Mardi Gras

A Mardi Gras parade works a spell on people. There's no other way to explain why thousands of otherwise rational men and women scream, plead, and sometimes expose themselves for no more reward than a plastic bead necklace, a plastic cup, or a little aluminum medallion. Today's parades have become bloated affairs: Natives seem to be unimpressed with a parade of fewer than 20 major floats -- and if your parade has 20 floats, it'll need many high school marching bands, the Shriners and their ilk, and a few thousand other participants just to balance it out. Krewe members and guests drop tons of trinkets off their floats in the course of a parade, leaving a trail of trash that is truly astounding. Trees on parade routes have beads hanging in their branches all year long.

Tip: Catch Them If You Can: Tips on Getting the Best Throws

So float riders throw beads. "So what?" you think. That's because you've never been in the middle of a Mardi Gras mob before. Trust us, you're going to go crazy for beads, plastic cups, aluminum coins, and other "throws."

First, you stand there passively. All around you, the strands fly thick and fast. You catch a few. "Hmm," you think, "they look kind of good around my neck." Timidly you hold up one hand. You catch a few more. Then you notice the guy next to you/cute college girl in front of you/kid on ladder behind you is getting a lot of beads. A lot more than you. You reach more aggressively for the strands as they fly overhead. "Wait, that guy/cute girl/kid got a really good strand! And another! I want one like that! How come I'm not getting any like that!"

Now you find yourself shrieking, "Throw me something, Mister!" with everyone else. You jump. You wail. You plead. You knock over a kid. You are completely consumed by bead lust. You think, "This is stupid. It's a 5¢ piece of plastic -- oh, look, a really glittery strand! I want it I want it I want it! Please, mistah!!!"

And that's not even discussing Zulu coconuts.

Now, if there's a trick to bead catching, we're darned if we know it. One surefire way is to be a small child or a cute college girl (or even better, a cute college girl sitting on a tall person's shoulders). If you are none of these, you must plead and beg and whine like everybody else. Local pros stand on ladders, which puts them almost at eye level with float riders. Others bring umbrellas or nets, challenging float riders to hone their aim. Direct eye contact with a float rider also works. Sob stories invoking real and fictional ailments and family members can't hurt -- if you can make yourself heard above the din of everyone else's tales of woe.

Personally, we find the popular pastime of flashing body parts in exchange for beads tacky. So does the city of New Orleans, which, in an effort to reclaim Mardi Gras from the party-hearty types, has sternly asked float riders not to throw to exhibitionists. This tactic hasn't entirely worked, but hopes are that this will largely be confined to Bourbon Street.

But if you really want to score, try positioning yourself at the end of a parade route, particularly for one of the generous superkrewes like Orpheus. Throws are of no use to float riders once the parade is over, and toward the end of the ride, they often shovel out their excess inventory in great amounts (even heaving whole packages of beads overboard). By accidentally ending up at the very last block of Zulu, we scored no less than two of the highly prized Zulu coconuts, and a man near us got three.

Note: When beads land on the ground, put your foot over them to claim them; if you reach for them with your hands, you might well get your fingers broken by someone else stepping on them. If you get lucky and are tossed a whole package of beads, don't be greedy -- share with your neighbors, who might well trade you a nifty strand in exchange.

In your zeal to catch beads, don't forget to actually look at the parades, where considerable effort goes into the floats. Unfortunately, it's getting more and more common for bead-lust-blinded parade-goers to pay little attention to what is actually passing before their eyes (besides the beads), which is really too bad as they are missing some amazing creations. (When the nighttime floats are lit by flambeaux, it is easy for revelers to be suddenly flung back to a time when Mardi Gras meant mystery and magic.) Floats aren't drawn by mules anymore (tractors instead), but the Rex floats come on the same antique wagons the krewe has been using since the 19th century.

There are two environments for viewing each parade. You can choose to stay downtown in the thick of the action, or you can walk out into the neighborhood the parade will traverse. There are still crowds uptown and in Mid-City (though the parades there moved to Uptown for Mardi Gras 2006 and 2007), but they're not as large or as rowdy as those farther downtown -- and they're much more family oriented. In fact, a good portion of the crowd lined up for a parade on St. Charles Avenue and Canal Street will be local children and families.

Generally, the best place to watch parades on St. Charles Avenue is between Napoleon and Jackson avenues, where the crowds are somewhat smaller and consist mostly of local families and college students. Frankly, we wouldn't attend a Mardi Gras parade (if we can help it) without children -- their delight increases your enjoyment considerably. Don't forget to bring a bag to hold any throws you catch and consider bringing moist towelettes (your hands get dirty), drinks, a blanket or chair to sit on, and a picnic.

These are just a few of the major parades of the last days of Carnival (times and dates are subject to change; parade routes were altered for Mardi Gras 2006 and 2007 and may be again for 2008):

Rex (founded 1872): Rex, the original Mardi Gras parade, follows Zulu down St. Charles. It features the King of Carnival and some of the classic floats of Carnival. Various independent walking clubs often precede the parade along its route.

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				Frommer's New Orleans 2009 Author: Mary Herczog Pub Date: December 22, 2008 Price: $17.99				Related Titles: Frommer's Atlanta, 10th Edition Frommer's Maryland & Delaware, 8th Edition Frommer's Nashville & Memphis, 8th Edition