Lundi Gras in New Orleans

Lundis Gras is still a big day for Carnival. My hotel is a little outside of where I want to be (a good 12 blocks away from Canal St).  If it wasn’t festival season then it would be a dangerous area to walk through to get to the French Quarter. Buuuut the streets are lined with tourists and locals alike and there are cops on every corner. So away we go!

Oh Lundi Gras

I had a million and one warnings prior to coming. New Orleans is known to be a rough town, with its shaddy areas mixed in with its safe areas…it’s easy to walk one block over and be somewhere you’re not welcome.

Isn’t that every city though?!

Well today, today the masses are out with good cheer and everything is a party!!!

I made my way towards the infamous Bourbon St and the French Quarter. There are so many sights, sounds and people…it’s almost a sensory overload! Drunk tourists, dancing in the streets, impromptu bands outside, and elaborate costumes.

Walking down Bourbon Street you can quickly understand why some would consider this a ‘sinful’ place, where the alcohol is in abundance and there’s an overt sexual presence. This kind of thinking kinda makes me roll my eyes.

There is something wonderful about Lundi Gras – families walk through here with their children, grandparents dress up in ridiculous costumes and throw beads to tourists, and there’s more laughter and gaiety than you can imagine.

There’s also an unbelievable sense of camaraderie on the streets. We’re all here for the same purpose, to celebrate in indulgence (food, drink and dance) prior to the beginning of lent.

Stories I’ll never tell

After spending the afternoon walking around and taking everything in, I ended up giving directions to some guys from Texas. They adopted this lone Canadian tourist, becoming my ‘bodyguards’ for the evening. The next 12 hrs was like something out of the movie “Hangover” minus the tiger in the bathroom (although it wouldn’t of surprised me).

Danced on top of the bar at Coyote Ugly, eat at Bubba Gumps, drank hurricanes and out of fish bowls, threw beads from the balconies on Bourbon St…just to name what I can remember.

I came back to my hotel in the wee hours thankfully with all my cards and morals intact, but holy Hannah it was some night to remember!

I have a funny feeling that this won’t be my last time flying out to New Orleans for Lundi Gras and Mardi Gras!