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

It’s your day, America, and despite a bit of work here and there, you look great — just look at all the room in your belt.

Oh, wait. That’s the St. Louis Arch, but it’s like a belt. It’s the gateway to the west, and that’s pretty cool, too.

There are fireworks going off in every part of the country tonight, from Disney parks to local parks, Las Vegas to Atlantic City. Find a place to celebrate some freedom, America. You deserve it.

Please celebrate safely!

Photo: AddyG via Flickr

Said the Giving Tree.

Valentine’s Day, in case you didn’t get the memo, is all about romance. It’s about couples courting and expensive ways to say I love you. Also, scoring.

Hey, I’m a romantic.

Turns out I’m not the only one. In a very unscientific study conducted by the bloggers of UpTake we surmised that more wedding proposals take place on Valentine’s Day than any other day of the year. Possible runners-up included Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Birthdays and the Super Bowl. Last on the list were Arbor Day and April, 15.

We, and by “we” I mean “I” because everyone else went on with their lives, decided to make a list of the most romantic spots in America to propose on Valentine’s Day. There are no numbers to back this up and the ranking is based solely on my idea of what everyone else should be doing. I have lots of lists like this.

That said, here they are:  Read More »

MLK Parade in Seattle

Cities all across America are celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this weekend. Here is a list of cities with popular events and parades (click name of city for event list):

Houston

Seattle

Atlanta

New Orleans

San Francisco

Philadelphia

Boston

San Diego

Miami

Indianapolis

Chicago

Washington, D.C.

New York City

Los Angeles

Denver

St. Louis

Dallas

Obviously there are more cities celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. King –  if your town isn’t listed please check your local paper or community website for more information.

Photo by Seattle Municipal Archives via Flickr