Mardi Gras 2016, Day 2

After going to bed early, we were up and ready to go Sunday morning. I knew the first stop had to be coffee, so we went to Rue de la Cours. 

Rue de la Cours used to be a bank, and they didn't change much of that architecture. Their coffee is always amazing. They also have many different special cream cheeses for their bagles.

All fueled up on caffine, we definitely needed food in our bellies before we cracked open our first beers of the day. 

Parkway is the absolute best place to get a traditional style Po' boy. They have been around since 1911! The wait is always pretty long, but it is so very worth it. 

Parkway is filled with random decorations. It makes a lot to look at, which helps a lot during the queue.

This symbol is all over NOLA. To learn more about what it means, go here.

This awesome couple had a Po' boy wedding cake!

Next stop was Walmart to stock up on booze. There's a whiskey out there called Louisianna Lightning and that is my go-to. It's clear whiskey, I know what you're thinking, but it's not moonshine. And it is dangerously smooth. Put that with some ginger ale and you have the perfect cocktail for your to-go cups. 

I also have a favourite brewery in New Orleans, NOLA. IT might actually be my favourite brewery in America (so far). I'm really happy to see that NOLA has grown a lot in the past year since I've been. Last year, they had a modest tasting room with a patio area. When I went this year however, they had a full sized bar with booths and tables. They also had a kitchen where they outsourced a restaurant for food. The bartender told me they also had a back room with games, and a rooftop patio.

NOLA is special to me because their beer is not only delicious, it's also experimental. This time around I tried a beet beer, and it was pretty damn good.

I also love their vibe. When we walked in, they were playing Star Trek on the TVs and many of the people at the bar were watching and nerding out about it. I also love how clever their names are. NOLA is located on Tchopitoulas (pronounced Chop-it-oo-las), thus one of their IPAs is Hopitoulas.

When we went back, we typically got stuck in parade traffic. But we finally made it back to our room, chnaged, and went back out to parade.

Bacchus is a very solid parade. I always like going. We arrived pretty late so we only caught half of it, but it was still a fun time.

 This cute miniature replica of the real trucks driving the spotlight is around every year.

At the end of the parade, we went back to Tulane Campus for a late night eat. Along our walk back, we made some friends. It's really easy to make friends during Mardi Gras.That's one of the best things about the celebration. Everyone is just happy to be there.

 Photographed by: Caroline Reich & myself.