Carnival

I am feeling a bit better about venturing back towards the Internet. I have been very homesick for New Orleans lately. Some years the entire Carnival season goes by and I don't even think about it but this year I really missed Mardi Gras. Before living in New Orleans I thought that Mardi Gras was an "R" rated affair but I was presently surprised to learn that it's so much more! There's so much culture and tradition! Neighborhood pride, community spirit! Mardi Gras in New Orleans is a family affair. My favorite place to watch the parades was uptown, close to campus. Fraternities would get kegs and haul couches to the median on St. Charles along the street car route (called the neutral ground in New Orleans). Families would set up ladders along the curb with little benches built on the top. The ladders held their place and then when the parades started they would put their children into the little seats at the top of the ladders so that the kids were able to catch the good stuff from the floats. Now that I'm a parent this entire practice seems a little crazy but the kids were safe and secure. They had the best view! The ladders could be a little annoying sometimes but they were sacred! No one ever messed with the ladders!



I also have to point out the entire 4 years I lived in New Orleans during college I never once saw anyone flash during any of the parades Uptown! It really was very family friendly!

In the spirit of New Orleans I have to share one of my favorite finds.....Dirty Coast. It's a local New Orleans company that makes cute and clever tshirts full of local flavor! They also make this beautiful door mat, a replica of the water main covers in New Orleans.