Mardi Gras Madness - Part 3 - First Weekend of Parades with the Pussyfooters

Here comes the girls!

Technically, Mardi Gras is the last day of Carnival but we use the terms interchangeably. Carnival starts on 12th Night, January 5. The Phoney Phorty Phellows take a streetcar ride, throwing beads and what not to those that come out to see them. I was meeting a friend on the Avenue and was running late, so I missed the first pass and almost missed the second pass. There are parties this night as well as the Krewe of Joan of Arc that marches through the Quarter.

Me, mid-step-turn.

In New Orleans, the majority of parades start 2 weeks prior to Mardi Gras day. I'm in the Pussyfooters, a woman's dance group, and we were invited to perform in two parade the first weekend, Krewe of Cleopatra and Krewe of King Arthur. Both parades are about 5 miles long and took about 3 hours to complete. That's a lot of dancing and marching! But it is so much fun, and it's always a thrill to spy someone you know along the route. What was fun about these two parade is the first one was at night, the second the day, each a different experience. The night parades are more of a blur because you can't see, but even in the daylight, you aren't always sure where you are. The crowds blank out the landmarks and cross streets. It's fun to be able to see the people in the crowd and interact with them.

Here's a bunch of photos on Flickr from the King Arthur parade. We glow in the daylight!
Here's a video of us performing one of our dances in the same parade.
Here's a video of us from the Krewe of Cleopatra parade.

It's such an overload of senses. We have our own music - this year with a live DJ! - then there's the yelling and crowds noises, music from other groups and marching bands. We use hand motions and whistles (you'll hear them in the videos) to alert everyone about an upcoming dance. Sometimes you miss both until you realize everyone around you is dancing so you just jump right in. Like I said earlier, visually it can be a complete blur, but then you spy someone in the crowd you know and they just pop out at you. That's usually when I mess up. LOL And then there's the smells. There are horses and mules in the parade -ugh- but you also catch whiffs of fried chicken, BBQ and boiling crawfish along the route as well. Yum!

St. Charles Avenue in the Lower Garden District.

In front of Gallier Hall downtown. I'm the one in the pink wig. ;-)

Canal Street.

Last fall I did a post about the former Copeland's Restaurant on St. Charles Ave. and Napoleon Ave. from an email I recieved about the proposed new restaurant. link

The T-P had a story about it today. link

In my almost daily drive-bys on the way to the office I've notice some minor activity at the site. I was wondering if the seafood place would happened. Maybe it will.

Quick car update: I got my car back, after a few sweaty days of riding the streetcar to work. Got a new ECM relay, battery terminals and a fuse. Everything seems to be working now *fingers crossed.*

When I worked downtown I used to ride the streetcar every day. Some people think it's just a tourist thing but it's not. I must say I'm impressed by their punctuality. I checked the times on the RTA web site and they were right on. The first day I just missed it. I was drenched in sweat by the time I got to the office. After the first day I got smart and took a change of clothes with me. Yesterday I had one of those drivers with the fun personalities. The machine didn't want to take my dollar and he was cracking jokes the whole time. "Did you print that dollar last night?" Most of them are pretty nice. I remember the one man (pre-K) who would talk to the cars. "Whooo, hold that buggy!" he'd say when a car looked like it was going to cross in front.

Last weekend we did the Lafitte Corrodor Hike (I need to post photos!) and we rode the Canal Street line back to our car downtown. A great way to ride.

Today is a dreary, rainy day. Yesterday was the Irish Channel St. Patrick's Parade and our 3rd Annual parade party. I'm too tired to do a full recount here today and I didn't take a single photo. I will however post the second half of my Mardi Gras saga.

A never-ending cycle – Part 2






Unlike Saturday, I went to all 3 afternoon Uptown parades: Okeanos (so-so, too much blaring bad music), Mid-City (nice) and Thoth (very nice). I walked from our house, up Magazine to a party at Jefferson stopping long the way to chat with people I knew. We were on a balcony, which is why I was able to get good photos of floats. I got a lot of exercise this day. Walked back home once the parades were over. Then G and I walked to a party over by Charlie’s Steak House and watched Bacchus on Napoleon Ave. Or I should say we tried to. People started setting up camp on Napoleon Wednesday; I know because I drive down it to work every day. We were stuck half way back, behind ladders. The worst part was using the City of NO port-o-potties. UGH.

Bacchus on Napoleon.

Not going to watch parades on Napoleon any more. We got a call from a friend who was in the Garden District, so we crossed Napoleon and hoofed if over to 6th street. We caught most of the parade again. This time we could see since the crowds were smaller. We hit two parties during the course of the evening and there was zero food. After the parade we walked back to Magazine Street for some dinner and drinks.

Bacchus on St. Charles Ave - better. Hard to get good night photos.

Flambeaux

I had learned my lesson from the previous years and took Monday off. I did go into the office for a bit and then spent the afternoon running errands. That evening we met friends on St. Charles Ave. to watch Proteus and Orpheus. I vowed to not drink too much so I wouldn’t be hung over Mardi Gras day. It didn’t work out that way since I was fed an endless stream of red wine. (I’ve decided wine and parades don’t mix. No beer either, makes me pee too much. Gin + tonic = good. Scotch = good) After the parade, you guessed it: Magazine Street for dinner and more drinks.

Mardi Gras day was another warm and beautiful day. After a fortifying breakfast we set out on foot to Liprap’s for their annual party. I love seeing all the people and costumes while walking along St. Charles Avenue. After visiting for a while we followed Adrastos and Dr. A to Krewe of Pants. We were at 3rd Street watching Rex.

The king of Rex

Boeuf Gras "the fatted ox"

Didn’t catch much. After Rex was over we all converged at the House of Pants, hanging out outside. You know that shooting that took place? It happened 2 blocks away from us. We were oblivious until I noticed a cop running down the street, gun in hand, “Uh hey guys? That cop over there has his gun drawn.” Another cop appeared, then another. People started rushing by and we asked what was going on. Seconds later, many police cars with light going pulled up and an ambulance. We got herded inside and watched the proceedings from the windows. They recovered a gun near by and we saw both suspects get put in cars in cuffs. I have to say I was pretty impressed with the NOPD's response. It’s hard enough to catch bad guys, but when there are hundreds of people, probably drunk, milling around clueless, makes it even more challenging. The one plus of all the people was there were plenty of witnesses. Adrastos also has an account here. I had considered going down to the Marigny but it was too late once the cops let us out and my buzz was long gone. G and I just walked home and relaxed. Just when I had thought Mardi Gras was over for me, we got a call from the Mad Irishman that a friend who cooks for Commander’s Palace was making gumbo and potato salad and get ourselves over there. Man was that good eating. Drinks at the Rendezvous followed that. I drew the line at shots. Jagermeister at that. Yuck. Works slows down around Mardi Gras since clients are also busy with parties, parades and balls so I took Wednesday off to recuperate.

Mardi Gras '09 - excellent weather, skimpy throws, gorgeous floats that went by too fast, good company, marred only by the shooting.

Such a festive weekend! Friday the 13th (not the stupid movie) followed by Valentine's Day. Monday is President's day, but in New Orleans we don't really observe President's day because we observe Mardi Gras day instead, which falls on Feb. 24th this year. And this weekend the parades are rolling.

Here's a pic of a big *ss house on St. Charles Ave. flying big *ss Mardi Gras Krewe flags.

St. Charles at Louisiana Update

There's been some action on this corner. The crappy Exxon that never reopened after Katrina has been on the market and the building is being torn down.


A year ago I did a post when the video store/deli was being torn down. The lot has been cleared and leveled but that's about it.


The Borders Bookstore opened recently after an extensive gut and build out in the former Bultman Funeral home. It looks nice from the outside, I haven't been inside yet. I'm torn between having a bookstore within walking distance that is a chain, (and serve Seattle's Best Coffee) or driving to Octavia books, a local bookseller.


In just a few weeks parades will be rolling past here. The empty lot(s) could be prime party areas if they don't get fenced off.

An update on what's going on at the corner of St. Charles and Louisiana Aves...

First to my shock and amazement, the pink building that was formerly a video store then deli, is no more and has been torn down to become the future home of an First NBC. It was still standing Sunday...


They better have that debris gone before the parade start rolling. What a huge party area!

And for those wondering about the Border's that's going into the former Bultman Funeral home, here's a photo of the super gut job that has been done.


Demolitions are currently the biggest sign of change/progress in New Orleans. Everyday, something else is GONE.

Forgive me if I didn't jump for joy when I read in today's T-P:

Al Copeland reopens one restaurant on St. Charles and plans to reopen the other later this year

Isn't that special? He's reopening the tacky Cheesycake Bistro on St. Charles Ave. The tourist will be thrilled. It will be nice when they do something with the Copelands on the corner of St. Charles and Napoleon. It amazes me how such prime real estate can stay shuttered for so long. Same goes for the corner of St. Charles and Lousiana; I miss the convenience of the lame Exxon that used to be there. I'm not a big fan of any of Copeland's restaurants; it has nothing to do with the food as it does the garish decor. And I love his not-so-subtle rip-offs of chain restaurants around the country; the bad decor, the over-sized menus (both physical size and the number of items), the lame themes. I'm proud we aren't overrun with chains here. If your food stinks, you aren't going to last, no matter how fantastic your "theme" is.

Last night on my way home from my book club meeting I was treated to some lovely fog.

These were from the cemetery behind Newman School.

And these as I drove along St. Charles Ave.

The Columns

The streetcars are back and running! They are truly beloved by locals and tourist alike. They are the most dignified way to travel. Not cold and impersonal like a bus. They are the best way, after walking, to tour St. Charles Ave. And yes, locals do ride the streetcar. They aren't just some gimmick cooked up for the tourist. When I first moved to NOLA, I rode the streetcar to work every morning. Parking downtown is a nightmare and expensive. On the streetcar, you could read, chat with your fellow passengers or just look at the window at the sights. You don't just see the St. Charles Ave streetcars - they have a unique smell and sound. Businesses along the Avenue have put up banners welcoming the streetcar back. I was inspired to wax poetic about the streetcars after watching a video on Adrastos' blog that features a well known, local newscaster driving one for the first time under the guidance of a first-rate driver. You MUST watch it if you love streetcars. And if you've never been on one, you'll want to.

Streetcars!!!!! We haven't seen the Perley Thomas green cars on this stretch of St. Charles since, you know when.