Daily Herald (Newspaper) - December 12, 2004, Chicago, Illinois PAGE 4 SECTION DAILY HERALD SUNDAY DECEMBER 12 2004 Take your crew to a Mardi Gras krewe BY JACKY RUNICE Daily Herald As you probably know Lais sez les bon temps rouler is the party cry of New Orleans and Mardi Gras Let the good times roll But you dont necessarily want your kids watching the rolling of heads bodily fluids and girls gone wild during Mardi Gras in the Crescent City Unlike Las Vegas which for a time pur ported to be a family destination New Orleans does nt market its annual revelry as a great place to bring the toddlers or teens However that doesnt mean you cant experience the joy and fervor of Mardi Gras with your family Mardi Gras known for its street carnivals is drenched in purple gold and green colors signifying justice power and faith so youll see plenty of bead necklaces thrown by revelers during parades flashy masks and banners reflecting these colors Carnivals are held annu ally in many places such as Venice Italy Rio de Janeiro Brazil New Orleans and nearby St Louis Mo the second largest in the United States after New Orleans St Louis celebration has a distinctly French flavor with fes held in Soulard the citys historic entertainment district from the end of January to Feb 8 Fat Tuesday Families will want to attend the weekend that is geared for them the Taste of Strips Barkus Pet weekend which takes place Jan 29 and 30 The 17th annual Beggin Strips Barkus Pet Parade may be the largest pet parade in the world drawing more than 5000 beasts For ideas on accommodations go to or The Millennium Hotel St Louis for example offers a Mardi Gras Package that includes overnight accommodations breakfast parking and a complimentary Mardi Gras souvenir beginning at inclusive of tax but sub ject to availability Its valid from Jan 27 to Feb 6 For more information on the Mardi Gras package call 866 8668086 or visit Mardi Gras has been publicly observed on Galveston Island as early as 1867 and was later revived in 1985 so the 2005 cele bration marks the 18th consecutive year of Mardi Gras Galveston More than half a mil lion people attend the largest Mardi Gras celebration in Texas for 12 days of live music dra matic parades featuring glitzy costumes and This years theme salutes American patriotism with Mardi Gras Galveston Red White and Blue from Jan 28 Tuesday Feb 8 The second weekend of festivities draws par ents and tads with family ori live entertainment Family Day parade throwing me Seventh Annual Krewe of Barkus and Mardi Paws Parade of animals Gras Childrens Parade When you go to www you can book rooms purchase tick ets and check the calendar of events For more information call 888 4254753 Mobile Ala claims to hold an older dating back to 1703 and more pre Lenten party than New Orleans Mardi Gras time on the Gulf Coast is teeming with the tradi tional costumes and parades with zones and float riders tossing more than beads Moon Pies candy stuffed animals and baubles from enor mous plastic pacifiers to sunglasses Mobiles celebration features wholesome fun the whole family can enjoy Mardi Gras where it all began in Mobile Mother of Mystics Call 800 5662453 or go to html where you can get the low down on Mardi Gras Mobile style as well as book accommodations If you have your heart set on Louisiana consider alternatives to New Orleans such as Monroe or Lafayette for a Cajun country Mardi Gras Monroe promises all the bells beads and whistles including a COURTESY OF ST LOUIS CONVENTION VISITORS COMMISSION The Mystic Krewe of Barkus pet parade is one of several activities celebrated during Soulard Mardi Gras in St Louis Mardi Gras King and Queen plus Southern hospitality in a carnival atmos phere The Krewe of Janus rolls through Monroe on Jan 29 For more information call 800 8431872 Lafayette the heart of anas Cajun and Creole culture beckons with spicy tunes cos tumes balls and parades without costs and annoyances Checkout or call 800 3461958 Site helps you find trips easy on Earth and its inhabitants BY JUDY BABCOCK WYLIE Herald If you are planning to take an ecologically sound trip and want to make sure you aie making a good choice check our Responsible Travel at ib letr m The site lists 170 tour companies that truly benefit local communities and ecosystems Recently listed trips include a marine conservation expedition to Madagascar a family vacation to Lapland and community projects in Mexico For quick research there is Quick Explorer where you can 111 print choose a country a type of vacation and a special interest or activity and have several options pop up Choosing travel insurance is not easy Its hard to know when you are getting the right coverage at the best price as each trip may require a differ ent kind of insurance For insurance comparisons go to Insure which gives quotes from 14 insurance partners that offer 63 different insurance plans The information is laid out in a grid thats easy to understand Go to the Quotes page to do compar ison pricing Going to or through an miliar airport At you can get information on 56 airports worldwide including whats new in certain terminals which cabs buses and other ground transportation serve an airport and where to catch them park ing and hotels Current weather which airlines and flights serve the airport and directions to get there also are included First choose the part of the world where your airport of interest is found and select the airport name for general infor mation or click on News for the latest scoop The news may surprise you under Kansas Citys major airport one finds the note that official airport uniforms stolen a few months earlier are still missing There is also a section on the Worlds Best Airports that is fas reading In print About the Towels We Forgive You Tales of Borrowed Towels published by Spellbinders at is a charming look at a humane act performed by lodging company Holiday Inn In August 2003 the company announced Towel Amnesty Day offering complete forgiveness and amnesty to anyone who had ever taken a towel from a Holiday Inn hotel or motel For each brave former guest who was willing to confess on an official Web site a dollar was donated to a charity for termi nally ill children Many of the confessions stories and memo ries sent to the site are collected in this book along with photos of Holiday Inn postcards and ads published from the to the 1970s One former guest wrote about finding several towels after his father died and wrote Memo ries of summer vacation came flooding into my mind I learned to swim in your pools and Dad always wrapped me up in that famous white and green towel I will not return my newly discovered towels Sorry they hold too many memories of my Dad If this isnt enough to send you to the site to buy the book or to con fess your own towel story consider that part of the rev enues for each sale goes to charity You can also preview some of the stories in the book on the Web site
