn’t help things that there were a number of incidents around that time that made me feel that risking my life over a pair of beads wasn’t a good idea. I think things have calmed down since then, but there was a lot of violence for a while.)
I went to high school in Jefferson so of course I’ve been to Mardi Gras. My parents and I weren’t at all prepared for our first one. We were at a Pizza Hut on Veterans’ Memorial Boulevard when this crowd started gathering.
I liked the Metairie parades better than the ones downtown but that may have been because I was with my parents and didn’t get to see downtown after dark. We always did our parade watching at One Shell Square but too much parade-after-parade-after-parade gets monotonous. Some of the costumes are nice to look at, especially that one woman who was dressed as a unicorn. But Metairie had my favorite parades and the marching band from my high school was in every one of them. The smaller crowd also made for eaiser goodie getting. Cups quickly became my favorite and my height meant being able to catch some stuff near its apex. I was watching one parade when I caught a cup by its rim and another guy had the bottom. I already had one cup from that parade so I let the shorter guy have it.
I haven’t been back to New Orleans since moving up here nearly 15 years ago. I really should go back sometime.
I went to college in New Orleans, so I have four years of experiencing “Mardi Gras Magic.” I’m sure I’d have good stories if I could only remember them. I do recall waking up one morning to find about five strangers passed out on the living room carpet (my roommates didn’t know them, nor did our guests), and a baby stroller parked on the balcony.
I went when I was in college the first time (1978). Gawd, I was all of 18. ;). We were with the ROTC drill team from uni. We had a blast ! We stayed on a ship which was docked at the Port.
I’ve never wanted to go back, though my Dad & Sis both live in N.O. I guess I’m just so much of an old fart now, I dislike crowds and noise.
Well ** HeyHomie**, it looks like it’s you and me.
I have a ton of stories involving all kinds of weirdness, but the most significant was getting married in front of the cathedral on Mardi Gras morning. Sharing the event with the mass of lunatics was amazing.
Remember people, 90% of what you see about Mardi Gras on TV is taking place in about 4 blocks on Bourbon Street. There’s the whole rest of the city out there celebrating. Flesh makes for better news coverage.
One thing… hang on to your receipts from the Bourbon street bars- lots of them require a receipt if you want to use their bathroom to take a leak. Cops are EVERYWHERE, so the side streets aren’t much of an option.
Wear old shoes- the funk/slime on the sidewalks/gutters/streets is truly frightening.
Between St. Ann & Canal is the straight part of Bourbon St. The other side’s the gay side, in case anyone didn’t know. So if drag queens and that sort of thing isn’t your bag, don’t go down there.
Laissez les bons temps roullez. (sp?) 
But Metairie had my favorite parades and the marching band from my high school was in every one of them. The smaller crowd also made for eaiser goodie getting. Cups quickly became my favorite and my height meant being able to catch some stuff near its apex. I was watching one parade when I caught a cup by its rim and another guy had the bottom. I already had one cup from that parade so I let the shorter guy have it.
