New Orleans, Louisiana:
Kickin' It Mardi Gras Style
by Sean Fulton
Much like the city it made famous, Mardi Gras is part culture, part religion, and part excuse to venture out and have a blast.
 And if you’re looking to escape the cold winter weather of the northern United States, you’ll find no better excuse this February than heading to New Orleans for Mardi Gras.
The Mardi Gras celebration is based on a single day, the so called “Fat Tuesday,” when Christians indulge in one last fling at debauchery before a week of fasting and prayer that make up Lent. But over the years this single day has stretched to more than a week of festivities, with many New Orleans’ streets filled with a wall-to-wall carnival atmosphere in which almost anything goes.
New Orleans is an upbeat experience any time of year, but in January and February, the tempo rapidly builds. A mix of French and southern cultures, the city is at once elegant and casual, unhurried yet precise. It has a complex—almost schizophrenic—personality that is unlike any other in America. Certainly a place to visit at least once in a lifetime.
The Party Of The Year
The most popular destination in New Orleans is Bourbon Street, one of the oldest streets in the historic French Quarter. It is a place where four- and five-star hotels, trendy clubs and stuffy restaurants stand next to strip joints and peep shows.  It is a 24-hour-a-day lifestyle that can, at times, make Manhattan look like a sleepy burb.
The architecture of this city within a city is a mix of 18th and 19th century French and Spanish designs, with interior court-yards, cast iron-trimmed balconies with stone and tile details The Mardi Gras celebrations officially start in early January, when hundreds of King cake parties are held throughout the city. The centerpiece of each party is a cake covered with almond cream paste or icing and festooned in the traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple green and gold.
According to tradition, a ceramic figurine or bean is baked into each cake, and the person who finds the bean or figurine becomes the host of the next King cake party. Some organizations use the King cake to determine who will be the King and Queen of their annual ball, or who will preside over the organization’s float in the Mardi Gras parade.
By mid-February, the parades begin, with literally hundreds of ethnic, private and charitable organizations, known as Krewes, holding parades in the city to celebrate the coming of Mardi Gras.
There are many sources for the parades and the tradition of throwing beads or trinkets at the crowd. The most widely accepted story is that in 1871, to welcome the Grand Duke of Russia, one Krewe selected the  King of their annual ball with a King cake, and dressed him up in royal garb for a Mardi Gras parade in honor of the Duke.
Along the route, the Mardi Gras
King tossed coins and beads at revelers along the route, and so the tradition of “throws” and screaming, “Throw me somethin’, Mister” from the crowd began.
Where the tradition of dropping your top in response to a throw began is anyone’s guess.
Activities reach their zenith on Fat Tuesday, February 24, when each Krewe holds its annual party or ball, and fun-loving revelry spills out onto the street for a non-stop parade of excess.
A Multi-Cultural History
New Orleans’ nightlife, food, culture and personality reflect the very diverse European cultures that ruled it for much of its early life. The city was founded by the French in 1718 in a swamp along the banks of the Mississippi River. In 1762, France turned the city over to Spain, which operated it as a colony until 1800 when it was returned to France. France sold New Orleans, and the rest of the Louisiana Territory, to the United States in 1803.
The city’s original footprint was the French Quarter, laid out on a crescent of land along a bend in the Mississippi River. The famous Bourbon Street wasn’t named after the Kentucky beverage, but rather, after the Bourbon family in France. It was the last street to be built as part of a grid system of streets in the French Quarter.
For many years, French and Spanish settlers stayed exclusively in the French Quarter, and Canal Street was the dividing line between the European settlers and their American neighbors.  Many of the buildings in the French Quarter have accents of both French and Spanish architecture, with inner courtyards, metal gates and other charming, old-world details.
As a U.S. city, New Orleans grew as a major shipping port in the slave trade, with thousands of African and Haitian slaves passing through its docks each year. After the civil war, with the slave trade gone, New Orleans was left in bankruptcy. Many banks and business failed. The few businesses that succeeded were gambling and prostitution.
To help raise cash, the Louisiana founded the first state lottery, but instead of going toward reconstruction, much of the money raised through the lottery was taken by corrupt politicians. It is here that the city’s wink and nod philosophy toward law and politics was born.
Like Savannah, Georgia, New Orleans’ economy was built by shipping but salvaged by tourism. In the early part of the 20th century, the city prospered because of its location as an inland port for ships coming from the Gulf of Mexico up the Mississippi River.
Because of its proximity to the oil industry in Texas, New Orleans became a major oil shipping port. This also caused the city to fall onto economic hardships during the 1980s, when the oil crisis forced companies to cut redundant facilities in New Orleans and move operations back to Texas.
To help restore the downtown area, the city managed to host the 1984 World’s Fair, which resulted in a massive redevelopment along the city’s riverfront.. Marketing of Mardi Gras as national event has fueled economic recovery to the point where New Orleans thrives today as a popular tourist destination.
City Of Extremes
In addition to the French Quarter, New Orleans offers three different city segments, each with its own distinct personality, and each well worth exploring during your stay.
New Orleans’ downtown district is its second most popular tourist destination. The downtown area sits most adjacent to the French Quarter, on the opposite side of Canal Street which once served as the dividing line between the American residents and Europeans. The downtown district is home to the city’s convention center, the Aquarium of the Americas, a casino and the Riverwalk Marketplace, a half-mile stretch of riverfront that is home to more than 140 shops, boutiques and restaurants.
A third New Orleans district was formed in 1816, when a break in the levee holding back the Mississippi River flooded the uptown area of New Orleans with rich silt from the riverbed. The land was ideal for planting gardens popular with the aristocracy of the time.
Because prosperous Americans flocking to the city after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 were unwelcome in the French Quarter, they built their stately mansions and gardens between Magazine Street and St. Charles Avenue, creating what is today called the Garden District.
The fourth region of New Orleans, the area around City Park, which is one of the highest points of the city. This 1,500-acre park is the fifth largest municipal park in the United States, and boasts four, 18-hole golf courses. There are also miles of hiking and bicycling trails, open fields for sports, tennis courts, and even a lake for fishing.
Cajun, Creole, And Fine New Orleans Dining
New Orleans dining is famous for its cajun and creole cuisine. And while those terms today describe food, they were originally coined to define groups of people who lived in the region.
A creole was originally any person of the old world (France or Spain) who was born in the new world (New Orleans). A Cajun was a member of a small group of French colonists from the Arcadian region of France who migrated to Nova Scotia and then to southern Louisiana. The term “cajun” has been alternately defined as a permutation of  Arcadian or Canadian, depending on who you ask.
When it comes to food, the terms cajun and creole reflect these different ethnic cultures.
Cajun cooking is defined less by the French and more by the ingredients of the new world. It is simpler fair, traditionally made in cast iron pots, with regional ingredients like rice, seafood, peppers onions and celery. Cajun cooking is typified by “gumbos,” which are rich, spicy soups with seafood and okra, and “jambalaya,” which is a stew based on shellfish, meats and rice cooked in broth. Jambalaya reflects the regions Spanish influence with foods like paella.
Creole cooking is defined more by traditional French recipes made with American ingredients. Typical creole dishes include the simple okra beignets, or fritters, and the complex Chicken Rochambeau, which is a sauteed chicken breast covered with tarragon hollandaise sauce served on a toast that has been layered with ham and smothered with a rich mushroom sauce.
For the best places to stay, avoid the larger chain hotels and visit the ecclectic, architecturally exciting local hotels that dot the city. Many of the best places are located in historically-significant buildings, with New Orlean’s trademark balconies and wrought-iron railwork that is ideal for parade-watching and bead catching.
Do That VooDoo That You Do
In stark contrast to Mardi Gras’ connection with Christianity is New Orleans’ active VooDoo community. VooDoo is a religious practice that was brought to New Orleans by African and Haitian slaves. The term VooDoo means great spirit, and in true VooDoo, there is nothing in the true practice of VooDoo about blood sacrifices, vampires or devil worship.
Because the slaves were unable to practice their religion in the New World, many adopted Christian names and parallels for their
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VooDoo beliefs, keeping the spirit alive as a parallel, underground religion. Yet another group of practitioners, called HooDoos, has adopted elements of European witchcraft and the occult as part of their religion. Today, an estimated 15 percent of New Orleans’ population believes in VooDoo.
The Big Easy
Although Mardi Gras is the busiest time of year for the city, you’ll find its citizens relaxed and unhurried by the frenzy going on around them. The people of New Orleans has developed an easy-going, permissive attitude toward the organized mahem in which almost anything goes.
Perhaps it is because of the city’s multi-cultural history. Or perhaps it is because its growth was fueled by political corruption. Or perhaps it is because it has become accustomed to playing host for one of the biggest parties in the world. Whatever the reason, you’ll find New Orleans to be a warm, welcoming city which has worked hard over the years to earn the name, “The Big Easy.” 
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The Best of
New Orleans
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Best Season: Party animals will find no better place to play than New Orleans during January and February. Those with less outward tendencies should steer clear during that period, opting instead for the months immediately before or after Mardi Gras season. In terms of weather, late Autumn and early Spring have mild temperatures, while summer tends to be hot and humid.
Best Landing: GA pilots will prefer the smaller, GA-friendly Lakefront Airport (NEW) with its over-water approaches to the much larger Louis Armstrong New Orleans International (MSY). Don’t let its size fool you, though. Lakefront is the busiest airport in Louisiana, handling as many as 210,000 operations per year.
Best Places to Stay: New Orleans boasts more than 30,000 hotel rooms, so you should be able to find a place to stay even during Mardi Gras. For the most exquisite experience in the French Quarter, check into the seductively elegant Melrose Mansion (937 Esplanade Ave., 800.650.3323), which features elegantly appointed rooms and suites with marble bathrooms, antique furnishings and chandeliers. In the Garden District, stay at the wonderful Pontchartrain Hotel (2031 St. Charles Avenue, 800.777.6193), which has a cherished history as one of the city’s premier residences.
Best Dining: Dining in New Orleans is a sensory experience unlike any other. The tastes, smells and spices produce a veritable Mardi Gras for the palate, with plenty of excellent restaurants in which to sample local specialties. For authentic cajun cooking in New Orleans, visit Tony Moran’s restaurant on Bourbon Street, or Michaul‘s on St. Charles Avenue, which combines good food with authentic cajun music and even free cajun dance lessons. To sample creole cooking at its best, visit Antoine‘s Rue Saint Louis, which was established in 1840 and features 15 elegant dining rooms, or Broussard‘s on Bourbon Street, with its French-inspired, hand-painted ceramic tiles and cobblestone courtyard dining.
Best Way to Get Around: Although streetcars may make you think of San Francisco, the oldest continually operating street railway is the St. Charles Streetcar line in New Orleans. The streetcar runs the entire length of St. Charles Avenue traversing most of the local points of interest, and one passes every 15 minutes during the day, hourly at night. Taxi service is fairly reliable in New Orleans, and if you decide to rent a car, you should expect typical urban traffic (complete with pot-holes and psychotic drivers).
Best Planning Resources: neworleans.com web site; the New Orleans Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, www.neworleanscvb.com, 800.672.6124; New OrleansNET, www.nola.com.
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