If you missed Mardi Gras this year, there is always next year. Don't miss it.
1. You can never have enough beads. As soon as you catch your first beaded necklace, you will be hooked. You need every color, size and accessory they can throw at you. Your neck will hurt by the end of the weekend from the sheer weight of all the plastic, but there will certainly be no regrets.
2. King Cake is the best thing to happen, ever. Whether it is cinnamon drizzled with icing or filled with cream cheese or strawberry filling, King Cake is delicious. Get it while it’s hot and make sure it is smothered in green and purple sprinkles and topped with a few beads for good measure.
3. Café Du Monde is open 24/7, which means you are going to want to get a beignet at least once an hour. It is so much more than a donut. Topped with more powdered sugar than could ever be necessary, somehow, it tastes like you have just bitten into heaven. Close enough -- you are in New Orleans.
4. Bourbon Street is as dirty as you have heard, but it will be the best time you’ve had in years. The streets are sticky from spilled Hurricanes and puddles of sludge, and the smell of alcohol and regret permeates the air, yet everyone is smiling, dancing, and raising their ever-full 32 ounce daiquiri's to a happy Mardi Gras. The infamous party street is an experience at any time of the year, but during this holiday, it cannot be beat.
5. You will never have a better excuse to wear purple, green, and yellow in one outfit again. The colors of Mardi Gras are everywhere you look. Houses are adorned with hanging decorations and beads dangle from every light post and power line in the city. People are dressed in ridiculous costumes from full banana suits to purple spiked wigs -- anything goes during Mardi Gras.
6. Every float in every parade will be the best float you have ever seen. There are giant mystical creatures the size of a semi truck and elaborate beaded costumes so heavy people need to be strapped in. Each float is different, and each is better than the last.
7. The free stuff is endless. The floats throw more light up plastic jewelry, giant stuffed animals, plastic cups, glittery shoes, giant beads, garters and thongs than you have ever seen in your life.
8. New Orleans does not have an open container law. This is a foreign concept to most Americans, so let me explain. Within the city limits of New Orleans, you can walk around anywhere drinking any drink without any fear of getting arrested. Let’s face it -- why would you ever leave this magical place?
9. You might even be able to score an invite to a ball. Every Krewe throws a ball during the night festivities -- yes, Cinderella style, complete with floor length gowns and Mardi Gras feather masks. If you know someone who knows someone in New Orleans, you might be able to sneak yourself onto the invite list.
10. Everyone needs a college road trip, so why not make the destination just as good as the journey itself. Driving five hours is nothing. Driving 10 hours is nothing. Pack your car with pillows and Goldfish, find a good playlist, and hit the road. Stories told on the road will be funnier, the music will be better, and the memories will last a lifetime. There is no excuse to not make the trip.
11. New Orleans is incredible. Besides the lack of an open container law, the crazy dance parties, the big parades, and never ending parties, New Orleans is one of the most charming cities in America. You will see colorful houses with rod iron fences wrapped around balconies, giant Magnolia trees hanging low over the street, and something different on every corner you turn. The city has a a magnetism that keeps you coming back for more.
