We have our backpack almost permanently packed with glasses, cameras, sweaters etc, so it was just a matter of making sure we had enough water, a book to read while waiting, and the necessary cash to buy tickets and food etc.
In the morning we had gone into Lakewood/Metaire to the West Marine store to buy an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indication Radio Beacon) for the boat, or for our persons. We have had this debate about EPIRB for boat, which is then removed when there is an emergency (Hopefully you remember to take it with you)..but it is a large thing. Then there are the personal ones which can fit inside a pocket of the offshore lifevests we have.
We find it necessary to have one of these as we are going offshore into the Gulf of Mexico when we motor from Carabelle, on the top coast of Florida next to Alabama, across the water to Tarpon Springs, just north of Tampa, 180 statute miles.
We will have other open waters crossings in our future next year.
So, in the end, we opted for the personal locator beacons, with the reasoning that they will already be on our persons and in case we are ever separated while in the water, we each have the ability to be found. This is always called an Insurance Policy:)
So, having purchased the floating variety of personal EPIRB, we left to go back to the boat.
On arrival, we found that one of them was floating, the other wasnt. One was old stock and one was new, and one was $20 cheaper than the other. They were hard to differentiate from just looking at the boxes, but the store clerk should have checked...as should we, before leaving the store. We should know this by now!
So...After lunch, we had to return to the store (having already called ahead to ascertain they had another floating one in stock) and to pick it up.
We had also already ascertained that there was a really nice looking Starbucks opposite (here we go again:) ). We had packed our current reading material to go, so we got our frappucino and found a nice sofa outside in the afternoon sun and read for an hour and half while waiting to go into the Garden District to park the car.
We arrived on St Charles Ave, near third Street, around 5pm and parked against the curb outside a lovely old home. Well, they are all lovely old homes around there:)
There was a security guard parked just behind us, so Waz exited the car to find out if we were ok to park there. Yes, no problem:)
We decided to park there because it is just a hundred feet or so to the next Street Car stop where we could get on and off easily. This car goes the length of St Charles Ave, stopping just before Canal Street, where the Parade would be passing.
We had to ask the other embarking passengers if they had change, as we realized the street car doesnt give change. Our tickets were just $3 each, and we managed to find a kind soul who had the necessary $1 bills in return for my $10.
The St. Car got increasingly full(er) the closer to town we got. It got to be a bit objectionable, the more people they tried to pack onto it.
We had interesting conversations with people around us, and heard their family trials and tribulations..of course! ...or I should say 'I' heard them.:)
We disembarked on St. Charles Ave/Canal and walked to 'The Shops on Canal' looking for some dinner food. The shops are high end, but the third floor 'restaurants' we found were cheap and nasty, and closed. Hmmmmmm where to eat??
We went back to a restaurant called 'St Lawrence', on Nth St Peters Street (parade route) that we had lunched at previously and enjoyed. Remember the Turducken burgers? Well, they were off the menu last night so we opted for the regular burgers. Not the best meal we have ever eaten, but it filled a hole or two.
We crossed the road in front of the restaurant at just after 6.30pm to claim our 'spot' on the roadside. It got dark moments later.
First up were the boys in blue. Police motorcyclists with blue lights flashing and sirens going
He was having fun with the light and movement to create true Halloween images - i.e. Ghostly!
This painterly image is of the crowd along the roadside as it was getting dark. We were just under a street light which was fortunate for me and my camera!
Very photogenic, this ghoul!
Only one High School band was on parade. We would have liked to hear them play properly, but no chance with all the other noises around. All African American kids:)
Isnt she a sweetheart?
This is a dunebuggy. They are a club and had gone all out to dress their buggies up.
The floats all had a bit of sameness to them, but no matter, they were fun. This was the Exorcist.
Wolfman
Cant remember what this one was
Dracula
an onlooker!
more buggies
on one of the floats
dune buggy
Devils on horseback
ghouls and ghastlies
More floats. They were manned by clubs who tossed candy, mugs and plastic cups at the crowd. There was so much candy in the drains at the end, and squashed all over the road.
We watched the parade pass on Nth St Peters St, then rushed over and around the corner to Canal Street and saw it all again there.
Different crowds on canal. Where we started out there were lots of families with small children, but adults were present mostly on Canal.
We actually saw more costumed people while waiting for our return St Car, than at the parade.
We asked a policeman when the St Cars would be running again after the parade, and were told rather tersely that would happen when the parade route was cleaned up.
I dont have pics of the cleanup brigade, but it was something to behold!
First came the truck with flashing lights to clear the streets...no cars allowed either till this was cleaned up, and NOLA is used to this, so is VERy well organized.
Then came the large water tanker truck which sprayed a soapy and perfumed water onto the street.
Then came the War of the Worlds type street sweepers. How to describe them best??
These looked like huge futuristic tractors, with two wheels per normal in front and two wheels in the middle at back..like a trike. There were big orange round sweepers that went left and right on the sides and a red rolling sweeper in the middle, with a vacuum underneath somewhere. These beasts did a ballet of sorts up and down the streets..all three of them. The cabs have left and right side wheels so they can be driven from both sides. Fascinating...we watched for ages..without thinking to take photos..duh!
These were in tandem with the people on the street with rakes who were swishing all the sidewalk trash onto the street. There was also a trash truck filling up with bags on the sidewalk. and...an hour after the parade, the traffic was allowed back onto Canal Street, and no doubt the other streets too. It was all over by 8pm!!
We stood at the St. Car stop on St Charles Ave with a long line of others and waited....and waited...and waited for the st. car to begin running again.
At 9.10pm, I ran across the road and accosted a taxi that was dropping a fare. We had had enough for the day and wanted to get home with no sign of the St. Car.
Our taxi fare was only $7.40 to third street, thankfully, so we were there in a jiffy with a crazy taxi driver, whom I found it better not to watch driving.
We made our way home uneventfully, thankful that we had made the plans we did and for taking the opportunity to see the parade.
We know the night was young for most party goers, but we are old folks now (ha!) and need our sleep. We dont drink, so there was no point in hanging around.
One of the best costumes (in our opinion) wasnt just a costume...a very petite young woman in full leather bondage gear was dragging a bevy of six buff and very gay looking young men, by twine around their necks, down Canal Street. I offered to be their new mistress, but they were not amused by the idea..I wonder why??
We retreated after that to the Starbucks on the corner of the street both for the bathroom stop and a cuppa before getting in line for the St. Car.
I am sure I will think of other things to write after I have published this, but that will be tomorrow!
Time to turn in...I will tell you about Sunday when I have time during preparations for our journey onwards, tomorrow.
Ciao ciao
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