St. Patrick's Day is kind of a big deal around my house. Cooper and I are both mostly of Irish descent (we are also both English and Dutch, thus providing Dixon with some very pale skin). We both like celebratory holidays. We both love parades.
For years, we spent the Sunday before St. Patrick's Day at the Baltimore parade, standing right on Charles Street, in front of David and Dad's. Two years ago, though, when we first took Dixon to the parade, we realized that it wasn't quite as much fun as it used to be. It was crowded and loud and kind of annoying. Cooper blamed it on the parade changing. I blamed it on us growing up.
Last year, we decided to skip the parade - but not to skip the celebration altogether. Instead, on the parade day, our friends decided to get together at Ryan's Daughter. It's right around the corner from us, big enough for a group, full of friendly bartenders and after the parade it fills up just enough (but not too much) with elementary school-aged girls in Irish dancing costumes and their proud parents.
So that's why we found ourselves, on a Sunday in early March, filling up Ryan's Daughter's bar. We waited and waited for the parade overflow...but it never came. Because I had organized everything for the wrong day. As it turned out, the parade was the following week. But the thing is, it was a really fun Sunday. We had space, quick service and waitresses who weren't a little crazed by the crowds.
We decided, right off, to start celebrating "Fake St. Patrick's Day" every year. Because, well, why not? This year, the St. Patty's season starts for us on Sunday, again at Ryan's Daughter, with Guinness and Harp, fish and chips and a lot of green clothing.
It doesn't end there, of course. We've got a lot more lined up - which is why tonight and tomorrow night we'll be resting. It's a big week.
Slainte!
No comments:
Post a Comment