Three Birds, One Stone
Bird One: Mark (Bucket List), go check out this Mardi Gras thing.
Bird Two: Matthew, take more flights on Southwest Airlines.
Bird Three: Matthew, go see New Orleans for the first time.
Day One
Arrive, explore the area - east of the French Quarter, the French Quarter, including Bourbon Street
Take a break at Armstrong Park, then go checkout some jazz on Frenchmen Street.
Day Two: 2 Parades
There were many more floats in each parade than what is shown here; I pared down the selection to provide enough to get a sense of the variety, but with some brevity.
Krewe of Iris
Krewe of Tucks
Both Matthew and I got a TON of loot - it was too much to take back with us, so we left most of it behind.