It’s been an unusual Mardi Gras season this year. It started with this.
Ten inches of snow fell in New Orleans on January 21st. The city hadn’t seen snow like that since Valentine’s Day, 1895. In fact, New Orleans rarely sees snow at all. And since we were enjoying temperatures in the 70s just a few days prior, I didn’t believe the forecast.
But New Orleans never fails to surprise me.
And delight me.
Following that fun episode, we (yes, I’m claiming this town) hosted the Super Bowl. And no one can host a party better than us.
Of course, we had to parade.
Where I ran into my good friend, Hoda.
I didn’t have a ticket to the game because I don’t have those kinds of connections. But that didn’t matter. All sorts of events were going on, and the party spilled into the streets, as it always does in New Orleans.
Speaking of connections… check this out.
I’ve never seen a yacht pull up to the French Quarter. I’ve never seen a yacht on the Mississippi River. I’ve never seen a yacht. Up close, that is. And I’ve certainly never seen that many Coast Guard boats in the river. I counted no fewer than 5 Coast Guard rafts guarding this vessel. I had to ask one of the many Coast Guard officers protecting it from the pier who it belonged to. The officer informed me that the owner of the yacht was Shahid Khan, who also happens to own the Jacksonville Jaguars.
But it wasn’t just the Coast Guard that was called down to serve. The police presence in the French Quarter was staggering. Within a block’s radius, I noticed 5 different uniforms. All sorts of departments were on hand: police, sheriffs, national guard, state troopers… I think the city pulled from agencies all over the state. I’m sure officials were determined to ensure the Super Bowl went off without a hitch following the recent terrorist attack. Not to mention, President Trump and the Billionaires Club came to town. But seeing tank-like vehicles and soldiers with rifles strapped across their chests was disheartening. It didn’t look like America to me. At least, not the America I grew up in.
But enough sad commentary. Back to the party.
I ended up watching the game in my favorite dive bar, The Three Legged Dog. I don’t know if I would necessarily recommend this establishment to a traveler unless that traveler had a bag of dirty laundry to do. In that case, I recommend The Three Legged Dog: a local dive bar in the French Quarter with beer, crawfish, darts, and laundry machines. Oh yeah, and the game.
Watching sporting events with strangers in a bar is always fun, but my favorite part about the Super Bowl wasn’t the game at all. That turned out to be a dud.
My personal highlight during Super Bowl Fest was the light show in Jackson Square.
St. Louise Cathedral served as a backdrop for a nightly show honoring New Orleans artists, musicians, performers, architecture, history, and culture.
It was spectacular.
So how do you top that? With Fat Tuesday.
These pictures are from last year. Mardi Gras 2025 is March 4th. See you there?
Anywhere else, it’s just another Tuesday.
But, thankfully, New Orleans isn’t like anywhere else.