In just under a week, – March 4 to be exact – New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast will be celebrating Fat Tuesday. The annual Mardi Gras celebrations started over three weeks ago throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle. This annual festival marks the beginning of Lent and – for residents of a few lucky cities – it is a time of great celebration and indulgence.
New Orleans, specifically, is seen as ground zero of the Mardi Gras festivities and the approximately 400,000 residents will be out in full force at the wide variety of parades and parties alike. Fortunately for them, the city’s 80,000 apartment dwellers have a special advantage over other residents of the city and the millions of visitors to Mardi Gras every year.
Homeowners will often travel hours in order to arrive in the city with the hopes of parking and getting a great spot to stand and wait for the parades to start. This creates huge challenges when you consider that close to one million tourists will also be arriving to take part in these same parades. The parking, walking, and frustrations quickly mount as parade-goers compete for space.
However, those who live in apartments have a significant edge. The proximity of most apartments in the Big Easy to local parades enables residents to simply walk around the corner and start the chant of “Throw me something mister” as the parade passes. Once the parade is complete, there is no wading through hordes of crowds. You just simply walk home.
If you love parties, then you will love living in New Orleans – especially this time of year. So, grab a King Cake and some crawfish, and join in the Mardi Gras celebrations. The party starts just around the corner from the front door of your Big Easy apartment.
Let the good times roll – Laissez les bons temps rouler!