The music was so intoxicating that it was impossible to stand still or to even walk without a rhythmic gait.

The food smells were equally overpowering. Not only had all the local markets, bars and restaurants opened their doors and set tables and chairs in front, but hundreds of people were cooking on the streets as well. Barbecue grills sizzled with chicken, ribs, sausages, and pots of boiled crawfish, corn-on- the-cob, red beans and rice, gumbos, and zatarans of various flavors. Even if one had eaten a full-course meal before arriving, it would have been impossible not to indulge and sample as many selections of tastes as your wallet or stomach could tolerate.

Late afternoon, the Endymion parade began its long route to town, through the French Quarter and that would eventually end at the Superdome, where the Endymion Ball would take place. To see these parades on television is...
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