Louisiana, February 2018

When I began this pilgrimage across the United States, I wondered what I would do about Louisiana: attend Mardi Gras or give it a pass to see the state in a quieter, and possibly hotter, time of year. On the one hand, carnival season in New Orleans is a unique and important American celebration, just as the Kentucky Derby was in 2017. On the other, I’m not much of a drunken reveler, particularly when on my own in a big city. As luck would have it, a very old friend (so old we knew each other from early grade school) married a New Orleans native and they go home to celebrate every year, taking in parades with extended family in neighborhoods away from the drunken tourists. So I joined their party in New Orleans the Saturday before Mardi Gras, and then headed out into the state for the first week of Lent. I loved every minute, not just because I gained more beads than I will ever need, but also because I got to celebrate with such good friends. And now I know what it means to miss New Orleans.