New Orleans ponders effects of economy on Mardi Gras

NEW ORLEANS -- As the revelry of Mardi Gras faded into the quiet of Lent, the question for the city became how much the troubled economy, threat of war and bad weather kept crowds down.

At midnight, mounted police cleared Bourbon Street to officially end Mardi Gras. An expansive citywide trash pickup began early Wednesday.

New Orleans historically has measured the economic success of Mardi Gras, the city's tourism bonanza, by the weight of trash left behind. That estimate is not expected for several days.

Word on the street was that crowds were smaller and more mellow than in recent memory.

"It used to be crazy for two weeks. This year it was just the long weekend," said Rio Hackford, owner of El Matador bar in the French Quarter.

His theory as to why?

"We're practically at war and people don't want to travel," he said.

Mardi Gras, in its final days, was still the crowd-pleasing, pagentry-rich, hilarious, and at times libidinous celebration that it has long been.

Healthy crowds cheered as revelers paraded by, showering them with plastic bead necklaces and other trinkets. People in creative, satirical costumes -- from jailed Louisiana politicians to soldiers carrying flags with oil company symbols -- crowded French Quarter streets on Fat Tuesday.

And some didn't mind that there was a little less trash and a little more room than in recent years. Locals say Mardi Gras has become too commercial and the crowds too big.

"It was a mild Mardi Gras, but it was fine," said Stuart Smith, who hosted a party for family and friends in his French Quarter home.

"A lot of locals leave now during Mardi Gras, and I think if they knew it was going to be how it was this year, they would have stayed. The city has done a much better job keeping the streets clean. I'd say, despite the weather, it was the best Mardi Gras in a decade."

The weather was misty and cool. Yet it didn't seem to dampen enthusiasm.

"It's cold, the world is going to hell, but how can you stay home?" asked Michael Patrick of Baton Rouge, who was decked out in Elvis Presley splendor. "It's not the best day, but it's better than the rest of the world where it's just Tuesday."

A dozen maskers calling themselves the Krewe of Homeland Security wore plastic drapes and duct tape, with colored dots representing smallpox. They handed out Mardi Gras Alerts, declaring the security status as purple, green and gold, the traditional Carnival colors.

The temperature, which never got out of the low 60s, felt colder as the day wore on and the wind rose.

That didn't stop Rob Alexander of New York and Tim Brown of Miami from wearing only diapers, gold crowns and shoes for the party.

"It's on the cold side, but we've worn this costume every year," Alexander said. "We didn't want to break a tradition."