New Orleans Christmas Parade and Decorations

Saturday, the roommate and I had some time to kill while we waited for our friend to meet us at the World War II Museum after lunch. So, the two of us found a sunny spot on Canal Street and took in the parade! When the parade ended, we walked up Canal to the end of the parade route at Elks and were entertained by dueling high school marching bands. Honestly, I have never seen anything like it and have to add it to my "only in Louisiana" list: one band played a tune with corresponding auxiliary and flag team choreography, they then challenged the other band to top their performance. After the Christmas Parade, the roommate and I continued to stall before the WWII Museum by checking out the Christmas decorations on and around Canal Street.

Our first stop was to The Shops at Canal Mall had a large tree with carolers wandering the mall in period attire and generally frightening shoppers - always entertaining to observe!

Our next stop was to the lobby at the Sheraton on Canal, whose window display depicts a Cajun Night Before Christmas. I have not Wikapdeia-ed this story, yet, to prove that such a Christmas Classic does exist, so I am taking the word of two of my favorite Louisianans that it does. According to their telling of the story, Santa had a skiff instead of a sleigh, alligators in place of reindeer, and a white alligator (yes, Virginia, they do exist) instead of Rudolf. As I said: only in Louisiana!

Upon leaving the WWII Museum, we continued our holiday lights and decoration viewings by going to the Hilton on Bourbon and enjoying their teddy bear trees!

The Roosevelt was next on our list of free holiday light displays to see and it was fantastic! Their main lobby was lined on both sides with flocked evergreens and bare perennial trees decked in lights in keeping with the Winter Wonderland theme.

Touring the lighted tree display at The Roosevelt gave us the opportunity to check out John Besh's restaurant and bar in the hotel, Sazurac. The four of us only sampled the bar offerings in the lounge Saturday evening and will have to go back for dinner on another trip. With the prime goal of the restaurant trip largely to confirm that the food served at his restaurant is better than the Specialty Holiday Cocktails listed on the drink menu. The bartenders made a mean Gin and Tonic (G & T), but steer clear of the Holiday Specials (Mrs. Claus, Jingle Bells, and Mistletoe) unless you like the taste of rubbing alcohol! Had the roommate and I not split a Jingle Bell (ordered on Jingle Bell and an empty glass), then I might have felt bad about NOT finishing the coffee beverage. Not only did the two of us dislike this drink, but our two friends with us tried them and agreed they were terrible. A member of our party ordered the Mistletoe, which tasted like sweaty socks dipped in Yeager with a twist of lemon.

Unfortunately, I think this is how these cocktails are supposed to taste and we were not being overly critical that night because we saw others in the lounge order the same drinks and leave without finishing them. (Obviously this could mean anything, but I feel better assuming that it was because they also thought the cocktails were terrible. Plus, we overheard a man tell his wife that her Mrs. Clause was awful after he teased her for not drinking it and then proceeded to taste it.)