One of the many balcony parties going on - some are at the Hotels along the strip - others can be rented by private groups.
The buildings are getting decorated for the real start of the parades next Friday.

Another decorative and colorful facade.

No comment needed - the picture tells the story.

The street is buzzing with people - most of the street is closed to traffic which makes it easier to navigate. It is also legal to drink on the streets in the French Quarter as long as you are 21 and as long as you don't have a glass bottle - see below for more on that subject. Many of the bars had no cover charges however you are expected to purchase at least one drink if you are planning on staying or even if you want to use the washroom.

More street action - remember I have not had the time to edit these images so anything goes.


These revelers will throw down beads to those on the street - don't know where that tradition started but it is eagerly awaited.

A Jazz group performs at one of the many open air cafes.

With 2 very large Universities in NOLA - Louisiana State and Tulane and not to forget Loyala there were lots of college aged people in the crowd - there were also a handful of younger kids tagging along with their parents.

These are unedited images from my afternoon and night time in the French Quarter and along Bourbon Street.

I also have video of the action and of the parade - will attempt to get it up on this site after I get back to Vancouver.

The answer to the question posed in my last post is none other than Louis Armstrong.

The following are some of my thoughts of this evening events that I shared with some of my cruising buddies.

Well finished up a very hectic day here in the Big Easy by taking in one of the pre-Mardi Gras parades - one gent told me that this one is usually the most raunchy of the bunch because the others have become too main stream with families etc so morality issues are starting to arise. Hugh crowds lining the street and just about everyone including me had a beer or drink in there hand - I now have quite a collection of decorative beads that rained down on the parade route from the balconies. The Pride parade in Vancouver is a lot more sinful than this one was.

Another gent passing on the street ask me if I liked Coors Light and handed me a bottle of it - had to keep it a little out of sight as glass bottles are illegal on the streets. The price for a large 20 oz glass of suds was $3.00 - if I wasn't so tired after walking all around town I would be tempted to head back out for a night cap - One thing I didn't realize is that St Charles St becomes Bourbon Street when it reaches Canal Street so it was fairly seamless for me to get there.

Tomorrow its time to board the ship - we only have about 30 people on the roll call and only half of those are active so there is no formal meet and greet but an informal one on our first full day at sea.

On a completely different matter it looks like the Canucks are on a roll tonight - last time I checked they were up 6 - 1 and with Calgary winless in February the race could be tightening up in the Northwest Division - most of the scorers for the Canucks tonight are in my fantasy pool so I should pick up a few points.

Cheers

D