Mardi Gras Walk (ORLEANS, Hudson, Franklin)

Three, three, three streets in one!

We'll meet at Deko Cafe, 715 S. Dearborn St and then head over to Franklin and walk north. Franklin turns into Orleans at the river and ends at Wisconsin.

These two streets combined aren't long enough for a decent February walk so we will head north to Webster and go south on Hudson Ave, ending at Erie St.

The 6.67 mile point to point route can be found here.

Hudson Ave, named for the English navigator Henry Hudson, who explored America from about 1607 - 1611. He discovered the Hudson River in 1610.

Orleans St. was named for either New Orleans, LA, or the French city of Orleans on the banks of the Loire River. in 1429 Orleans was under siege by the English. They were turned back by Joan of Arc.

How do Hudson and Franklin tie into New Orleans, Orleans or Mardi Gras? Well, I'll tell you. Or I should say, ChatGPT will tell you this:
The most direct and concrete connection between the names Hudson and Franklin with Mardi Gras is through a single historical figure and a specific event:

The strongest link is a historical figure who brought the names together during a major Mardi Gras season:

• Mary Hudson Vandegrift (originally Mary Evelyn Hudson) was a successful businesswoman who founded the Hudson Oil Company.
• In 1965, she was crowned Queen of the Krewe of Venus, which was the first all-female Mardi Gras krewe established in New Orleans.
• The archival records of her Mardi Gras experience explicitly mention her husband, Frank Vandegrift.

The record states that a scrapbook album relating to the event includes correspondence and ephemera surrounding both the 1965 Mardi Gras celebration and her 20th wedding anniversary to her husband, Frank Vandegrift (1898-1977).

My lunch suggestion is Mr. Beef on Orleans and Huron. I have yet to dine at this iconic Chicago staple made popular lately by the high-intensity show, The Bear.