Mar

Super Sunday 08

By Tess

March 16th was Super Sunday, and back in its usual spot- last year it got moved out because of weather issues- specifically, it was really windy, and once you’ve gotten a look at those costumes you know that a windy day would not be your friend.

So I called Michelle to see if she wanted to go see the spectacle with me, and much to my surprise, Ms. NOLA had never been, so off we went.

I still have enough Yankee in me to think, “Ok, the schedule says it starts at 11, so if we’re there about 20 minutes early…”

Things, naturally, didn’t even start cranking up until about noon. Until then, we wandered around the neighborhood and had a generally excellent time even before the Indians got going.

We were at the intersection of Washington and Lasalle, where the Uptown tribes gather before marching out. The Indians behaved like the royalty they are. They preened and posed happily without actually acknowledging any of the peasantry.

There were two men in a rental car sitting at the corner – the only other people there before us- one an Englishman, the other Italian, and unsure about whether they were welcome. We explained that the tribes spend all year making these costumes by hand, and they want as many people as possible to appreciate it.

Later in the afternoon we saw them again, and they were amazed at the scene, interested but still uncomfortable. They had many questions they’d like to ask a local, but weren’t ready to talk to the locals from this decidedly lower-income neighborhood. We seemed comparatively safe, I guess, and their questions were interesting- a contrast between not only Europe and the US but the US and New Orleans.

We wandered off again and enjoyed the gorgeous day along with a fair number of our neighbors.