Did you know in 123 years, only one Rex, King of Carnival, has married his queen? In 1895, Frank T. Howard (one of five members of his family to gain royal honors from Rex)married his queen, Lydia Fairchild. Mardi Gras is New Orleans’ hometown celebration, where locals dress up in colorful, humorous, and intriguing costumes; party all hours of the night; go to parades; and attend carnival balls. There are few things you have to do during Mardi Gras to make your visit complete:

1. Participate in a parade--any parade. It doesn't matter which one. Catch beads or go to the Endymion Extraganza for illuminating floats.
2. See a Mardi Gras Indian.
3. Taste a king cake.
4. Go to Royal Sonesta's Greasing of the Poles at the Royal Sonesta Hotel on Royal Street.
5. Get a Krewe of Zulu coconut. They're cute! It's a coconut decorated with glitter and a mask of its own around owlish eyes.
6. Have fun! Let the good times roll. A trip isn't enjoyable unless you have fun!

During Mardi Gras, I usually bring empty grocery bags to a parade. The whole SI system for measurement doesn't work when it's Mardi Gras. We use the certain amount of how many grocery bags were used. At Endymion or parades in the city, you'll see kids being put on special ladders. Locals have a parade ladder that makes them more obvious to see to the people on the floats.

People believed those wearing masks were spirits who wanted to party until Ash Wednesday. This is the only time you'll be pushing little old ladies out the way, see a teenager and a drag queen fight over a strand of plastic beads, and debutantes get all the more beads from the men krewes.

The official end of Mardi Gras isn't when water trucks spray powerful amounts of water to clean the street. It's just prior to midnight of Mardi Gras when Rex's officers and royalty join Comus and his queen at their ball. Rex and Comus escort each other's queen in a lavish ballroom. When the clock strikes the twelfth hour, Rex waves his scepter, and officially brings Mardi Gras to an end.

Clubs are rocking until 5 or 6 a.m. Beer and drinks are sold on the street, and the pavement becomes sticky with spilled beer, along with the occasional urine or vomit. During Carnival, crowds can become so thick it's nearly impossible to move, especially when women are flashing and hundreds of guys move in trying to get a peek. The action is most intense towards the west end of Bourbon by the dance clubs and strip joints.

The gay crowd tends to favor the east end near "Oz". Action spills out into side streets around Bourbon, where you find smaller bars, clubs, gay bars and strip clubs. Many people are dressed to get attention, especially street entertainers like the "naked cowboy".