Mardi Gras Has Many Faces -  L  Pearl

I Personally I have no problem with bare breasts.  After all, it's an activity that takes place in a small part of the French Quarter,

(which lets face it is an adult playground).  I'M tired of seeing this portrayed as Mardi Gras' only attraction.  I have seen the many faces of Mardi Gras,

having used total strangers bathrooms. I have witnessed many people sharing throws, food and drink with total strangers.

I've seen children holding hands and dancing on St. Charles

My boyfriend  David and I, who fight like cats and dogs all year, have magically fallen in Love during the entire Mardi Gras season for He becomes Prince charming during carnival chasing floats for blocks to beg for a favored Mardi Gras throw  to present to his Mardi Gras Queen .David never fails to get a coco nut from Zulu. He lost a tooth in the chase one year and did not hesitate to invoke sympathy from Zulu, His favorite crew. We often spend the night on St Charles to be the first to see King Zulu.

We are after loyal subjects. The Muses are My favorite My daughter and I Collect everything Muses we can get. Muses definitely has the best throws.  Let's face it despite all the ugly stories for the amount of people attending Mardi Gras, we are a pretty well behaved group of people.

I once attended classes at a local school regarding New Orleans. A young man attending the same class described Mardi Gras as "A bunch of drunken frat boys", if you attended Mardi Gras only at Canal St. you might believe that. I was annoyed at the young man, but a fellow older and wiser student brought him pictures of her in a fairy costume blessing people along a street in her area, all kinds of people came forward to hug her. Others came with pictures of children in their costumes, and photos of everything from The Little Rascals to Barkus, the canine parade. Many visitors to New Orleans believe Mardi Gras is solely a French Quarter experience. Large parades such as Bacchus and Endymion are a must to see but downriver definitely has Mardi Gras attractions.

Bywater and Marigny have their parades as well. Three walking parades "roll" through the streets of the Vieux Carre, and neighboring  Faubourg Marigny and the Bywater. The Krewe de Vieux who often depict political satire and usually are a little risqué.

The Krewe of St. Ann appears in lavishly decorated costumes Mardi Gras morning at a secret location. then walk down Royal to Canal St.  The Krewe of Barkus is for all the dogs of the city (the four legged variety) and parades exclusively in the French Quarter. Bring your camera when you visit Marigny and Bywater, unlike Canal St. you can get close.