2023 Mardi Gras with Julie

Midday yesterday (18 February), yours truly drove to Julie's house in Florissant. We had lunch featuring jambalaya and king cake for dessert. It was very nice.

After watching much of a Serie A match on TV (Inter vs Udinese), I drove us towards Soulard for the Mardi Gras celebration. After driving around for about 30 minutes and unable to find a parking spot amid the large crowds present, we parked at the garage just west of Busch Stadium and walked towards Soulard. Julie and I came across large crowds along Broadway near Soulard Farmers Market. 

We soon found a food stand, where we got a shish kabob, a funnel cake, and a cup of lemonade. Julie and I shared these items as we stood and looking upon the throng in the streets. We then walked up Broadway and Julie asked a firefighter about the evening parade that we had come for. He told her that parade is Tuesday night, not Saturday night. (There had been a daytime parade earlier that Saturday.) Disappointed, Julie and I walked back to the garage and returned to her home. 

We watched an animated film, "Turning Red," that was streamed on her TV. It was a fun movie to watch with an uplifting message about self-acceptance. Thus, Julie and I made the most of our day even with the original Mardi Gras plans upset.

The next morning, we had breakfast of bacon and donuts, plus cafe au lait. It was most delicious and a great beginning of the day. I left Julie's house late that morning, as Julie was getting ready for a friend's party. I headed home, stopping by Target to get some undershirts and Schnucks to get today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch, with its special St. Louis CITY SC preview section. The season begins this Saturday. I can't wait.

 

Later.

Websites of Entities Mentioned in this Post:

Serie A: Lega Serie A | Home

Soulard Mardi Gras: Contact Us | Soulard Mardi Gras 2023 | St. Louis, MO (stlmardigras.org)

Target: Target : Expect More. Pay Less.

Schnucks: Home | Schnucks

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | Breaking News | | Read St. Louis, MO and Missouri breaking news. Get latest news, events and information on Missouri sports, weather, entertainment and lifestyles. (stltoday.com)

St. Louis CITY SC: St. Louis CITY SC (stlcitysc.com)

Marching with the St. Louligans at Soulard Mardi Gras 2020

Yesterday morning (22 February), I drove to downtown St. Louis, parked in the garage just west of Busch Stadium and Ballpark Village, and walked to the staging area just south of the stadium. There, the floats and marchers of the Bud Light Grand Parade of the Soulard Mardi Gras (https://stlmardigras.org/) were assembled. I was there to march in the parade with others from the St. Louligans (https://stlouligans.com/). We were also promoting Saint Louis FC (https://www.saintlouisfc.com/) in the parade.

We gathered for just over two hours before the parade began at 11:00 am. Our group socialized, drank, and prepared our two carts that will hold the beads we would fling to the crowds gathered along the parade route.

We were early in the parade--unit 25 of approximately 100--and we began going down the path from south of Busch Stadium to just north of the Anheuser-Busch brewery in Soulard. Early on, I helped carry our banner at the front of our group. I switched off with someone later in the parade and went towards the back, and helped throw beads to the spectators. It was a lot of fun to do, helped by the pleasant weather for a February in St. Louis. It was the first time I ever attended a Mardi Gras celebration, much less marched in a Mardi Gras parade.

After the parade, I caught a ride on one of the cards up towards the staging area. I then walked around Busch Stadium and Ballpark Village before getting back to the car and driving out of the garage.

I stopped by a Popeyes (https://www.popeyes.com/) restaurant in Affton for lunch before returning home.

Later.