Mardi Gras

JetBlue to JFK, then on to New Orleans for a week during Mardi Gras. The Holiday Inn in the French Quarter to start, then an Airbnb in the Bywater neighborhood for the main stretch.

The Krewe of Freret parade and the Shorty Gras event at Mardi Gras World were the highlights. New Orleans during carnival season is controlled chaos — brass bands around every corner, beads flying, second lines erupting out of nowhere. The food alone was worth the flight.

I’d go back to New Orleans in a heartbeat. It’s one of those American cities that doesn’t feel quite like America — its own food, its own music, its own rules.