Anyone going to Mardi Gras?

[DarkSign]

The wife and I are thinking of going because we're missing The Big Easy. Anyone else thinkin 'bout it?

[SnakeCharmer]

Do NOT go to New Orleans during Mardi Gras unless you have the intense urge to know what a sardine feels like.

It's awful.  Horrible.  You don't go where you want to.  You go where the crowd takes you. 

You'll step in shit, piss, vomit, blood, beer, rotted food, and bile, and have it splashed up on you.  You won't be able to get the smell of Mardi Gras out of your clothes or your nose for weeks.  NOLA smells like ass on a good day, it's magnified a 1000 times worse during Mardi Gras. 

I've done New Orleans Mardi Gras 3 times.  Will never ever ever ever go back for it.

Besides, you probably won't be able to get a room within 100 miles of New Orleans now.  Your best bet would be to come to Mobile, Alabama for Mardi Gras (where it originated, btw) and have a much, much better time.  I recommend the Riverview or the Battle House Hotel.  Both very nice, and somewhat pricey during Mardi Gras.  The Battle House is on the parade route, and right in the middle of downtown where the furthest bar is a 5 minute walk drunken stumble away on Dauphin Street (LoDa - Lower Dauphin).  The Riverview is just off the parade route, and still very close to Dauphin Street (where there about 15-20 bars/clubs and restaurants in a 1/2 mile stretch on a one way street).  Mobile is safer, friendlier, and I guarantee you a better time.  As long as you aren't acting like a complete idiot around the cops, you would have a hard time going to jail.  You're looking at a minimum of 250 bucks a night at a hotel downtown, even at one of the cheapies on Government Street.

[DarkSign]

While I agree with your history and assessment of the Mobile Mardi Gras (my grandfather was one of the founders of the Mystic Cowboys Krewe) New Orleans Mardi Gras will always have a special distinction.
The Battle House Hotel in Mobile was just rebuilt better than ever and has a great restaurant. It's a choice between family fun and a bit of crazy (Mobile) and pure chaos and frenzy (New Orleans).

Just depends.

[HaemishM]

I've been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans once in my life. It's something that really should be experienced once. Just once, mind you, because it's not any kind of experience I want to repeat. Talk about almost getting killed just by being crushed in the crowd. "Show your tits" indeed. How about move your asses and stop watching the drunk bitches on the balcony, because your mantits are giving me a fucking bruise being pushed in through my sternum. Is that your hand on my ass or your knee? The only sane way to do Mardi Gras is to rent one of those rooms above Bourbon Street and fucking stay there. Fuck this walking down Bourbon Street shit.

[WayAbvPar]

I would go, but I haven't finished my SCUBA certification yet.

[SnakeCharmer]

It's not the locals you have to worry about at Mardi Gras New Orleans (or Mobile, for that matter).

It's the damn tourists that arrive and lose all resemblance of common sense, courtesy, and maturity. 

[Evildrider]

It's not the locals you have to worry about at Mardi Gras New Orleans (or Mobile, for that matter).

It's the damn tourists that arrive and lose all resemblance of common sense, courtesy, and maturity. 

Isn't that the point of Mardi Gras?

And yes, been there, done that.. sucked big time.

[SnakeCharmer]

To a certain degree, yeah.  I suppose that it's mostly due to the fact that I rarely drink anymore, and have really gotten to hate crowds.  Yeah, it's cool to get a little rowdy and have a good time, but most (during Mardi Gras) take it a little bit too far.

But admittedly, that's just be turning into a curmudgeon.

[Evildrider]

To a certain degree, yeah.  I suppose that it's mostly due to the fact that I rarely drink anymore, and have really gotten to hate crowds.  Yeah, it's cool to get a little rowdy and have a good time, but most (during Mardi Gras) take it a little bit too far.

But admittedly, that's just be turning into a curmudgeon.

I can't stand drunk people.. and I used to be one of them. 

[Grand Design]

It's not the locals you have to worry about at Mardi Gras New Orleans (or Mobile, for that matter).

What you said about Mardi Gras in your first post is mostly correct.  Growing up, I went every year for fifteen years and haven't been back since.  It is not for anyone who can't put up with plenty of beer and what comes with mass consumption.  But the one thing that you almost never see at Mardi Gras, or any New Orleans event, is violence.  So, there's that.

I probably shouldn't point this out, but this year I may actually go to Mardi Gras because very few tourists will bother to come - lent starts on February 6 this year, which makes this the earliest Mardi Gras in a long time.  So, if you do have an urge to go, this is the year to do so.  The crowds will be smaller and this is the first year since Katrina that all of the parades are on their correct routes.

Stay away from Bourbon Street.

[DarkSign]

We used to have this great condo on Julia Street where one of the parades (Rex, perhaps?) went by. We were on the front of the building and had huge floor to ceiling windows that you could open really wide. Needless to say throwing your own parade has it's up sides ;)

[sigil]

New Orleans Mardi Gras Sucks.

Mobile's is not bad. but is lower key.

I think having it around every year can make you desensitized, to be honest. I could not go and not feel like I've missed anything.

[Jimbo]

Ya all need to do a little traveling :D

1st year in Panama, went down to Panama City and swam in the sea of humanity and ended up on CNN.
2nd year, went to Las Tablas and never looked back!  Agua! Agua! Agua!  Whoohoo!
3rd year, back with even more drunkend gringo's and locals.  Las Tablas is supposedly the second biggest outside of Rio, or so the locals would tell us, but it did seem bigger than the one in the capital.  http://www.panama1.com/carnaval_de_panama.php

1st year in Germany, went to a carnival party on base...kinda lame but still got to sample beers from all the NATO members.
2nd year went to Köln and omg that was a fun time!
3rd year went to Maastricht, Netherlands! Whooot!  I think I remember something from that weekend...but it was awesome!

Wish I wasn't working, would be fun to hit one of the two in the states, just to say I've done it.

[Mrbloodworth]

I would go, but I haven't finished my SCUBA certification yet.

Eh, -2 points for corniness.