I had heard so much about the festival of beads and moon pies that when offered the opportunity to travel to Mardi Gras I had to seize it. Interestingly enough, New Orleans wasn’t on my mind. I was heading to Mobile, Alabama.

Note: It has been argued that the first Mardi Gras festival in the U.S. was held in Mobile, Alabama before gaining world-wide notoriety in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Grey Hound bus trip from Atlanta, Georgia was nine hours. I made this journey at night so there wasn’t anything interesting to see on the way.

Mobile seemed dark and deserted at first, but the next day I was able to get out and mingle with the locals. I drove to the local flea market where I sampled hot sausages and roasted corn with “special cajun seasoning”. Delish!

The Mardi Gras parade on “Fat Tuesday” was lots of fun. There were Revellers cavorting in the streets wearing brightly painted costumes as floats made their way down the boulevard dispensing candy, beaded necklaces, and of course, moon pies to the crowd. At some point during the festivities, I found myself making mental references to the “West Indian Day” parade in Brooklyn, New York (I guess it was the fusion of cultures and melange of colors). The music was an interesting and upbeat mixture of rhythm & blues, hip-hop and jazz which definitely took some getting used to.

Following the parade, I drove to the Beau Rivage casino in Biloxi, Mississippi which is seemingly where everyone heads for the after party. Sad to say I didn’t win it big, but I had a hell of a time partying with other fun-seekers who had also traveled from near and far to experience one of the most commercial festivals in the country.

The very next day I was back on a bus to Atlanta.

Fun Times!

~M~