Ron arrived from St. Louis on the Saturday afternoon before Mardi Gras...Endymion for sure!
We headed over to Stew and Eric's, and then Eric dropped us all off at a friend's house close to the route. He then went home and returned on his bike. (There is a method to the madness at Mardi Gras, especially where parade going is concerned.) Ron and I took off on our own. I dragged him all the way up Marconi searching for the Clydesdales, who turned out to be at the front of the parade and were leaving just as we got there. We watched some of the parade from inside a coffee shop, crossed the route, and were lucky to find Eric and Stew right where they said they would be. (Actually, Eric found us.) It was a great way to kick-off a virgin Mardi Gras visit.
We'd planned for Sunday to be a Quarter Day...lunch at the Napoleon House, a jam session with some friends at 3pm in the Marigny, and then who knew? We had time till we had to get the Jackson-Esplanade downtown, so:
Morning Called; we wandered through the Sculpture Garden; and even oggled some vintage cars parked nearby.
Our Napoleon House lunch was not to be: Closed on Sundays, but it was just as well because seafood was calling and Ralph and Cacoo's was a great next choice just around the corner on Toulouse. I hadn't been there in ages, so I was excited to discover that they still had their amazing corn bread deep fried hush-puppies. We shared a seafood platter, 2 sides of hush-puppies, a couple of Corona's, and headed out to wander our way through the Quarter to get to the Marigny Jam session in time.
Seeing the Quarter through someone else's eyes is always fun. Even if they've been here before, like Ron...it's a whole different energy during Mardi Gras. We went over to the river and walked down the Moon Walk, still trying to figure out where he and Jeff docked their John Boat back in the 70's when they came down the Mississippi from St. Louis to New Orleans together. We enjoyed the shops, the French Market, the color, and the characters along the way. (Dancing children always make my day!) And, we still made it to the jam session on time.
What a day after Endymion!
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