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CHICAGO FOR ST. PATRICK'S DAY
The first St Patrick's Day parade in Chicago took place on 17 March, 1843. Now every year a magnificent procession of marching bands, floats and hundreds of citizens dressed in green thrills spectators in the downtown area of the city.
One of the lesser-known and more extraordinary aspects to Chicago's celebration of Ireland's patron saint is a wonderful tradition of splashing green dye into the Chicago River. In 1962, a city plumber whose overalls had been
colored green with dye used to trace pollution inspired Stephen Bailey, a
labor leader and close friend of Mayor Daley, to turn the river green for St Patrick's Day. When 17 March rolled around 100 pounds of green vegetable dye were added to the river, enough to keep it green for a week!
These days, 40 pounds of a green food
coloring keep it green for only a few hours, but this brilliant tradition is kept alive and we salute them for it!
For more information please
check out the Chicago
St Patrick's Day Parade Website
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Photos are from our 2010 St.
Patrick's Day Parade Visit |
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The Chicago St. Patrick's Day Parade 2011 takes place on Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 12 noon. (time subject to
change) The Chicago St. Patrick's Day Parade is just part of a huge holiday in Chicago, which has a long Irish cultural background. The parade is the largest in the city (you may have seen Harrison Ford utilize the large crowds to escape in "The Fugitive"). Led by our Irish king, "Hizzoner" Mayor Richard M. Daley, thousands line up along Columbus Drive the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day. No matter your heritage, everyone at the parade is full of Irish blood, blarney, and green beer.
Chicago's St. Patrick's Day parade is certainly the biggest and liveliest in town, filled with thousands of marchers, colorful floats, marching bands, bagpipers, and
glad handing politicians. Festivities start with the dyeing of the Chicago River green at 10:45 am, a tradition that started in 1962. Dubbed the "Irish miracle", the dye used actually goes in the river orange, and as some say, gets a leprechaun's help to then turn into its true shade of kelly green. Any of the bridges that cross the river on the north side of the Loop offer a good view -- those at LaSalle, State, or Dearborn are a good bet, with Michigan and Columbus being the best.
The parade kicks off from Balbo Ave. and Columbus Dr. in Grant Park at 12:00 noon. It heads north on Columbus to Monroe. The viewing stand is located in front of Buckingham Fountain, at Congress Dr.
It's certainly possible to drive, as there is parking in the underground Grant Park garage, the Hilton at Balbo and Michigan, or other nearby lots. But they fill up fast, are expensive, and any native knows your best bet if not already downtown is to take public transportation. Exit at any of the Blue or Red Line stops in the loop and walk east a few blocks to Columbus. |
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Chicago Things-To-Do
The great city of Chicago
offers something for everyone – from world-class shopping, fine art
galleries, architecture, museums and theatre to unique
neighborhoods rich in distinctive cultural heritage. All along the
lakefront, from Lakeview to Oak
Street Beach to the Gold Coast to Soldier
Field, Chicago is bustling with things for you to do. The Chicagoland
suburbs offer many attractions, such as riverboat
casinos, amusement parks, sports
& entertainment venues. You might even want to attend a yoga
class while in town.
What would you like to do while visiting Chicago? Spend a day at Navy
Pier and take a lakefront boat tour? Shop
the Magnificent Mile? Visit Museum Campus that includes the Field
Museum, Shedd
Aquarium and the Adler
Planetarium for an experience that is both fun and educational?
Don’t forget that
Chicago is known for its terrific dining experiences. At some point during
your trip, you’ll want to try a Chicago hotdog, beef sandwich or
deep-dish pizza! To personally experience our local cuisine, try the Chicago
Food Planet Food Tour.
If you are looking for
something for the children while in Chicago, see our Things-to-do
for Kids page. It includes activities both in and around the city.
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