You don’t have to be Irish to join in the plethora of St. Patrick’s Day events taking place across the country. Simply don some green (so you won’t get pinched) and get out there and enjoy the festivities.
NEW YORK
The Big Apple’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade will once again march down Fifth Avenue this year. The parade is one of the city’s largest and most famous events of the year, and is a tradition that dates back to the 1700s. The festivities begin at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 17, 2007 at 44th Street and Fifth Avenue. Bagpipers, high school bands, and a line of Leprechauns will make their way up Fifth Avenue to 86th Street. The best viewing spot: the upper steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art—-the landmark is where the parade turns east on 86th Street.
BOSTON
Boston is often referred to as the capital of Irish America because of its thriving Irish community. To celebrate its culture and history, the city extends St. Patrick’s Day into a week-long party.
The city’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade (which began in 1901) takes place on Sunday, March 18, 2007 at 1 p.m. It features pipe bands from throughout North America that wind their way through Boston’s most Irish neighborhood, South Boston.
After the parade consider taking the family to Boston’s Irish Heritage Trail. The Trail is a self-guided, three mile walking tour, which begins at the Rose Kennedy Garden along the waterfront and winds its way throughout downtown Boston and into the Back Bay, ending up at the John Boyle O’Reilly Memorial in the Fens, not far from Fenway Park. The trail covers 16 famous sites, including Boston’s downtown, North End, and Beacon Hill. On your trip you’ll learn about the famous politicians, artists, and war heroes who personify the Boston Irish.
Another St. Patrick’s Day family outing option is a visit to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum. The legendary Boston museum will unveil a new exhibit entitled “A Journey Home: President Kennedy and Ireland” on St. Patrick’s Day. It explores President Kennedy’s relationship to his ancestral homeland, and features many of his family heirlooms, documents, photographs and film footage of his famous trip to Ireland in June 1963.
CHICAGO
The Windy City’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parade begins at 12:00 noon, Saturday March 17th. The parade starts at Balbo and Columbus and proceeds north on Columbus Drive. Preceding the parade will be the traditional dyeing of the Chicago River (where workers dump gallons of green food coloring into the water). The event takes place at 10:45 a.m. and can be best viewed from the upper level bridges at Michigan Ave or Columbus Drive.
DUBLIN, OHIO
The Ohio city with the Irish name goes all out for St. Patrick’s Day. The festivities kick off on the morning of Saturday, March 17th with the St. Patrick’s Day 5K Run. The race is followed by the annual parade, which begins at 11:00 a.m. After the parade take your family to enjoy the kid-friendly events at the “Blarney Bash,” which features jugglers, Irish dancers, food, live music, storytellers and face painting.
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