We saw everything from college kids dressed in green on the T (subway) taking jello shots out of a pizza box to police breaking up a cat fight between two drunk girls to to an officer issuing a citation to a young man to locals sitting on couches and chairs on the sidewalk. And then, of course, there was the parade...
It had everything you would expect in a St. Patrick's Day Parade in South Boston, aka "Southie." There were bagpipes with dancers, floats with giant shamrocks, Minutemen firing muskets, Shriners driving miniature cars and trucks, mounted police, waving politicians, veterans and the coast guard. But it also had the unexpected, such as Star Wars characters, Elvis impersonator, an Asian marching band complete with dragon, and the Ghostbusters accompanied by the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
I got some helpful parade tips from another blogger who writes about her family's travels. She suggested getting off the T at the end of the parade route and walking up the hill to the National Park, Dorchester Heights. It had a commanding view of the Boston Harbor on one side and the Boston skyline on the other. It was also a great vantage point for the parade, especially for short people like me!
We also partook of the local cuisine. Our friend bought a chili dog at the bake sale for the 4th Presbyterian Church. He swore it was the best chili dog he's ever had. Then we stopped at the pretzel vendor and had giant, soft pretzels. We all ordered mustard, but the pretzel guy ran out of mustard for our friend's pretzel. On the way home, we stopped at the S&S Deli in Cambridge. I finally had the Rueben sandwich that I'd been craving all week. The corned beef was the perfect way to honor St. Paddy's Day!Take the St. Patrick's Day Parade Quiz below to find out how much you know about this Boston tradition!
Hi great account of St. Paddie's Day parade!
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