It was the fact that everyone was welcomed in what his family called the "Mardi Gras house," whether they were on the 50-page guest list or revelers in otherworldly costumes dancing on the streets.

“If you say, ugh we can’t go to New Orleans, ugh it’s jam packed, well then just go to the Mardi Gras House Float!” His decorations will of course stay up throughout Carnival Season.

Mardi Gras always takes a toll ... In a panic, with tears in her eyes, she called my wife, who was at a nearby house party: “Mom, you’ve got to come here now! Dad broke his tooth!” ...

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets of New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras with parades and partying, leaving behind an avalanche of waste. At dawn Wednesday ...