It’s Mardi Gras, people. Time to party. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

There are celebrations being held all over the world, but the two best are Carnival in Rio and the craziness of America’s own New Orleans. By best I mean the most drinking, parades, and public nudity. You may have your own ranking system.

If you can’t get to Brazil or New Orleans there are plenty of other places to enjoy the celebration before Lent sets in (although, my personal experience has shown a lot more people seem to partake in Fat Tuesday than Ash Wednesday — go figure).

St. Louis throws a nice party as does Mississippi’s West Coast (both of which offer lots of family fun). Most cities feature some sort of celebration, although they tend to focus on Fat Tuesday (February 21) rather than weeks of debauchery. San Diego claims to have the best party out west, but I recall one Fat Tuesday in Seattle that brought out police in riot gear, which is always a sign that things are pretty wild (also a sign that it is time to duck down an alley and get the heck out of there).

If you want something that the kids will enjoy (not that they won’t get a kick out of the above, but the parents will probably have a nervous breakdown), then check out the rolling good times at Disneyland. Yes, Disneyland. Parades start tomorrow (February 10) and the fun runs from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. in New Orleans Square (check link below for dates, subject to change).

Disney’s New Orleans Bayou Bash has all of your favorite Disney characters, street performers, food, and music, and runs well into March.

Unfortunately there isn’t any drinking at Disney’s party, but a quick walk through Downtown Disney, one of the Disney hotels or Disney’s California Adventure can wet your whistle quick enough. Please note, they do tend to frown on public nudity.

Party on!

Photo: Mark Gstohl via Flickr

This post is part of Uptake’s Wordless Wednesday Series. Words explaining why it is wordless don’t count.

Photo: Krystal International Vacation Club Flickr

To quote one of my favorite strolls into the spirit world, the classic western, Young Guns, “Did you guys see the size of that chicken?”

Well, thanks to this roadside attraction in Wisconsin (just drive around, you’ll find it), you can answer in the affirmative. You did see the size of that chicken, and it was wearing an awesome hat.

Roadside attractions are the best.

This post is part of Uptake’s Tuesday Roadside Attractions Series.

Photo:  via Flickr

The Monument to the Great Fire of London, or the Monument for short, is in London, of course, at the northern end of the London Bridge (not the one that was moved to Arizona).

The Monument is impressive from the outside, but this spiral stairway from inside the structure is rather impressive in its own right. The staircase has 311 steps. The monument serves as a scientific instrument and a mount for a panoramic camera system overseeing the city, both of which make it one of the more practical monuments out there.

This post is part of Uptake’s Monday Museums, Monuments and Memorials Series.

Photo: David Barrie via Flickr