DEVEN DEL PRIORE
What is St. Patrick’s Day? The date marks the death of St. Patrick, Ireland’s most celebrated patron saint. The festivities surrounding this date specifically commemorate St. Patrick and the subsequent arrival of Christianity in Ireland.
Some people may not treat it that way, though. Most people treat it as a day fulfilled with a lot of beer, a lot of bagpipes, and a lot of celebration. Now that you know what St. Patrick’s Day is, I am going to tell you about some ideas for St. Patrick’s Day that will be worth your while. Those three things include going to the New York City Parade, going to the Pearl River Parade, and lastly to have a party of your own whether it is in your house, apartment, or dorm room.
At the top of my list is the New York City Parade. This is at the top of my list because it is becoming somewhat of a tradition of mine between myself and a few of my friends who live in New York City. Going to that parade is an experience of a lifetime. It takes place on Thursday, March 17th, where the parade begins on 44th Street. The parade makes its way up 5th avenue, passing St. Patrick’s cathedral, continuing all the way up to 79th street. From campus, the drive is about an hour, including tolls to get over bridges and finding a parking spot which you are more than likely going to have to pay for. Just remember, if someone is drinking, do not let them get behind a wheel and drive into the city, as drinking and driving is against the law and irresponsible. The best way to avoid this it to find a friend who may not be going to give you a ride to Tarrytown over the Tappan Zee Bridge and take the train from there into the city. The train will drop you off at New York Penn Station, where you will have to walk a few blocks to reach the parade. That commute may be more worth it if you are of age and looking to drink. Be prepared for a full day because, by the time the parade is finished up, it is already around 5 o’clock. You do not necessarily have to stay for the full parade because there are plenty of other things you can do aside from watching bagpipers and blimps go down a street. You can walk down any street, and I am sure you will find a local bar or pub that is celebrating the great green day of St. Patrick. That is if you are of age to drink, of course. If you are not, you can still have a fun-filled day just walking around the city looking at all the people making a fool of themselves in their ridiculous costumes and the smell of bourbon on their breath. Which brings me to the next parade, which is the Pearl River Parade.
The Pearl River parade is just as fun the New York City parade, but it is a little shorter along with a lot less people. The parade is on Sunday, March 20th, starting at 1:30pm. The town does this so the parade does not interfere with the New York City Parade, which may bring the attendance down. The more people, the better the time! Furthermore, the route of the parade is east on Crooked Hill Road to North Middletown Road, then right on North Middletown Road to East Central Avenue. Then the parade takes a right on East Central Avenue and ends at the west end of West Central Avenue. When written out, it sounds confusing, but when you get there it is very easy to follow. The parade is about 15 minutes away from campus, which is not that bad of a drive. If you are underage and still looking to have a good time, you could walk around town, admiring the culture along with the people that make it so great. Do not be surprised if you smell an old beer stench on them. It is not their fault, it is their holiday and it only comes once a year. To reiterate, if you are of age and have any alcoholic beverage, you should find a driver because drinking and driving is against the law, along with being downright wrong.
Lastly, to avoid the commotion of driving places and getting people to meet you somewhere where it may be too loud for you to even hear where they are, you can have a party of your own! This resolves all the drinking and driving, along with having people who you care about surrounding you instead of people who you care less about. Some good ideas that might make this party appealing would be making it a leprechaun-themed party. This gives people a reason to get in the holiday spirit and a reason to be creative and have fun with it! You might want to feed your guests, and what better way to do that then with festive food? You can offer them Irish cuisine like potato bread, dottle, and shepherd’s pie. The guests at your party are going to want to wash that down with something, and if everyone at your party is of age, you can get green beer or even beer that is Irish, like Guinness. If you want to take the soft drink route, then the best way to go would be Brown Lemonade, which is a mixture of lemonades, and Cidona, which is an apple flavored drink. Both of these drinks are Irish-oriented and are tasty ways to wash down the food you made.
Now that I have given you some ideas on what to do for St. Patrick’s Day, what will you do? Will you make the journey into New York City for the experience of a lifetime? Will you stay local and head over to Pearl River for their 53rd annual parade? Or will you take it upon yourself to have your own party, where you can pick and chose who you want to invite and what you want to do? All of these options are fun and approved by me. Enjoy the holiday, and maybe I will see you out there! Stay safe!
The Thoma 