(Photo credits to Katie Cole/CBS Radio)
As I walked to work at 8:43 a.m. yesterday morning there was already a smattering of green downtown. The hardcore St. Patrick’s Day patrons were already out and about at 7 a.m. for kegs & eggs at The Barley House. As I continued down West 6th, I instantly regretted not taking the day off to celebrate one of Cleveland’s biggest and arguably one of the best holidays.
As the day progressed, little got done on the work front. I was distracted by those decked out in head to toe St. Patty’s Day paraphernalia that came walking through my building. At 1:04 p.m. the parade began. If the weather had been warmer, I would’ve joined the thousands of brave (or possibly buzzed) patrons. However, it was freezing and I was a little bit of a wuss. The pictures above depict what I missed by staying inside and staying warm. Next year I’ll brave the cold.
By the time work was over, I had convinced myself that I was going to have a nice, quiet evening in. I figured that everyone would probably be way drunker than I and that would require a lot of catching up. The problem with that scenario is that I live in the Warehouse District. For the first time in months, the streets were full of fun, rowdy people. Green, orange and white had taken over West 6th and West 9th. How could I not join in on the fun when I have to walk right through it to get home?
Plus it is days like this that make me excited to live downtown – to be right in the action and only have to walk a street over to get there. The city comes alive with events like these – how alive they are by the end of the night is more questionable. But seriously, it makes me proud to be a Clevelander and also makes me long for more events to draw mass crowds of people downtown. While the downtown area buzzed for one day, I’d like to continue to see people out and about, enjoying all the city has to offer. Lucky for us, summer is on its way and with the nice weather, comes great festivals and opportunities to explore the city!
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