NOLA
Mardi Gras New Orleans
Mardi Gras in New Orleans, LA is a must! It’s the one day in every year where an entire city shuts down and has a big ass party, literally. Fat Tuesday. Thousands of tourists/spectators line up along neighborhood streets and boulevards waiting for motorized floats to pass by. The floats blare music from rapper Lil Wayne over their loudspeakers. Then, it starts to rain beads.
The best way to describe what it’s like catching beads, is like receiving a touchdown pass. The feeling is joyous and celebratory at the same time.
As floats slowly drive through the streets of New Orleans, marching bands are walking side-by-side with them. Sounds of Jazz music fill the air as speculators and tourists cheer louder. Then, you start to walk behind the marching bands and floats throughout New Orleans. All this while you have an alcoholic beverage in both your hands. It’s a lot of walking and bathroom breaks, that’s for sure.
The drive from Austin was a piece of cake. I drove into Beaumont, TX in three hours and slept in a hotel that Monday night. The drive into New Orleans is a total of eight hours but it flows on Interstate-10, driving 80 MPH. You’ll want to split the drive into two days to be fully rested. The car-drive views into Louisiana are swampy. You’ll see a lot of lush green grass and trees growing from the water. The interstate road driving in begins to adjust from Texas into Louisiana soon after. The road begins to elevate and rise over the water beneath it. Welcome to the swamps! That bridge you drive on stays above the water when you’re in Louisiana.
Welcome to Cafe Du Monde New Orleans
Normally you want to eat at Cafe Du Monde, late-night or early in the morning. The waiting lines to dine are always longer outside of those time frames. There’s a public parking lot past this cafe on the left hand-side for $50 a day. The benefits are that it’s located right at the French Quarter. I was able to walk back and forth from my car toward Bourbon St. for rest throughout Mardi Gras. That is a must from all the walking. The parking lot faces the Mississippi river so it’s peaceful. Police patrol the area so my car never got broken into.
I ordered 40 beignets to go because as they old saying goes, “When in…”. Each order comes with three pieces of pastries within a white bag. These little powered pastries are a must because they are so fluffy. I realized however, that some of my orders were missing one beignet in each of the white bags. Keep that in mind if you order several. I didn’t check the bag prior, sadly.
Bourbon Street New Orleans Streets to Visit
Bourbon St. is a mini 6th street out in Austin. Its jam packed with dozens of bars serving alcohol at cheap prices with a lot of foot traffic in the area. The awesome part is that drinking alcohol on the street is permitted just like in Vegas!
Bourbon St. is where the action’s at. People book expensive hotels here just to experience walking out of their balconies for throwing beads. It’s just like watching the crowds on 6th street from the second story. Check out a spot called Tropical Isle because they sell hand grenades, That is my go-to spot now!
Felix’s Restaurant & Oyster Bar
Felix’s is amazing. I asked a taxi driver while in New Orleans which restaurant he recommended and he told me about this spot. It’s not a far walk from Bourbon St. The oysters tasted fresh, they were large and enjoying. Between two people, we finished eating 36 oysters. I would have to say that the jambalaya tasted like butter and is my favorite dish. The Rockefeller-style oysters also tasted as if they were filled with a creamy artichoke. I never experienced eating oysters like that before, so that memory will sit in my mind for a while. Our bill was $82 and worth it! The staff had great etiquette calling me Sir throughout my dining experience that day.
Visit New Orleans
Mardi Gras is jam-packed with blaring music and people. I didn’t see any fights or people throwing up from being intoxicated. That’s always a plus. The streets were filled with joyous crowds who just wanted to enjoy themselves without any danger. I saw families walking their kids throughout the streets of New Orleans and that was awesome! I didn’t spend much money while in New Orleans because alcohol was already packed in my backpack.
The drive back into Austin is a breeze when you have help driving. The swamps look cool. However, before you enter Orange, TX and cross into the state you’ll see the “Welcome to Texas” sign. You can pull over and take pictures!
New Orleans has that mystic and special feeling about it. I’ll be back again for the food. That’s the best part, so don’t think the drinking is.
“Laissez les bons temps rouler.”
