Yeah. That ’bout covers it. Mardi Gras is Fat Tuesday, or the day before Lent begins. Shrove Tuesday is just another way to say the same thing…
Rather than getting spiritual on you, I have a question. Have you ever had a love at first sight experience with a place?
I have. New Orleans got under my skin almost as soon as we deplaned. Yes, I was there during Mardi Gras two years ago. (Photo from the airport) I didn’t have much time to be a tourist, but the locals were warm and welcoming, the food was some of the best I’ve ever eaten, and the whole cultural vibe – architecture, local flavors, etc. – was just different enough from my norm that I was fascinated… and in love.
So it’s natural that today, as Mardi Gras comes to a screaching halt at midnight, my thoughts turn to shrimp and cheese grits with a fine wine, beignets, purple, gold and green…
The Knight and I had the same reaction to Sedona, AZ. Those red rocks are rumored to have mystical properties, but regardless… we were instantly smitten with the small town and those red rocks.
OBX fall 2011
Likewise, we both routinely leave our hearts in OBX. We’re past due for a trip, and I hope we can squeeze one in VERY soon.
Be sure to catch my favorite OBX restaurant on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. It premiered last night, and I’m counting on the Knight and our DVR to have captured it for me. I believe it is the third OBX dining spot to be featured on that show, but I might have missed something…
I suppose that’s a hint as to how I bond with a spot. It’s the food, the environment and the memories made, and then those undefinable qualities that bind me. I mean… I’ve made great memories in other places too, but they aren’t on my heart list. For instance, DC is my college town and I love visiting, but it’s not a HEART place, nor is Chicago, even though I’ve had some of the best food ever in that city.
Where are your special places, and what gives them a hold on your heart?
Chan Knits 
We loved NOLA too! I loved all the little houses, but I think the two vacation spots we fell hardest for were Galveston Island in TX and the little spot where we went camping on Lake Champlain in VT… ahh the memories 🙂
The Teton mountains captured my heart when I first saw them, and they remain at the top of my list. Other places – the National Cathedral in DC, the Kona coast in Hawaii, and the Wind River mountains – complete my list.
For me, there’s no place like home 🙂
I loved Sedona. I really, really liked Cody, Wyoming of all places! and NoLA is on my must see of places along with your OBX. g
We stayed in a very old hotel in the French quarter in New Orleans when I was 16; loved loved loved the place, even if we somehow never quite got to where Dad said the world-famous beignets were.
We drove across the great Southwest that trip, too, that endless desert. I found it beautiful but alien and unspeakably lonely. (But hey, I was 16.)
There are many. I love Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, as it used to be when I lived there, before it was discovered. I love Gettysburg, PA because I feel a part of it’s history as I walk the streets and read the monuments and stand where Lincoln stood. I love Port Of Spain, Trinidad. It’s a big city with the feel of a small town. I love Acapulco, Mexico because it’s where Rob and I met. I love Copenhagen, Denmark, or as much of it as I saw because it seemed so clean and friendly. Most especially I love Moscow, Russia. Walking the streets you feel a part of history as if Dr Zhivago will suddenly appear.
Happy Pancake Day, Channon!!! I love New Orleans and Bananas Foster too, oh my! I’ve also been to so many great places in this beautiful country of ours. Is is OK if I say traveling America holds my heart? (Can’t wait to see your favorite on Diners.)
I love home best. And we’re holding Mercredi Gras, because my boys would be most irked if I forewent Brownie Tuesday for Mardi Gras King Cake. Some traditions just can’t be altered.
Funny, i have had that feeling about a few places, and it is usually centered around a good meal. One that sticks out was this TINY village in Switzerland, and Henry was just a tiny puppy. He was curled up on the seat next to me, and we ate fresh brook trout, and potatoes, and yummy swiss fendant wine. i will never, EVER forget that meal, or that town. That was our first vacation with Henry, and so many memories of that village, and that sweet sweet pup. :o)
The first time I visited my family in Nevada, I fell in love! My first time there and I felt like I had come home.
But I, too, fell in love with New Orleans. The mystery, history, music, and food! I’ve been there twice and can’t wait to return!
Ahhh the gorgeous Northwoods Of Wisconsin…Boulder Junction…The loons, the lakes, the hummingbirds. Endless canoeing. FIshing.
I fell in LOVE with the Arizona desert and Sedona too with Fireman. I didi not expect to LOVE the desert.
I fell in love with DIsneyworld……Yup. Fireman says he doesnt need to go back, but I want to.
and finally,
door county wisconsin….anytime ,everytime..magic
The moment we drove into Chicago it became my “forever in my heart” place! I love the desert too because I grew up in Yuma AZ and some of my best and worst memories are there. I’m told my speech patterns and mannerisms are strictly Arizona. I guess that means I don’t “wait ON line” or “go with” as they do in Chicago–just a boring desert rat!!
Victoria BC, Ireland, and Scotland all were “love at first sight” places for us. Why? Beautiful landscapes (and seascapes) interesting places to visit, nice people, good food….fun shops. Oh, and great music…what more could I need?
Baylor. Home for me is always Baylor where we met.
I completely feel you on loving New Orleans. My Mom and I went there shortly after I graduated. I’ve wanted to go back, but between Katrina and having two kids, it just hasn’t happened.