Personally, since I live Uptown, I'd prefer to see Endymion back in Mid-City if, for no other reason, than to avoid the uniquely rude and territorial crowd of young white suburban types it tends to draw. The ladder is the bane of my Carnival existence and Endymion fans bring them out in force. But that's not all they bring. Endymion crowds usually begin to gather along the parade route one or two days before the actual parade. The squatters use ladders, spray paint and rope to claim and defend a plot of real estate on the neutral ground for themselves and their young white larvae. Woe to the parade goer who wishes to travel from one side of the street to the other by crossing the sovereign territory of the Endymion soccer mom. He will be treated to all manner of dirty looks and crude lectures about respecting her roped off piece of public property. This ridiculous sociopathic inability to comprehend the nature of a public event does not belong in Mardi Gras. Unfortunately it has established itself as standard behavior among the yuppies who throng for Endymion. And damn Warren Riley for trying to force that shit uptown.
Friday, January 05, 2007
The parade we love to hate
I must make sure I'm a Jayhawk sees Jeffrey's delicious assessment of the Endymion parade experience. It's a classic. Here's the soaring finale:
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Hey! You stole what I was going to do. I bet I love this post from the grumpy librarian more than you do. Let's see--I'll bet you a ketel one bloody mary at Fat's.
By 
, at
12:53 PM
That is indeed an instant classic.
Meanwhile, the former Rickey Prado and I, among others, are in the market for a furnished place to rent the week of Mardi Gras. If anyone out there know of a place near the Uptown route, send me an email: bigschott@hotmail.com.
Yeah, when my wife and I lived on Orleans Ave., we called those folks "The Ladder Brigade." Nothing ruins a parade worse than an unbroken wall of ladders. Worse, they erect this wall on the front row -- no one without a ladder has any hope of actually seeing the parade.
"The Ladder Brigade" is awfully tame and polite for what I call those folks. Certain NOPD don't stand for that shit but they can't hover or return to enforce anything. Personally, I give them looks back daring them to fuck with me or mine. I actually LIVE in Orleans parish and understand what "public" means.