Mardi Gras Mambo

Mardi Gras crowds are smaller this year but just the fact that we're having a Mardi Gras celebration and visitors are coming in is a good sign indeed.

Bloomberg.com writes...

The city is smaller, most parades are smaller, the crowds are smaller and the party itself is shorter. Yet for those who love Mardi Gras, passing up this chance for normalcy in a city where whole neighborhoods are still dark would have been as unthinkable as abandoning New Orleans itself.

It may be the smallest Mardi Gras in recent memory but judging by locals' reaction, it may be the most special. In years past, many local residents take their family vacations during Mardi Gras in order to avoid the hastles of living in the middle of the parades. Now, people wouldn't think of not taking part in Carnival so that a cherished tradition does not fade away.