Did you see the latest AAD Author visiting Larissa’s Bookish Life yesterday with her own After Dark on Bourbon Street story? You should totally go read it…like now.
After Dark on Bourbon Street
Helpful hints when attending Mardi Gras.
Plan ahead:
Most of the Central Business District and French Quarter hotels require 4 or 5 day minimum stays, and they steadily book blocks of rooms beginning in August. Make sure you make your reservations now.
Respect the PO-PO:
These guys are overworked during Carnival. They are the worlds best at controlling a crown, and during Mardi Gras they have to be tolerant of usually unacceptable behavior. Long shifts, Parade duty, Drunks, traffic accidents, lost kids, fights, rowdy crowds, nuisance complaints, and a myriad of other incidents keep them busy 24 hours a day. If an officer tells you to do something…do it.
Check the weather forecast:
It can be very cold. Whether or not you’re in costume or not, it is a day outdoors, so plan accordingly. Wear comfortable shoes, sunscreen, and layered clothing.
Don’t reach down to pick up throws:
If you value your hands then you won’t pick up throws from the ground. If you absolutely must have it then put your foot on it, and when it’s safe (between floats), you can bend down and pick it up.
Plan your meals ahead:
Restaurants on the parade route are normally full on the nights of the most popular parades and on Mardi Gras day, so make your plans early with those that accept reservations. If they don’t, plan to wait a while for a table, eat street vendor food, or pack your own snacks. Also bring wet wipes to clean your hands before you eat. Your hands will get very dirty and it will be hard for you to find a sink.
Have a meeting place:
Mardi Gras is HUGE with thousands of people on the street. It is very easy to get separated. Make sure everyone knows where to meet in case anyone gets lost. Give your children a note card with your name, address, hotel information, and pre-arranged meeting place. Instruct your children to find a police officer if they get lost. The police know what to do and will return your child quickly.
Be Careful:
If you visit the Quarter at night during Mardi Gras, hide your wallets well. Even the front pocket can be picked. Don’t wear expensive jewelry, don’t carry a purse, and make sure your phones are in your pockets unless you are talking on them.
Non-kid friendly zones:
For my final helpful hint, I will say that the French Quarter is absolutely not a kid friendly area. The parades don’t actually go through the Quarter. It’s an area of town where the more risqué things take place. Ex: flashing for beads, extremely revealing costumes, and generally crazy drunken behavior. Mardi Gras is a family activity, however family fun doesn’t reach the Quarter so please be warned.
Lacie Nation
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Meet Lacie Nation!
My name is Lacie, I live in Columbus, Ga with my wonderful boyfriend. I have lived in Georgia for most of my life. I write when I am mad, sad, happy or well feeling pretty much any emotion. I write from a very personal place; there are a lot of things in my writing that I have been through and I add aspects of my own family and friends into my work.
My family and friends are my rock and if it weren’t for them I would have given up on getting published a long time ago.
Contact Info
Website: http://lacienation.weebly.com/
Blog: Soul Shaking Romance
Social Media: Facebook | Twitter
Want to purchase Lacie’s novels?
So Beautifully Broken at Amazon | All Romance Books
Courageous Dare at Amazon
Good-bye Agony
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Contest Time!
Thank you Lacie for taking the time to stop by Literary Escapism for our Authors After Dark on Bourbon Street event!
Larissa and I are giving away two $25 ARe gift certificates and to enter, all you have to do is answer this one question: What would be your helpful hint to attend Mardi Gras? While we’re at the AAD Conference, where should we hit up?Remember, you must answer the question in order to be entered
Even though we won’t be giving any additional entries, you can still help support the authors by sharing this event and their articles on your blog, Twitter, Facebook, or anywhere you can. After all, the more people who are aware of these fabulous authors will ensure we get more fabulous stories.
The contest will stay open until February 21st at which time we’ll determine the winners with help from the snazzy new plug-in I have, the Research Randomizer and the List Randomizer.
I have not been contacting winners, so you will need to check back to see if you’ve won.
I’d try some of the local specialties
My helpful hint would be to visit a local cemetary to get a sense of the history and perhaps a ghost or two!