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Post-Mardi Gras Travel: Saintly New Orleans

February 5, 2008 at 12:50 PM | by | Comments (0)

Come Wednesday morning, Mardi Gras will be over, and beads, streamers and beer bottles will be the only reminder of the fun. (Apart from that hangover, of course.) Somewhere in the mix, you were probably pretty naughty.

Luckily, New Orleans has just the cure for guilty partiers: Ash Wednesday! To kick off the Lenten holiday, during which Catholics give up at least one vice, we've got three recommendations for your post-Mardi Gras detox: church, fried food and spa treatments.

Repent in true New Orleans fashion at one of the city's most famous churches, the Saint Louis Cathedral. We doubt anyone celebrating Mardi Gras will make it to the church's 7:30 am Ash Wednesday service. The clergy must know it, too--additional services are scheduled for noon and 5 pm. Just remember to take off those beads before you kneel at the altar. 615 Pere Antoine Alley

If going to church after a week of hedonism seems just plain wrong, try our Plan B: fried food. Since red meat is a Lenten no-no, try one of New Orleans' fish fries, which take place at various churches and community outposts on Ash Wednesday. Load up on fried fish at the Our Lady of Lourdes, where the church's Men's Club will be serving up fatty platters for just $7. 4423 Lasalle St.

Scrub away your Mardi Gras sins and get your Zen on at Miss Celie's Spa Orleans. Located in the city's French Quarter (aka Jolie-Pitt territory), Miss Celie's has pampered customers for 125 years. What began as an outpost for southern socialites now offers a variety of Japanese- and Tibetan-themed treatments. We recommend the $110, 75-minute Ma-Koh-Doh-Ssage, a four-step relaxation and soul-cleansing massage that relieves tired muscles with the aide of various incense fragrances. 914 N. Rampart St.

Related Stories:
· Saint Louis Cathedral [Official site]
· Miss Celie's Spa Orleans [Official site]
· Season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday [Times-Picayune]
· New Orleans coverage [Jaunted]
· New Orleans Travel Map [Jaunted]

[Photo: TNDeltaPhi474]

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