Road Trip 2024 Day 7

November 16, 2024

 

We set our alarms for 7:30 but we were all wide awake by 6:30 which is just wrong for being on vacation. There are rules that must be abided by when on vacation, doncha know. We had another leisurely breakfast in the room but this time it was left over muffulettas for Terry and Mum and a bakery mélange for me of yogurt and a coconut pastry thingie (no idea what it was).

 

Our plans for a morning guided tour of the Garden District were thrown in disarray when the tour guide texted with a request to move our tour to 1:00 to accommodate something going on in her life -  it was all very non-specific. So, we hastily figured out our alternate morning plans and settled on embracing the New Orleans wacky and went to Mardi Gras World. It definitely fit the bill for wacky!

It’s a 300,000 square foot working museum of Mardi Gras props that go on the floats. They are actively making the props in this location and they put them all together on the floats for the krewes. There are currently 70 krewes so because there are so many krewes there are multiple parades each night for the two weeks leading up to Fat Tuesday. Anyone can mount their own parade and krewe with enough money and necessary permits hence the reason there are so many krewes. The krewes work with this company where Mardi Gras World is to create their vision and then the company executes that vision. The forms are usually made from Styrofoam, coated with paper mâché, and then painted for the final step. Sometimes, for very special forms, they use fiberglass but that is mostly for corporate jobs they do such as things you might see in Las Vegas and the cows you see by some Chick-fil-A billboards. 

The machine used to carve the styrofoam

It was a fascinating tour of all the forms and then to see a few of the floats. The tour guide explained that the krewes are on the floats for 5 ½ hours so there are toilets cleverly disguised on every float because you know, there’s a wee bit of adult drinking happening. Each member of the krewe is responsible for buying their way on to the float ($1,000 and up) and paying for their costume (also $1,000 and up), and all swag that they fling out at the crowd. Each person on the float can easily drop $6,000 for participating on the krewe.

It was fun to see the figures up close and personal and of course we had to pose next the joker which is the oldest form they use here.

An early form of Buc-ee the Beaver? Who knows.

After the wacky Mardi Gras world, it was a brief respite back at the hotel for Mum to regroup given that her cold has settled in. She’s still being an absolute trouper though and is always ready for our next adventure…which was the rescheduled guided tour of the Garden District. 

 

We took an Uber to the Garden District and had a quick lunch before gathering for a two-hour tour of the district. We got another review of New Orleans history and learned that this area of New Orleans was settled by the Americans after the Louisiana Purchase because the Creoles in the French Quarter wouldn’t sell any property to them. They thought the newcomers were gross and uncouth. So, the Americans built ostentatious houses in their new section of New Orleans to prove the Creoles were right. According to the tour guide, Creoles showed their wealth only on the interior of their houses while American showed their wealth everywhere.

 

Even though this was an architectural tour it started in front of the cemetery where we got an overview of how people were/are buried. Weird and informative but slightly gross when she started talking about the high temps of the summer disintegrating the bodies in the coffins. Could have lived without that imagery for a few more decades.

She then gave us a tutorial on the architectural styles located in the Garden District and then we started our walkabout to see examples of each. She started with a house that was used in the filming of Benjamin Button. It meant nothing to me since I haven’t seen the movie, but it was a beautiful house. A picture in case you've seen the movie.

The houses were beautiful, and I was interested to learn that when there are shrubs and plants blocking the view of house it usually means that a celebrity has owned it at some point. Sandra Bullock has a house here that you can barely see except for the third floor. The third floor is quite pretty but can’t really speak to the rest of the house.

 

We ended the tour at a house that has been owned by the same family since the 1850s. It’s a beautifully maintained house that their daughter will inherit someday. The fountain you see in the photo is a pan for crystalizing sugar which found on the property when they did a renovation of the house and property. What a neato feature to have in your front yard.

We took another Uber back to the hotel - I’m getting incrementally better at this Uber stuff but am still making mistakes with the pick-up point. I desperately need lessons from my nieces and nephews! Fortunately, the drivers have all been unbelievably kind to us and we have very much enjoyed our Uber experiences, mistakes and all.

 

It’s a quiet evening in the hotel for us tonight with DoorDash delivering our dinner. We’re heading out tomorrow with a drive through Mississippi, and a stop in Laurel which is the location of my favorite HGTV show, Home Town, and then on to Birmingham, Alabama for two days.

 

We’ve loved every moment in New Orleans and have met such friendly people. It’s been a dream visit for all of us – colds and all.