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New Orleans Already Gearing Up for Mardi Gras
It's that time of year when Americans start wondering how they're ever going to come up with the motivation to stay positive through two more months of winter, and for many of us, the answer becomes two crystal clear words: Mardi Gras.
For most, the words now evoke an over-the-top, Girls Gone Wild party scene, and while we don't have any particular problem with that, true Mardi Gras fans know that Fat Tuesday is just the culmination of six weeks of Carnival celebrations, and the parties leading up to the big event are some of the most exciting (and less tourist-y) times in New Orleans.
Tags: Spas / Restaurants / Churches / Mardi Gras / → All Tags
Post-Mardi Gras Travel: Saintly New Orleans
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.
Tags: Voluntourism / Volunteer Travel / New Orleans Travel / Mardi Gras / → All Tags
Volunteer Travel: Pitch In, Then Party
We're in disbelief that it's already time to plan for Mardi Gras, but Easter--and thus Fat Tuesday--comes early next year. And instead of simply guzzling hand grenades on Bourbon Street, maybe you could lift a finger or two to help rebuild New Orleans?
Hands Up Holidays makes it easy with a nine-day trip from January 28 to February 6 that includes an invite to the black tie ball at Mardi Gras. You'll earn it by working at Habitat for Humanity's Musicians' Village, a development in the Upper 9th Ward designed to lure artists back to the city. Even President Bush has chipped in on the project, so you should be able to hack it.
You'll also have time for fun on the trip, with plantation and swamp tours and a flight-seeing excursion. Accommodations are at the Hotel Monteleone, which is a great place right in the French Quarter. While the price tag for the trip seems steep at $2,500, booking a hotel for nine nights on the run-up to Mardi Gras will cost you close to that. Might as well have some fun and do some good while you're at it.
Related Stories:
· Hands Up Holidays [Official Site]
· New Orleans Field Trip [Jaunted]
· New Orleans Travel coverage [Jaunted]
· Video Tour of the Hotel Monteleone [HotelChatter]
· Volunteer Travel coverage [Jaunted]
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Post-Flood Guide to New Orleans
Due to Katrina, Fodor's never released its 2006 guide to New Orleans even though it had already been printed. Its 2007 edition won't be ready for months, but in the meantime my former colleagues have put up on the web a free 32-page PDF guide for Mardi Gras and beyond.
--John Rambow
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C'est Levee in New Orleans
Mardi Gras itself is still a couple weeks away, but the parades began this past weekend. The first, run by Krewe de Vieux, is famous for its wit and raunch -- Fleshbot blogger Jonno's photoset makes us sorry we missed it.
Related links:
· Mardi Gras page [NOLA.com]
· How big will scaled-down Mardi Gras celebration be? [USA Today]
· NOLA: Krewe du Vieux parade snapshots [Boingboing]
