-
Book
your hotel in advance! This means you'll be able to have a choice
between a few hotels that are close to the action. If you wait
until last minute, your options are limited and you might have a
longggggg walk from Bourbon St. back to your hotel. And we all
know that crawling on your knees for a block or more is NOT fun.
-
Same
thing with flights - book them soon or at the very least keep checking
prices throughout the year. We book our flights anywhere between
March and May for the following year. This usually means we get
our choice of flight times as well as a great rate.
-
If
budget permits get a hotel in the French Quarter. Most hotels jack
up their prices during Carnival season but if you can get a few people
to go with you and split the cost, it can be affordable. Or just
get a 2nd job like I did.
-
Most
hotels hand out wristbands which you must wear in order to get back into
your hotel. This means you might have to buy a wristband
(sometimes about $25) to get a certain someone (cough cough) back up to
your room for some cookies and milk. Don't try to sneak someone up
or be an ass to the security guard. Usually this doesn't work.
-
Try
to get a hotel that is very close to the action - the reason for this is
if you have to pee, most bars will charge you to use the bathroom or you
will have to buy a drink. And the Port-O-Lets STINKKKKKK so if you
have a hotel close you can always run to the bathroom and come back to
the bar.
-
Bring
toilet paper with you if you must use the bar bathrooms or the
Port-O-Lets...usually the toilet paper that is in there is soggy!
If you go to Target or Walmart or even your grocery store, the travel
section that has the mini bars of soap, deodorant, toothpaste, etc
should sell a mini roll of Charmin toilet paper. I bought this the
2nd time I went to Mardi Gras and just kept it in my bag in case.
-
Clothing
- For the women, leave the skirts at home. Bourbon St. during
Mardi Gras and skirts just don't go together - unless of course, you
LIKE being groped...And of course, the shoes have got to be comfortable
-leave the heels at home too. As for me, I almost always take a
hooded, waterproof, lightweight jacket -one that I can tie around my
waist. Won't win any fashion awards, but I'm always comfortable.
-
Behavior
- It's pretty hard to get arrested at MG, but if you do, it ain't fun.
NEVER flash below the waist (men and women), NEVER pee if you're not
looking at a toilet, and NEVER give the cops any lip, even if you are
innocent - do as you are told or they will take you down hard. It
will seem hard to believe at times, but there are in fact laws in effect
during MG, and they are enforced. I'll (Jennifer) add to this - my
first MG my friend got arrested for whippin out the weenie - he had to
stay in jail overnight AND pay $500 bail (which I had to call his mom
for) and then we had to go to court on Monday where they kept that $500
to pay for his public indecency fine. We were told that usually if
you are arrested during Mardi Gras that you are not let out until after
Fat Tuesday but they had so many people arrested that they had to let
the first group go - he was arrested on Friday. The best part was
when they actually made all the guys strip down to their underwear and
wear those ugly jump suits - too bad Shane wasn't wearing underwear :)
So DON'T WHIP OUR YOUR WEENIE OR YOUR HOO HOO and get caught. If
you see the Penis Police we only let you whip it out where it's dark or
where there are no real cops :)
-
Sunscreen
- you may not need it, but I've gotten sunburned at the parades in the
past.
-
Costume
- anything at all will do for MG day. You'll be glad you brought
it.
-
Pace
yourself - I have made the mistake of thinking hand grenades were no big
deal. The party lasts for days, people. Sip your drink.
Since you're drinking
starting in the morning or early afternoon most days, it's pretty easy
to get out of control.
-
Luggage
- leave lots of extra room in your bag on the way down (or bring an
extra bag). You'll have so much crap you want to bring home, it'll
blow you away.
-
Cell
phone - a now indispensable part of MG. Make sure you have your
whole krewes' numbers programmed in and everybody take a phone. Too
easy to get
lost/split up in all that mayhem.
-
Attitude.
Go with the flow, relax, laugh, drink and be merry. If you
let it, Mardi Gras will embrace you and you'll be back every year.
-
I
think one thing that MG newbies don't realize how the parades shut down
much of the city. Some tips would be...if you are staying in the CBD
don't expect to have an easy time getting to the Quarter during a
parade, and Don't cross a NOPD line. Also...how tough it is to get a cab
in the evenings.
-
Go
see the parades! They are a blast and usually you come back LOADED
down with beads!
-
If
budget permits go to a Ball - there are several Krewes out there that
allow the public to buy tickets.
-
Bring
your ratty comfy sneakers - don't buy new ones because they will only
get ruined. When I get home from New Orleans I buy a pair of cheap
sneakers and wear them throughout the year and bring them to the next
Mardi Gras. I wear them and leave them in the trash can before I leave
the hotel. Just make sure you have another pair of shoes to get
you home! Bourbon St gets GROSS especially once Fat Tuesday
approaches. There is what some of us call BUB in the
streets...that is Beer, Urine and Barf. And lots of times the BUB
is red which is most likely from Pat O'Brien's Hurricanes.
-
Speaking
of Pat O's - make sure you GO THERE! Have a Hurricane there at
least once and be careful - they are potent! The Hurricanes you
will drink at other bars/clubs don't taste anything like the Pat O's
Hurricane.
-
If
you like Karaoke or just like to watch and dance - go to Cat's Meow!
Get up there and sing and have your friends and family at home watch you
on their WebCam!
-
Get
up on a balcony at least once during your trip. Some of the
bars/clubs will let you up during the day for free or for a small
charge. Or you can buy tickets to a balcony party which allow
access to their balcony for a certain time period and usually comes
along with free food and drinks.
-
Go
to the French Market to get good deals on beads. The stores on
Bourbon St jack up the prices so usually you can get them cheaper at the
French Market. There are tons of different beads out there - bring
some home for your friends and family as souvenirs.
-
Make
sure you go see RockBox at least once - they are a great fun band that
we love to go see. You can check out their website at www.youcanfeelthis.com.
-
Bring
lots of film, disposable camera, digital camera, camcorder - whatever it
is bring it! There is TONS to see and remember at Mardi Gras and
once you show all your friends who bailed out on you at the last minute
back at home, they will wish they went with you.
-
Be
careful with your wallet, purse, camera, etc. There ARE
pickpockets on Bourbon St. I usually use the hotel safe to lock up
my stuff and bring only the cash I will need until I make the next trip
back to my room. I have a very small wallet that I safety pin to
my jeans that way if someone does try to take it I'm going with them.
I try to fit whatever I need in my pockets, such as my wallet, camera
and room key. Ladies - don't worry about makeup - it's Mardi Gras,
everyone is drunk and doesn't care if you have eye liner on or not.
And if you are drunk it's probably running down your face anyway.
It's not worth the hassle of carrying a purse or taking the risk that
someone might steal it.
-
Bring
an umbrella - it rains in New Orleans....probably at LEAST once while
you are there.
-
Go
shopping at the A&P on Royal St. to stock up on bottled water,
snacks and Tylenol for your hotel room. This means when you wake
up from a bad hangover you can eat a little something without leaving
the room and chug down some Poland Spring with your Tylenol before you
head out to start boozing again. There's nothing worse then
needing one of those 3 things and have to crawl out of your building and
walk down the street to get them when you're about to hurl.
-
Make
sure you EAT! New Orleans is covered with restaurants that you
should definitely try but if you're drinking potent drinks like
Hurricanes and Hand Grenades all day, you need something to soak up the
alcohol. Even if you grab a bowl of jambalaya from a street vendor
it will help!
-
Speaking
of food.....make sure you get a LUCKY DOG! They are a great 5am
I'm drunk as a drunk snack!
-
If
ya take the kids, keep 'em off of Bourbon Street. (There are
plenty of
things to do with them to keep them occupied, and they generally don't
appreciate drunken, nakedness the way adults do.)
-
It's
hard to get food on Fat Tuesday. If you are picky about what you
eat,
take sandwich stuff. It 's good to have it on other days too.
-
The
party in New Orleans is great, but there is so much more to it. Take
some
time to look at the buildings. If you won't be going back until another
Mardi
Gras, see some history. It's awesome!
-
If
you say "I'm local" street vendors won't try as hard to sell
their useless
wares.
-
I
like the idea of the disposable sneakers, but what I did was to take my
steel toed working books, spray them down with a silicone spray until
they are soaking wet and let them dry. The steal toes are protection and
the silicone keeps most everything off and makes the outsides easily
washable with a damp cloth.
-
Guys:
A dollar dropped on the ground should be left there, especially outside
of the Clover Grill.
-
Don't
ask what's in a Lucky Dog...you don't need OR want to know!
-
When
Bourbon Street is crowded have the people you're with pick a side
of the street or landmark to meet at WHEN you get separated. For
instance "If I lose you stay on the right hand side of the street
& I'll meet you under the swinging legs at Big Daddy's".
Holding hands is never option on Bourbon Street, doing so is the mark of
true amateurs.
-
Know
where to pee before you need to pee & never pass up a chance to pee.
