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Not many people think about me on Fat Tuesday, but on Fat Tuesday I sometimes remember the one and only time that Kathy and I got to experience the Mardi Gras. That was a long, long time ago.

I was going to New Orleans to attend a conference for work and was allowed to cover the additional costs to bring Kathy along and to pay for several extra days in the hotel. We arrived before Mardi Gras for the conference. There were some very nice hotels in town but, since I had to get by on a state employee daily stipend, we had to find something affordable.

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When I was at the conference my free time was limited, but we had time to enjoy walking around the French Quarter and other neighborhoods not far from our hotel. The beautiful wrought iron balconies on some of the buildings were fascinating and small courtyards were gardens in miniature. We wandered past Jackson Square, which is overlooked by the historic St. Louis Cathedral, the oldest cathedral in continuous use in the United States. The first permanent church was completed there in 1727. It burned down in 1788 and a new cathedral was built in 1794. It has been restored, expanded and modified many times since.

It was fun to walk through the streets and enjoy the street musicians. It’s easy to find them on Bourbon Street and they were a joy to see and hear. I always made sure to carry some singles in my pocket to throw into their buckets. The music seemed to fill the air with happiness and put smiles on the faces. If you wanted to take some music home there were plenty of places selling Blues and Jazz CDs. This was in the days before streaming when you could actually touch the music you owned.

Food also puts smiles on faces and there was plenty around to sample. Growing up in Wisconsin with bratwurst, I decided to try some Andouille to see what New Orleans sausage tasted like. I can tell you that it was not like bratwurst but it was very good if you like smokey and spicy sausage. Hush puppies often came with the meals; they’re a classic Southern side dish. They were spicy, too. On other southern trips I’ve often joked that hush puppies reminded me of breaded bread, but that was not the case in New Orleans.

If you want more spice it’s easy to find it. If you prefer less spice, coffee with deep-fried beignets smothered in powdered sugar are the perfect choice. While wandering around town it’s a good idea to get some Mardi Gras things. What would this event be without beads and masks and more beads?

When the conference ended we had more time to explore the city. One afternoon we rode a streetcar to the Metairie Cemetery. It was an overcast day so the mood seemed appropriate. I have occasionally walked around old graveyards and cemeteries in other cities to look at the names and dates. Cemeteries are very different in New Orleans, however. Due to the high water table and frequent flooding many people are interred above ground. The tombs of some of the wealthier residents were very impressive.

Parades are frequent events in New Orleans, not just for Mardi Gras, but for the entire time from Twelfth Night, the last night of the twelve days of Christmas, through Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday, better known as Fat Tuesday. Some parades take place in the afternoon and some take place at night. During our time at Mardi Gras we went to three of them. I thought the nighttime parades were more fun, but I was so much younger then, I’m older than that now.

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One of the fun tasks during Mardi Gras parades is trying to catch strings of beads that are tossed out by the people on the floats. No one seemed to throw them my way. I noticed that some women got them easily by raising their t-shirts. When I tried that it didn’t seem to help. I finally made use of my long arms to reach over a few rows of people in front of me and capture some. After three parades I ended up with over 100 strings of beads.

You can see some of the beads I caught below. You can also see a picture I took of the street car we rode to the parade, and a picture I took of the street car we rode back from the parade. We had a great time!