OT: weather in New Orleans this weekend

Hey Judy

I wouldn't suggest to dress in layers, I'd recommend cold weather gear. The weather locally, and I live not far from Slidell, is calling for 2 to 4 inches of snow. Starting with sleet then snow Thursday and Friday. Most people around here don't know how to drive in snow let alone over icy bridges. Most schools in this area are already announcing closures. The temps have hovered around 40 degrees with the wind blowing we had wind chill of 24 degrees this morning.This stuff should be in Vancouver BC Canada for the Olympics, NOT HERE. Can you imagine Mardi Gras in the snow. Lets see, we've had a bad hurricane, hell froze over and pigs are flying. WHAT NEXT!!!!!!! Oh......

AND THE SAINTS WON THE SUPERBOWL................ WH-O-O-O-O-O-O DAT

Kate T. South Mississippi

As a survivor of many New Orleans Mardi Gras (and I have the stomped-on 'grab a string of beads or doubloon to prove it' fingers), I would recommend layering. Assorted other suggestions: sunglasses, lip balm, hat, scarf and at least a cheap poncho. Depending on the amount of spirits your friends imbibe, they may want to shed a layer (or a lot). This weekend will be even crazier than ever and pickpockets will be making the most of their opportunities. Leave good jewelry at home. Stitch a small pocket in your bra or underwear somewhere for some cash and id. The nice policemen truly are nice and do their best but it's no fun to be left on empty. There is no fancy dress code and you will see a whole lot more than you're entitled to. Wear the most comfortable shoes you have. and socks. and Dr. Scholls jell liners. You and your friends will have a wonderful time; hoist one for me. Polly

Polly -- how many stings of beads did you collect over the years... and dare we ask how you "earned" them?

LOL

I've never been to Mardi Gras -- always visited Slidell so I would be leaving when the revelers were arriving at the airport.

Maybe someday I'll get the courage to try the French Quarter for Mardi Gras -- time will tell!

You will have to change the name to Carnaval and celebrate like they do in Montreal!

Naah. We didn't expose anything to get doubloons and beads. All we bared was our fangs lest anyone attempted to snatch them away. This was, of course, before vampires were quite so public. Polly

tx library goddess wrote:

I've been to N.O. 4 times for Mardi Gras now and it's been cold, Cold, COLD each and every time! Also, we have never had anything of a "thiefly" nature happen to us :-). If you post over at RCTN, one of the women there, Olwyn Mary, actually LIVE in N.O. in the Garden District and can give you chapter and verse on the whole Carnivale experience. OK -- here's what I did, etc. Sorry this is a bit long but I'm Irish and it's difficult to shut me up when I get on a roll :-). So -- back to the weather, etc. Fortunately, I was told to bring layers, but WARM layers. Also, we always drove the 8 hours so I could pack stuff I *might* need but didn't really think I would use (like my ultra heavy Irish wool sweater). DH just returned last evening from N.O. and it was cold and getting colder. Don't forget, while not on the actual ocean, you ARE right next to a LOT of water and that can make it seem even colder. Add to that the fact that it is quite often windy and it's not nice if you aren't warm enough -- especially if you are out walking around in the evening. When we would go out, I would wear a silk or thermal funnel neck, long sleeved undershirt, a light weight sweater over that, a loose denim l/s shirt or nylon wind breaker over that and then my long heavy coat. I always wore a very wide closely knit scarf I used around my neck and a hat (my Mardi Gras hat, of course) to top it all off! This way, if you go inside somewhere and you plan to stay for several hours, you can remove successive layers as needed. After the first visit, we very rarely went out in the evening to watch the parades. There are too many drunks and it's far too cold, for me, to make that fun. We always attended the Bacchus Ball so got to see the floats as they entered the Convention Center hall. Unless you plop yourself down along the route of the parade(s) several hours before they start, you won't get to see much anyway since the crowds are literally ten people deep along most of the parade route. The Bacchus Parade is on Sunday and the floats line up and everyone gets ready starting about 2:00 PM I think (parade is scheduled to pull out about 5:00 PM). You can see the floats and the men getting their loads of beads ready and see the different costumes without actually having to sit on the cold, hard, concrete and waiting for hours and hours. Of course, you don't get any beads or coins or cups or any of the other stuff they throw! DO NOT carry a regular purse. It's just too bothersome in the crowds. I have a small travel purse that has a long enough strap I can put over my head and wear it across my body with the purse resting on my front. This makes near impossible for any miscreants to either pull it off or cut it away. Olwyn Mary always told me that if you stay in the tourist areas -- meaning the part of the French Quarter we are all familiar with -- you should be OK. There are lots of police and it is usually quite safe. Just be smart and be aware of stuff. I DO NOT recommend going to Bourbon Street in the evening! People really do get literally falling down drunk and there is puke all over the place and it stinks to high heaven! We won't mention the *other* bodily fluids and matter that you would likely come in contact with -- LOLOL! Make that excursion during the day or very early in the evening. DH and I were out with our croup early one morning to get good seating at one of the well known spots for b'fast. We got to see the HUGE street cleaning machines that go up and down every inch of the Quarter every morning. First they vacuum up all the "solid" stuff then they hose down the streets and sidewalks with some sort of strong disinfectant that smells almost, but not quite, as bad as the stuff they just cleaned up -- LOLOL! Well -- THAT was long enough but don't say I didn't warn you! If you drive, pack an extra really heavy sweater. If you don't need it, nor problem but if you DO need it you will VERY happy to have it. Bring something to cover your head -- you have no idea how much warmer that will keep you. Have beignets, ride a street car, visit the aquarium (it's right there in the French Quarter) and take a trip to the lovely zoo if you have the time. They have albino alligators there and THAT is something to see! Visit the graveyards, too -- they are lovely places. Have fun, remember to post this over at RCTN (tell them I told you to do it) and give us a full report when you return! CiaoMeow >^;;^<

PAX, Tia Mary >^;;^< (RCTQ Queen of Kitties) Angels can't show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their whiskers! Visit my Photo albums at

The French Quarter is interesting at any time of the year :)

Julia > Polly -- how many stings of beads did you collect over the years... and

I lived in New Orleans for years and have visited there all my life.

Dress in layers. Usually, I would have a t-shirt at the bottom, but this year the forecast is for very cold weather, so I'd probably have long underwear underneath everything else. Long underwear, then a "technical" shirt, then fleece, then Gore-Tex, as well as mittens (or gloves), a light scarf, and a or headband or hat that I can pull down over my ears. No cotton.

A backpack is more comfortable to carry than a purse or whatever, but lace it up tight and lock it, if possible. Wear your money inside your clothes. Pickpockets are always bad at Mardi Gras.

My favorite place to watch the parades is at the intersection of Napoleon and St. Charles. (I used to live there.)

In the Quarter, avoid Bourbon Street, especially at night (unless you *like* nudity and puking, of course). Jackson Square and the Cathedral area can be fun, as well as the downtown end of Decatur Street.

ep

You could change it to Faschings and celebrate as they do in Germany. BTDT .... and I hope to go to NOLA for MG some time. Meanwhile, today is my monthly morning Bee and I'll be taking along a Mardi Gras beads necklace for each quilter! We quilters get our fun where ever we can, eh? Pat in Virginia