Where to Get Your Party On During Mardi Gras

As I mentioned in a previous blog we’re just wrapping up Christmas celebrations at our home (round three of gift opening took place on Sunday—the Epiphany or Three Kings Day) and now another big celebration is just around the corner. Mardi Gras (a.k.a. Carnival) is less than a month away and if you plan to party like a college coed at the world’s hottest Fat Tuesday blowouts then you’d better make your travel plans now. Tickets to the best parties in New Orleans, Rio de Janeiro and Trinidad are going fast. The festivities peak on February 5th and lucky for … Continue reading

The Big Easy Getting Ready for the Big Game

The Big Easy is getting a big boost from loyal football fans and travelers who are simply looking for a place to party. As I mentioned in my previous blog dozens of my pals from Hawaii boarded 16-hour flights from Honolulu to New Orleans to watch our beloved Bows get bowled over by Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Tuesday. Now, it’s time for Ohio State fans to make the trip to the Crescent City to watch the Buckeyes take on LSU in the coveted Bowl Championship Series title game on Monday night. No doubt about it… it’s prime tourism … Continue reading

Ringing in 2008 in New Orleans on a Full Stomach

Forget about New York’s Times Square, for college football fans the place to be this New Year’s Eve is New Orleans. If you haven’t been following my guest blogs in the FOOD category then you might be unaware that the state of Hawaii has experienced a mass exodus. Half the Islands’ population is in the Big Easy right now anxiously awaiting the kick-off to the biggest college football game in University of Hawaii history. Tuesday night the Hawaii Warriors take on the Georgia Bulldogs in the Sugar Bowl. Which means if you plan to bid farewell to 2007 in New … Continue reading

New Orleans Streetcars Back on Track

They are the city’s most recognizable tourist draws, but they have been missing from the landscape since Hurricane Katrina knocked them out of service more than two years ago. Now, they are back (partially) and visitors to New Orleans can once again board the historic streetcars to catch a live jazz show or head over to the French Quarter for a crawfish boil. The legendary St. Charles Avenue streetcar returned to service at 5:27 a.m. Sunday, exactly two years, two months and 13 days after Katrina’s horrific winds snapped transit poles like twigs. City officials say the return of the … Continue reading

A Kinder, Gentler, Healthier Cup of Coffee

Good news, coffee lovers: coffee may just be good for you! Outside of caffeine addiction and calorie-laden specialty drinks, a cup of java does have some health benefits for us. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, International Journal of Cancer, and Prevention magazine all agree: two or three cups of caffeinated drinks (including coffee) each day can give more than your energy level a boost! Cut your risk of dying from heart disease by thirty one percent or more. Lower your risk of developing colon cancer. Premium blends may be chock full of cancer-fighting antioxidants (some more than others). Want … Continue reading