Laurie's light travel travel tips

One of my favorite hotels, Windsor Court in New Orleans , will be celebrating February 14 at its Grill Room with a special menu that includes champagne cocktails. The Grill Room Chef de Cuisine, Gabriel Charpentier, will whip up three menus with three price points and optional wine pairings, according to a press release I received this week. The meals "were inspired by foods traditionally considered aphrodisiacs. The multi-course theme includes five, seven and nine course options, which are paired with wines from Napa Valley, New Zealand and France, among others. Complimentary roses will also be offered to the ladies." Sign me up. Windsor Court is already romantic. Even if you're visiting alone, with family, or friends, the hotel's old world classic charm will make you feel like you're in a silent movie. Or perhaps starring in a mysterious novel set in the 1940's. Highlights of the Valentine’s Day menu with liquor and wine selections include: Gulf Oys...

The Mardi Gras season kicks off in New Orleans Friday, January 6th, known as Twelfth Night. Parades will continue through Mardi Gras Day on Tuesday, February 28th. The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau shares that Carnival season "welcomes more than one million revelers to the streets of New Orleans, generating more than $840 million for the local economy each year." Laissez les bons temps rouler, y'all! The Krewe of Rex chose the colors of Mardi Gras in 1872, with purple representing justice, gold representing power and green representing faith. Visit New Orleans any time of year and you'll find these colors strewn about the city, from tossed beads hanging from trees in the Garden District to the trinkets hawked in the French Quarter. To celebrate the season, make sure to buy a king cake! More than 500,000 king cakes are sold each year in New Orleans between January 6th and Fat Tuesday, and another 50,000 are shipped out-of-state via overnight courier. ...