Mardi Gras in New Orleans

This was the day we were most worried about during our trip, because we didn't know what to expect. Parking was a nightmare. Parking spots near the parade route were going for $40!! We luckily found a spot and enjoyed the walk over to Canal Street. We walked through the French Quarters and part of Bourbon Street. We wanted to get a peek at it before it got too wild. We ended up veering off it because at 9:30 in the morning the party was already going at one end of Bourbon Street.

We saw a tiny bit of the parade. We got there too late to get good seats, so we didn't stay too long.

We then walked to the Algier Ferry and enjoyed the view of the Mississippi.

We then went to the famous Cafe du Monde and had beignets. (Thanks Grandmother and Grandfather Muhlestein for the suggestion and for the Valentines money that we used to fund this part of our adventure.)

(This is Nicholas having his first taste. Later, he gets covered with powder sugar when he eats a whole beignet by himself.)

We then made the walk back to our car. As we were walking back, we ran into the costume contest/parade. There were some very impressive and elaborate costumes.

Nicholas was worn out by all our fun. He is our little Mardi Gras king.

We then drove across Lake Pontchartrain. This was one of the highlights of the trip for Joseph. He has always wanted to drive across this bridge since he found out about it.

We ate dinner and then drove back to Baton Rouge and did a little bit of sightseeing before we turned in for the night. We can now die saying that we did Mardi Gras in New Orleans. (We still have New Years in Time Square and Groundhog's Day in Punxsutawney, PA on our list.)