The First Year I was timid.  I went to the uptown parades and stood at the corner of Napolean and St. Charles (across from Copeland's) and caught as many beads as possible.  I would trudge back to my dorm with a sore neck from the weight of the beads.

The Second Year I was a little more daring.  On Fat Tuesday, my friend and I followed one of the parades down from uptown to the quarter.  We waded through a sea of people on Burbon Street watching women crowd surf across the people from bar to bar (and losing different articles of clothing as they went).  I made it back to campus and had an 800 class the next morning.  I didn't bother going home I just went to the lecture with my beads and put my last beer in the trash can outside the classroom.

The Third Year I had to flu and missed some of the parades.  I caught the floats as they were making their way to their routes on the way to block buster and still collected a bunch of cups and medallions.

The Last Year I went to some of the parades that were earlier in the year.  Then I took a cruise to Cozumel (5 days for 200 dollars) during Mardi Gras break.  They had parties and parades in the streets for Carnival and it was a similar, but more rustic experience.  This might have been my favorite time out of the four.

Comfy shoes for walking.

A buddy.  Going by yourself to some of these parades is fun... but it can be a little scary if you get groped in a crowded street and don't have someone to run interference (I'm a guy and still got groped... must be as bad or worse for girls).