Always ready to party, I can't hide my excitement when I hear that a Mardi Gras train route has started running from Mobile, Alabama, to New Orleans, Louisiana.
But before getting on board I first have to check out things to see and do in the original home of Mardi Gras in the US.
New Orleans was only a swamp at that time and didn't enjoy its first Mardi Gras until it was founded 15 years later.
Rio and Cologne may be synonymous with Mardi Gras but the Deep South of the United States has carved a special niche that ensures Mardi Gras endures year-round.
In 1703, Mobile launched the first Mardi Gras and reshaped it with the introduction of the creole and indigenous cultures of America's Deep South. New Orleans was only a swamp at that time and didn't enjoy its first Mardi Gras until it was founded 15 years later.
I start my journey at the Mobile Carnival Museum where guide Cart Blackwell fills me in on the history.
'Each year the parade picks a theme and it can be as erudite as classical mythology or accessible as superheroes,' he tells us.
The Exclesior Band marches in a Mardi Gras parade | Visit Mobile
He takes me through the rooms to see the fantastical costumes, most costing several thousand dollars. The economic implications of Mardi Gras are huge, as thousands are employed in the build-up to the celebrations, not to mention the money spent during the three weeks of festivities.
Later I jump on a trolley tour outside the History Museum of Mobile. It takes me over the Mobile River to Battleship Memorial Park, where the line-up of aircraft would leave any fan of the movie Top Gun salivating.
The USS Alabama is tied up at the dock side and this is definitely a full-day excursion for fans of military transport. The trolley tour continues through the suburbs and I'm dropped off at Callaghan's Irish Social Club, where I'm told the entire city of Mobile congregates on St Patrick's Day to party through the night.
The annual St. Patrick's Day celebration at Callaghan's Irish Social Club | Visit Mobile
Acting as a music venue in the evening, country music local boys The Red Clay Strays have played here.
Photographs of generations of the Callaghan family pictured all over the world line the walls as well as some well-known faces. Top tip - the burgers here are legendary.
I'm staying at The Admiral Hotel in the city centre close to Dauphin Street and a choice of trendy bars and restaurants. This boutique hotel tells a visual story of the city's French legacy. A giant portrait of the Sun King Louis XIV stands next to life-size sculptures of prancing horses and crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling. The bedrooms are plush with purple velvet and gold touches that are enough to make any guest feel like royalty.
The lobby of The Admiral | The Admiral
Continuing the French theme, the restaurant [Le Moyne's Chophouse] and cafe [Le Café] are packed with pastries and cuisine that offers a taste of Paris. It's another slice of Mardi Gras but on a decadent level.
GETTING ON TRACK
Her excitement is infectious and I return to my business class seat with a better appreciation of what the opening of this route means to the locals.
It's time to board the Mardi Gras Train and I arrive at the station just before dawn, where I'm met by a giddy level of enthusiasm. While in the queue I start to chat with Lisa, who is suitably ready for Mardi Gras clad in layers of glittering beads and wearing a glitzy star antennae headband.
'I'm on my way to meet my college friends, we haven't seen each other for 20 years - as long as it took for this train to get back on track,' she giggles. 'Last time we met we went to see Candi Staton and we're going to see her again.'
Her T-shirt is printed in green, gold and purple - colours that represent the motto of Mardi Gras, truth, power and justice. Her excitement is infectious and I return to my business class seat with a better appreciation of what the opening of this route means to the locals.
Read about the rest of Michelle's adventures on the Amtrak Mardi Gras Service at Evoke.ie.
