#mardi-gras

#mardi-gras

"The Fine Art and Design sale brings together an exciting selection of works that reflect some of the most enduring ideas in modern and contemporary art. You'll find pieces that explore the human form as a space for storytelling and identity, alongside works that offer nuanced perspectives on sexuality."

The parade is slated to step off at 2 p.m., with thousands of pipers, dancers and spectators expected to pack a roughly ten-block route.

The territory was named La Louisiane in 1682 by French explorer René-Robert Cavelier de La Salle, in honor of King Louis XIV, who claimed for France the vast Mississippi River basin. When French settlers later founded New Orleans in 1718, the region quickly became a center of French culture in North America.

It's a standard trope in portrayals of assimilated Jews to open with a scene built around a Christmas tree. That's how Tom Stoppard's " Leopoldstadt" and Alfred Uhry's " Last Night of Ballyhoo" begin, and also Ian Buruma's memoir about his grandparents, " Their Promised Land." The idea is, as soon as you show that, you've got the audience's full attention, especially if it's a Jewish audience, because it's so peculiar.

On Staten Island, Shrove Tuesday is a chance to celebrate with neighbors and friends before the hush of Lent settles over the borough. But the tradition has grown surprisingly scarce. This year, based on my research, only three congregations are firing up their griddles for the pre‑Lenten ritual-all free, with freewill donations accepted-serving pancakes, sausage, and the kind of fellowship that has defined the day for generations.

BAY RIDGE - FASTELAVN, THE DANISH VERSION OF MARDI GRAS, comes to Bay Ridge on Saturday, Feb. 7. The Scandinavian East Coast Museum sponsors this annual event, held in advance of the penitential season of Lent, which is observed in many Lutheran countries, including in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Lent begins early this year, on Feb. 18, which will be Ash Wednesday. Bay Ridge carries a rich Scandinavian history dating back to the immigration waves of the mid-19th century and again post-World War II.

In December, New Orleans saw its active listing count at 1,829, a 6.6% decrease from the previous year. This drop in inventory set the city apart from the national scene, where active listings rose by 12.1%. With newly listed homes also dipping by 2.9% year-over-year to 266, the inventory tightened, creating an exclusive market atmosphere and sparking interest for buyers looking for distinct opportunities.

I'm chowing down on a mini King Cake, my breakfast. It's a braided cinnamon Danish sprinkled with purple, green, and gold edible glitter, with a cream cheese filling and a little plastic baby perched astride. The baby represents the infant Jesus and is said to bring luck (and an obligation to host the next fête, if he shows up in your slice.)

Shia LaBeouf had a hectic weekend down in New Orleans, where bartenders and Mardi Gras attendees alike testified to his erratic behavior before he was arrested on February 15 for two charges of simple battery. For those of us of a certain age, the news of LaBeouf popping up at a random bar in a random city and wreaking havoc is borderline old-fashioned. He made a habit of this in the 2010s,

So Year of the Horse, it's energy, it's passion, it's momentum so a lot of things that we're really hoping to embody in the new year. We're in the home stretch. We've got a couple of days left and we've got a nice little team that's cranking out all the finishing work that needs to go into it.

The Creole Nature Trail is a 180-mile scenic byway that cuts through Louisiana's Cajun Country, also known as Acadiana. The area, which is often called "Louisiana's Outback," is different from the Louisiana you thought you knew; instead of bayous, this part of the state is home to vast marshes, coastal prairies, waterways, and undeveloped Gulf beaches. And it's all accessible off of the Creole Nature Trail.

It was a storm, worse than this,

Many of the great wonders of the world, from iconic buildings to national parks, are preserved and open to the public, but some are tucked away on private land where only a few can enjoy them. One such wonder-a natural spring-fed lake just an hour north of New Orleans-opened to the public for the first time last summer, giving Louisianans and visitors access to a surreal, bright-blue lake lined with white sand beaches.

At first glance, Buck & Johnny's, a restaurant just outside Lafayette, Louisiana, looks unremarkable: a warehouse-like space with exposed brick, a large dance floor, and walls decorated with football helmets and old oil company signs. Then, a five-piece band strikes up in the corner. Louisiana zydeco rolls across the room, driven by accordion and the full-body washboard frottoir (a percussion instrument). Couples of all ages gravitate to the dance floor, stepping, spinning, and swaying with varying degrees of confidence.