Posted by Fingers on February 04, 2008 at 03:09:01:
If 2006 Mardi Gras was the Katrina year (small but fun) and 2007 was the cold year, with weather dipping to freezing at night, then perhaps this year will be remembered as the perfect weather year.
We arrived in New Orleans late on Thursday night. I hit Bourbon street at 1 AM and it was dead. Friday was a bit cold with temperatures in the low 50's, and the crowds were pretty small and the flashing pretty sporadic. Really good weather happened on Saturday as the high moved into the 60's, and Sunday through Fat Tuesday will be in the upper 70's with lows in the 60's. With the crowds on Bourbon street that's short sleeve weather even at 3 AM.
Attendance seemed to be down a little on Saturday as well, but picked up to normal by Saturday night. Traditional spots for flashing have shifted a little since Katrina. Tricou House never fully recovered and is not as popular as it was, and the club that Playboy rented out has never re-opened. The Cat's Meow is holding up that end of Bourbon Street. The best spot to see flashing is wherever the best beads are being thrown, and that changes daily depending on who is on what balcony.
Sunday was an interesting day on Bourbon Street with the Superbown thrown in. Traffic was a little lighter than normal, but good views were still to be had. At 5 PM the street got a little quieter with less people around. The booming music which blares into the street from most bars changed to sounds of the football broadcast. Club Utopia, which is normally packed at night, but dead in the afternoon was packed with people watching the game on the grid of 12 flatscreens that form the back wall of the stage. After the game the crowds poured back out of the hotels and bars and the party returned to full swuing.
I should mention that the pretty brunette in the only shot that is not full screen is the star of Hottyy.com, and can normally seen with her website body painted on her chest. This year she was giving out autographed T shirts that feature an explicit nude photo of her. She's nice to talk to and I told her I'd give her a plug.
As usual the radical Christians (I personally call this group the Evil Religious Right because they feel that everyone that does not follow their beliefs is going to Hell, and even single out groups on their placards, including Catholics, Jews, Mormons, Democrats, Wives who are not submisive to their husbands, and the list goes on). My favorite photo from this years Mardi Gras was one I took Sunday night after I had already sent the set to Cocco which featured on of these large signs. Marching next to him was a person who was holding up another sign right next to him stating "I'm with stupid" and an arrow pointing to the first person.
There is a slight chance of rain on Fat Tuesday, however at this point the warm weather is going to encourage light clothing which makes flashing easy (no heavy coaats like last year). I expect to see much more as we roll into Fat Tuesday.
Fingers