There’s no way any one person can capture Mardi Gras. Ever. It's an infinite kaleidoscope of colors, shapes and pictures that changes from every angle you approach it.
That being said, here are some of my shallow, limited and fleeting memories of the streets during parades this year.
Lining the parade routes were rows of ladders with child-holding boxes fixed on top — giant versions of high chairs. Instead of receiving applesauce and mashed peas, however, bright and shiny strings of beads are thrown at the children strapped in.
Women of all shapes and sizes donned Nacho Libre-esque “stretchy pants” in metallic or sequin-studded shades.
Masks were less prevalent than I’d imagined they would be, although I did see two Guy Fawkes doppelgangers, complete with the ominous black leather boots.
The gaudy beads were heavy and potentially painful missiles raining on everybody. Even those without extravagant costumes sported anywhere from a few strings to massive collars around their necks.
Fresh in the Super Bow glow, Drew Brees jerseys were everywhere.
I smelled barbequed chicken, mustard, beer mixed with trash and occasional pockets of sickly-sweet marijuana smoke.
Jazz from the parade floats alternated with high school marching bands and hip-hop booming from trucks. The cheering rose and fell depending on how impressive the nearest float was, or what kind of gifts they threw (they all gave out beads, but some also had plastic cups, stuffed animals or other toys — these were the most hotly contested).
The crowds constantly jostled each other, everybody jockeying for the best places close to the parade. I got a Mardi Gras hickey from a moment of inattention — I looked down into my purse and got walloped on the neck by a string of heavy, glass beads hurled at me full-speed.
The parades went on for two full weekends, and a Monday leading up to the actual Tuesday that is Mardi Gras.
