After a glorious weekend that had temperatures pushing 80 degrees, the forecast for Fat Tuesday was grim. Wet, cold, and rainy were the adjectives of the day. But this being New Orleans, and Carnival coming but once a year, local revelers rallied while thousands of tourists opted for the warmth of their hotel rooms and bars.
At 7 AM on Mardi Gras, the rain had not yet begun. But the sky to the west was as dark as dusk. The temperature was 36 degrees. It would not break 40 degrees all day, and the rain began to come intermittently and then steadily around 9 AM.
The Society of St. Anne pushed on through the Faubourg Marigny with many revelers trimming feathers and other easily sodden accouterments from their costumes. Others improvised with raincoats, ponchos, and the ubiquitous umbrellas.
Further into the French Quarter, the Krewe formerly known as Just Us began their march around 1:30 PM with the Lagniappe Brass Band leading the way. As we wound around the old city, the narrow lanes were clogged with traffic, which is an unusual occurrence on Fat Tuesday when pedestrians rule.
The oddest juxtaposition was the happy, smiling, dancing faces on the revelers out in the cold rain while those in the warmth of their automobiles looked somber and dour as they faced the unyielding pedestrians and the insurmountable traffic.
Given the unforgiving weather, the joy of the season contrasted with the wetness of it all.
The above photo is me and my better half ducking out of the rain on Frenchmen Street. Thanks to Kevin Mccusker for the shot.
