Monday, February 19, 2007

There is no better reason for a celebration than Saint Patrick's Day and no better place to celebrate the Irish traditions than the very-Irish cities of Boston or Chicago.

The first-ever Saint Patrick's Day parade in the USA was the 1737 event in Boston and the city still boasts one of the USA's biggest St. Pat's celebrations. The famous parade, in South Boston -- Boston's most Irish neighborhood -- takes place on Sunday, March 18 beginning at 1:00 pm. The parade features dozens of bands from Ireland and across the United States, including local favorites like the Boston Police Gaelic Column, composed of Boston police officers. The Boston Saint Patrick's Day Parade begins its route at the Broadway "T" station, heads east along Broadway, and winds its way through the streets of South Boston, ending at the Andrew "T" station. Both stations are on the "T' Red Line, so it's easy to enjoy the parade without driving and parking.

The St. Patrick's weekend in Boston is packed with concerts, festivals and other events, including the Boston Irish Tourism Association's 3rd Annual Gaelic Gourmet Week (March 11-18, 2007), which teams celebrity chefs from Boston with visiting master chefs from Ireland for a weeklong moveable feast at local hotels and famous Irish restaurants. And Boston has plenty of Irish watering holes to enjoy during the weekend, including The Black Rose (adjacent to Faneuil Hall), Ned DeVine's (in Faneuil Hall Marketplace), Tiernan's (on nearby Broad Street), and M.J. O'Conner's (in the Back Bay).

If you are headed to Boston, CRSHotels.com has the perfect hotel for you. Choose the Boston Park Plaza, the Grande Dame of Boston Hotels, or the Onyx Hotel, a luxury boutique, in the historic Downtown area, stay at the Omni Parker House, on the Freedom Trail in the historic district, enjoy the Back Bay at the Copley Square Boston, a Boston landmark, or at the Lenox Hotel, with its on-site Irish Pub, Solas, or stay just across the Charles River in Cambridge, at the luxury boutique, Hotel Marlowe.

Boston may have held the first parade, but Chicago holds the title for grandest gesture: dyeing the entire Chicago River green! The famous event is scheduled for 10:45 am on Saturday, March 17, and is best viewed from the upper level bridges on Michigan Avenue or Columbus Drive. The dyeing of the Chicago River is followed by the city's Saint Patrick's Day Parade, which begins at 12 noon, at Balboa and Columbus and proceeds north on Columbus Drive. The viewing stand will be located in front of Buckingham Fountain.

After the parade festivities, enjoy authentic food and drink at one of Chicago's award-winning Irish establishments, such as The Irish Oak (3511 N Clark St), Cullen's Bar & Grill (3741 N Southport Ave), the Abbey Pub (3420 W Grace St), Keegan's Pub (10618 S Western Ave), or Chief O'Neills (3471 N Elston Ave).

If you're ready for a celebration in Chicago, CRSHotels.com has the ideal hotel for you. Choose The Seneca Hotel and Suites, a European-style hotel situated on a quiet, tree-lined street, just across from the John Hancock Center, The Whitehall Hotel, nestled among the shops on Magnificent Mile, The Sutton Place Hotel on North Michigan Avenue, steps from the world-renowned Magnificent Mile shops, or the Raffaello Hotel Chicago, a block away from the famous Water Tower Place. Give your budget a break at the Comfort Inn and Suites Chicago, located a few blocks from the shops and eateries of Michigan Avenue, or The Best Western Grant Park, just across from the Grant Park Bandshell, the Planetarium and the Field Museum.