With the luck of the Irish and the American origins of St. Patrick’s Day parades, a small group of friends and cousins began a tradition of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in a different city each year. We choose St. Patrick’s Day because there are no gifts expected, no expectations of being at a relative’s home and March is just a good month to enjoy a much needed getaway weekend for all of us.
We chose a different location each year and went to some of the most notable cities around the U.S. for St. Patrick Day parades. A few happened to be hometown visits for friends, but all were recognized as great parades and where we could just have some good old fun and make cherished memories together. Yes, this included the drinking of green beer, or for some Irish whisky, and sporting all our green clothes at the same time (yes, that meant green shirts, socks, sweaters, hats, scarfs, funny glasses, face stickers, light-up necklaces, and more). Of course, we always had a bucket or two of green beaded necklaces to give away to those passerby’s that didn’t look festive enough. While we were there, we would always take a day or two before or after the grand parades to visit the city’s historical sights, local museums, and enjoy some fine dining to really make the experience whole. Although, we always have more cities on our list to visit, here are our of our top five favorite cities for Saint Patrick’s Day:
#5 – San Francisco makes #5 on our list because of the fun live performances, music, Irish dancing and never ending supply of beer. What the parade lacks (and it does) the city seems to make up for as a great place to spend four days with friends. The San Francisco St. Patrick’s parade started in 1851.
#4 – New York gets the fourth place spot because of of the parade’s length (one of the longest we’ve ever seen) and it marches along Fifth Avenue in front of the historic St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Although, during peak parade hours it was so crowded it was difficult to see, you could easily pop into a nearby pub, have a swallow and a bite to eat and see the parade still going on hours later. The parade in NY starts at 11 and runs usually till after 4pm. The first recorded St. Patrick’s Day parade in NY was 1762.
#3 – Boston – The strong irish pride, good cheer, great restaurants and pubs as well as an amazing parade puts this as #3 on our list. The celtic sounds heard throughout the city seem to lift everyone’s spirits and brings out the Irish in everyone around. The parade started in 1737 and holds the title for hosting the first St. Patrick’s Day parade in the United States. This is certainly the place to experience nearly 300 years of Irish history.
#2 – Pittsburgh – The pub crawls alone make this city an adventure. There is nothing you won’t find here, from perogies to fine dining. The parade is one of the largest having over 20,000 participants and is very entertaining. The Andy Warhol museum is a must on the list while you’re there. The Parade started in 1869 and boasts that it is now the second largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the US.
#1 – Chicago has amongst the largest parades and the tradition of dyeing the Chicago River green makes this city our number one favorite, hands down! It is a sight to see, not only the thousands of people who line up to watch the eco-friendly dye being poured into the river but then, by some magic the river turning first from a muddy green to a beautiful emerald green as far as your eye can see, sets this city over the rest. The pub grub, the famous chicago pizza’s , great family festivities, street performances, and live music make this a lively city and a must to venture to. The Parade started in Chicago in 1843 and now has over 145,000 in attendance.
Start your own tradition, celebrate this fun holiday with friends and family, you’ll never regret the memories and cherished times had by all. If there’s a city you think we should try, let us know in the comments below!
XOXO,
Jacquelyn
All words are original content from guest author Jacquelyn Jones from Success2LifeCoach.com
