Categories: Entertainment and Attractions
St. Patrick's Day: Chicago-Style
Author: Michael Austin
Irishman Mike Austin recounts the eccentricities of St. Patrick's Day in Chicago.
There are things you should know about St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago.
There are things you probably think you already know about St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago, but you really don’t.
For one, you probably think that green beer is for poseurs—that the only acceptable firewater choices on March 17 are Guinness, Harp and whiskey.
To that, I say blarney!
No one cut of the drinking cloth would impose such limitations based on what someone might or might not be drinking at that moment in a foreign country. By the way, next time you’re in Ireland, take note of MGD and Bud consumption, and compare it to Harp and Guinness. You will be surprised.
Which brings us to pubs. You might think you need to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in a genuine Chicago version of an authentic Irish pub. Well, on this count you would be correct. But don’t expect live music; few pubs have room for musicians on this day, ironically. Just seek out a good Irish bar and plant yourself in a comfortable spot; it’s going to be a long day.
You might think you need to feast on corned beef. This is debatable. You would need to do so only if said corned beef were declared delicious by someone you trust. Otherwise, feel free to fuel up on a good, old Chicago hot dog, like the Irish people here for the week will be doing.
You might think you need to get wildly drunk—or as the Irish would say, “footless”—on St. Patrick’s Day.
Again I say blarney!
When St. Patrick’s Day arrives in Chicago a few things happen, and this is where it gets a little Irish-mystical, so try and keep up.
First, the air tingles. It tingles either with the Chicago chill and the electric sting of the collective masses, or with sunlight and the refreshing breath of spring.
Either way, you can feel it if you want to, and it is a buzz one cannot get from a bottle.
Next, the city glows. If you think the Chicago River is green all year long you have never seen it on parade day when it is dyed the color of electric limeade. This is a civic demonstration the likes of which the rest of the world has only tried to imitate, and one no Chicagoan should miss. Likewise, the sidewalks here glow with kelly-greened revelers amid a backdrop of canary yellow taxis and gray buildings—and if it is okay to wear green then why, I ask, is it not okay to drink green?
Exactly. Now you are getting it.
Finally, Chicago softens. The harsh winter is mostly over, summer is approaching and no matter what the sky looks like on March 17, there is always a party and everyone is invited. St. Patrick’s Day is the gift-free Christmas, the religious holiday that spans the populous. Make yourself a promise. Be sure to take a look around and be thankful for being in one of the most picturesque cities in the world on one of its most exciting days of the year.
Talk to people, Irish or otherwise, and get their stories, because the most Irish thing a person could do is have a conversation. Guzzle a gallon of green beer or teetotal your way through the day; the buzz of humanity in the pubs (completely smoke-free this year for the first time in history) is often enough to draw out your ancient mystical mind.
And if you still insist on making this holiday authentic, like St. Patrick would have wanted it, then be a good little boy or girl and get yourself to Mass. Don’t even try Old St. Pat’s in the West Loop or St. Cajetan’s in Beverly; you won’t get through either of those doors.
One last thing about St. Patrick. He used the leaves of the shamrock to teach the Irish about the Holy Trinity. Is it a coincidence that there are usually three St. Patrick’s Days in Chicago? Probably. But there is the day itself, the Saturday of the downtown parade; and the Sunday of the South Side parade.
Naturally, certain years give us only two Paddy’s Days here, but this year we have Sunday, March 9; Saturday, March 15; and Monday, March 17. The river gets dyed the morning of March 15 and the parade follows. This year that will be the biggest celebration day.
This is not to say you should miss the spectacle of the South Side Irish Parade, or the day itself (and until you have taken a personal day connected to Paddy’s Day you are still a dabbler).
I am only saying: No matter what you do or when you do it, pick your Paddy’s Day wisely, lads and lasses. As is the case every year in Chicago, St. Patrick’s Day is a turning point—in the weather, in the spirit of the city and, with that ever-Irish hopefulness, in whatever way you want it to be.
And, as you now know, this could be your year.
Check out places of interest near St. Patrick's Day: Chicago-Style:
Fado Irish Pub
100 W. Grand Ave.,
Chicago, IL 60610
The mother of all Irish pubs in Chicago, Fado treats Guinness as a religion and has the feel of last-century Ireland--except when the European football games are on.
Fado Irish Pub
100 W. Grand Ave.,
Chicago, IL 60610
The mother of all Irish pubs in Chicago, Fado treats Guinness as a religion and has the feel of last-century Ireland--except when the European football games are on.
Lizzie McNeill's
400 N. McClurg Ct.,
Chicago, IL 60611
This heaven-to-many Irish bar sits deep in Streeterville on a quiet corner just across the street from the Chicago River. If you want a pint and a party, you'll likely find it from the sometimes raucous, sometimes not so, crowd here.
