ITS ALL ABOUT THE BEADS AND DRINK

Mardi Gras Parade number two, for us, was a different animal. Fast moving, giddy excitement, people screaming for beads and plastic junk, including me. The whole street was alive, moving, cheering, smiling, having crazy fun. The New Orleans Police Department is very laid back and helpful. If a cop saw an errant football, cup or moonpie that missed its mark and ended up in the street, he would helpfully push it to the curb or hand it into the crowd.

The theme of this parade seemed to be drink. There was a nod to Valentines day in a couple floats, also Thoth Krewe with Egyptian God floats, but drink after drink and places to drink rolled down the street. I didn't count but over 20 floats were named for individual drinks, grasshopper, mimosas, brass monkeys, champagne, singapore sling and so on.

Did I say this was a serious drinking town? This is a SERIOUS drinking town. Jello shots made with 190 proof booze.

Why bother with a single drink when you can get everything you don't need in one. I watched a bartender pour 8 shots into a single drink. They sell them in 32 oz. size to 70 oz. size. And, you can bring them out into the street.

All of the elements for a parade were present. The horseman above threw artificial roses. And, along with horses, you have bands, and music and noise. The bands didn' t simply play music, most of them danced and jived down the street.

We noticed the band escorts picking up beads from the street and giving them to the hard playing marchers. But for us it was the beads. You couldn't help but want to catch them as they flew through the air. Everyone competed for hands full of plastic beads.

And at the end of the day, most people wore their booty home.

Its all about the beads. We did like many others and put our beads in a bag. I couldn't believe when we got home to find our booty weighed 18 pounds. Whattam I gonna do with all these beads? Its insanity. And we'll go back and do it again.

We took the ferry back to our side of the river and watched the sun set over the Big Easy. A perfect name for a laid back fun city.