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

One of the many public murals in Philadelphia

Whenever I visit a city, I pay close attention to the amount of public art I do or don’t see. It seems to be indicative of how cool the entire city will be and often how much there will be to do in the area. It’s no surprise that these three cities then are known for being great places to visit.

3 Cities with Great Public Art

Philadelphia - Tour guides here claim that the city has more public murals than any other city in the country. With over 3,000 murals painted on the sides of buildings all over town, it’s possible. The great thing about Philadelphia is the variety of public art that’s available. You’ll find paintings, sculpture, and even mosaic tile work.

Chicago – Like Philadelphia, Chicago takes support the arts seriously and uses the Percent for Art Ordinance to help fund public art projects whenever a municipal buildings are built or renovated. Today, the city’s most famous public art piece is the massive sculpture informally known as The Bean (actually called Cloud Gate) set at Millenium Park. Another incredible display of public art is found at the City Gallery in the Historic Water Tower, an exhibit dedicated to photographs of Chicago.

Seattle – It’s a little tragic that there’s so much public art on display outdoors in a city that gets an average of 158 days of rain each year. The good news is the “rain” is usually a drizzle so you can still technically get out there and see all the creativity this unique city has to offer. With literally hundreds of sculptures in Seattle, it’s virtually impossible not to pass by one or two while walking around. The Seattle Art Museum’s Olympic Sculpture Park is also a great place to go to see several pieces in one place.

We spend a lot of family time in the car. Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t always quality time. However, a quick pit stop can fix that.

While parks are nice, you may not have the time to drive that far off the freeway. Never fear, coffee shops (like Issaquah Coffee pictured above) are great places for kids to sip a hot chocolate and unwind. Please note, espresso in kids may have the opposite effect.

This post is part of UpTake’s Wordless Wednesday Series. If you would like to see your photo featured here please contact us via the link in the sidebar using subject line: WW.

Photo: Whit Honea

There is nothing quite like fall. It is crisp and cool, the leaves change color — and then leave. It’s hard to beat.

Take a walk, you’ll thank me.

This post is part of UpTake’s Wordless Wednesday Series. If you would like to see your photo featured here please contact us via the link in the sidebar using subject line: WW.

Photo:  Whit Honea (taken in Redmond, WA)