i've never been but a lot of people have said it hasn't been the same since katrina. i love earthcam, though. i seriously spent a whole half hour looking at the elephant pool in bali laughing and clapping like a moron when they sprayed water at themselves with their trunks. the hd feeds on some of those cams are incredible. that resort in the philippines is a 24 hour party.
don't even get me started on abbey road in london. fucking tourists holding up traffic every 2 minutes to pose for pictures.
but no, i don't know a whole lot about mardi gras except for what others have said.