I tried to go to Halloween in New Orleans last year. When I called to make reservations for Halloween weekend at Lafitte's Guest House, the desk clerk asked if I meant the "gay" Halloween or the "straight" Halloween. I thought he was joking and laughed, "Is there such a thing as a straight Halloween?"

Well he was serious. NOLA celebrates a gay Halloween the week BEFORE Halloween and a straight Halloween the week OF Halloween. As I had already gone to the trouble of arranging in January to have the day off, I wasn't about to change my plans. (Besides, HOW can you have Halloween the week before Halloween?)

The clerk tried to reassure me that straight Halloween would still be plenty gay, but he missed the point. There's no reason to go to NOLA for straight Halloween when everyone else from out of town will have gone the week before to gay Halloween. So I went to New York instead to the Village Halloween Parade (which is where I am going again this year).

So be sure to plan accordingly. Halloween might not be when you think it is in New Orleans.