Last night I was able to attend what was possibly the single parade with the highest attendance ever in New Orleans. The Saints’ victory parade was basically a Mardi Gras parade with a Saints theme. All Tulane classes after 1pm yesterday were cancelled ahead of the 5pm parade. Thankfully, a few friends and I were able to park at my uncle’s office about 10 blocks from one end of the parade – people were flowing down St. Charles Ave. on foot and bike. Traffic barely moved.
When we finally reached the route, it was like no other parade I had seen before (and I’ve only missed one Mardi Gras in my life). The crowds were unimaginable, but everyone was in a great mood. Most schools and offices closed early, so people could head out. The parade lasted about two hours, and the weather was perfectly clear and chilly. I even caught beads from Drew Brees!
Thankfully, this has been a light workload week for me. However, many of my Freeman classmates are bogged down in tests for other classes (during the week between the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras – how could they?). We all have a big accounting project due the day after our break and almost every group is getting it done before all the big parades start up Thursday night. As a Louisianian, this has been a great Mardi Gras so far, but I know my friends from other states are enjoying this way more than I ever could.
Louis David
ldavid@tulane.edu