Which Mardi Gras is Right for You: Part 1

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Mambo on St. Charles Avenue

The parade atmosphere on St. Charles is a little different than it is on Canal or in The Quarter. A parade down Bourbon Street is the crushing mass of drunken fools you’ve heard about and expect. On Canal, it’s an organized riot with barricades and crowd control ready to pounce on anybody that crosses the line. On St. Charles, uptown of Lee Circle, it’s a giant tailgate four miles long. If you’re going to bring kids to Mardi Gras or are looking for a more relaxed and sociable experience, find a spot on St. Charles somewhere between Napoleon and MLK. Whole extended families camp out on the median and lecture each other on the proper preparation and cooking of ribs while the children play street ball and listen for the approach of the first marching band.

“Extended families” in Louisiana can extend remarkably far, by the way. One Miss Emily, a serene old matriarch, surrounded by some thirty children, nieces, nephews, and grandbabies invited me to sample her own brand of bloody marry while her numerous progeny fanned out to form a phalanx along the street. “I got grandbabies older than they own uncles, honey, no don’t stir it up, honey, let it settle, save the good part for the end…” The vodka bottle had a mixture of sliced peppers soaking inside. I got the impression that this was the secret to her serenity.

Did I mention ribs? The preparation of ribs, or most anything around here for that matter, requires precise application of Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning. Look up and down the block and, where there’s a grill there’s a big green can of Tony’s next to it. They’ll sprinkle it on anything that will stand still long enough. It’s often on tables where the salt and pepper would normally be. I saw Miss Emily shake a little in her bloody marry. I’ve debated trying it on ice cream. I’ve ransacked the laughable spice isle of a tiny grocery store in Ketchikan, Alaska looking for it...and found it! I now travel with a small can of it, just in case. It can be a lifeline if you happen to be in London looking down the barrel of an English breakfast.

…but I digress…The giant open air buffet is just one part of the charm of the St. Charles parade route. Here you can walk right up to the floats and chat with the guys throwing the beads. You can even negotiate a little with them, especially if they are out of beer. In fact, the crowd meandering into the street during a parade is so normal, the marching bands employ people to act as “fenders” to clear the way for them.

The uptown parades have a lot to be said for them. You can find a spot where you can shrug your shoulders with hitting someone in the eye, you can get around the crowd just by crossing the street, and you can shake hands with the people on the lower tiers of the floats. You can also chat with the various people marching on foot including the band members, the torch guys, the fenders, and the people who just decided to be part of the parade for a block or two. You can sit down and watch the parade for a while. You can bring your own food and beverage, not to mention your own ladders, tables, chairs, and tents. What you will not find is a port-a-john charging less than two dollars a turn. Lots of groups pitch in to rent their own and bring it along in the bed of a pickup. There are a few key places (like the Daiquiri shop near MLK) that put out a row of them and don’t bother monitoring the “customers only” situation.

In between the big parades, there are these strange, add-hoc affairs made up of the kind of dedicated weirdoes for which New Orleans is justly famous. They have no idea why they’re doing this, it just sounded like fun. These are the independent krewes, and they will be the subject of my next entry.

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Photos

One big tailgate
This is a pretty good example of the atmosphere of the uptown parades.

Where's Tony?
There are 3 cans of Tony's in this picture. One: foreground left on the grill next to the BBQ sauce. Two: center on the buffet line on top of the foil. Three: well...it's not really in the picture it's hidden behind a bottle of crown.

Different grill same approach
Tony is everywhere.

Parade Rest
The floats got a little backed up, so this marching band took advantage. They have two more miles to go.

Boxed Out
Kids working for a spot under the low post for the next float.

The fenders at work
Politely reminding people to make room for the next marching band.

Yo Mistah! 2
Hold up a cold one and tell 'em what you want.