Not Too Late to Plan a Mardi Gras Trip

Widely celebrated for its extraordinary music, eclectic cuisine, and festive spectacles, New Orleans is perhaps best known for Mardi Gras – a hedonistic, multi-week bash that precedes the Catholic season of Lent and has long been one of the city's most anticipated annual events. For several weeks each year, revelers celebrate the joyous Carnival season with neighborhood parties, decadent balls, and boisterous parades, featuring elaborate floats, marching bands, motorcycle squads, costumed dancers, and oodles of colorful trinkets. Even with this popular holiday quickly approaching, though, it's not too late to plan a trip to the Big Easy for Mardi Gras celebrations held during this month and in February.

For those hoping to experience this year's Mardi Gras madness, here are several tips that might help you maximize your time during the Big Easy's Carnival season: more >>

Exploring Kansas City with a Longtime Expert, Part 3

In the first part of my interview with Diana Lambdin Meyer – who, with her husband, photographer Bruce N. Meyer, created the Kansas City Uncovered mobile app ($2.99) for Sutro Media – we discussed Kansas City's numerous fountains, varied museums, and assorted outdoor activities, plus the differences between Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas City, Kansas. In the second part, meanwhile, Diana suggested other indoor attractions and offered her top picks for local shopping opportunities, the city's best views, nightlife and barbecue hotspots, and KC's more romantic diversions. more >>