November 20, 2001

Bourbon Street, New Orleans

Hearing about Bourbon Street in New Orleans is one thing; experiencing it is another. I knew it was the place where thousands of people party during Mardi Gras, but I had never really imagined it. Thirteen of us arrived in New Orleans on the evening of October 25, and within a few hours, we were making our way to the notorious Bourbon Street.

After being subjected to horrendous airplane food, we were ready for some real food. We found a restaurant that would seat all of us, and I tasted calamari for the first time. With good food in our stomachs, we finally arrived on Bourbon Street. Both sides were lined with clubs, and tourist shops were scattered in between. None of us could decide which place to explore first, so we just wandered the street for a while, taking in the sights.

As the night wore on, the alcohol began to take effect. I'd only heard about women flashing for beads, but I now know what it is like to have men up on the balconies waving and hollering, attempting to get the attention of females on the street below. A large, cheering crowd in the middle of the street generally means that one or more females are about to flash the men above them.

I'm not much of a drinker, but even I had to have a famed Hurricane. I felt the alcohol kick in, but I sipped slowly enough that I never got more than slightly tipsy. I was on Bourbon Street, and I did not want to remember it as a distant haze of alcohol-clouded memories. Some members of our party, though, proceeded to get thoroughly drunk. We were moving to music in a club when one of our very drunk group members began to flip off the band. He didn't stop until the lead singer punched him twice in the face. We miraculously avoided a fight, and moved on. Yes, we were partying on Bourbon Street.

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