Buffalo Rising Online

Mar 17th 2007, 9:38am By Emilie Riester

St. Patrick's Day is a holiday to celebrate the drinking class. This weekend people will be gathering among friends at drinking establishments all across town to toast the Irish in all of us. What better way to mark the day than with a St. Patrick's Day bar crawl?

A bar crawl is a simple way to organize friends on a weekend that's as busy and chaotic as this one will be. If you want to get a proper one going, decide in advance what bars you are visiting and at what time you’ll be there. Invite your friends to join you and then simply go out and enjoy your bar crawl. If you plan to meet up with a lot of people for the holiday then this is a great way to try and see everyone without having to field the endless stream of ‘where are you’ calls. And it gives you the freedom to roam the city and visit different bars.

With all the excellent drinking districts in Buffalo, it's easy to have a bar crawl at any number of locations. For our purposes, we'll focus on the parade route through Allentown. Here's a sample St. Patrick's Day bar crawl:

Ulrich's: First stop is the Buffalo landmark Ulrich's. This traditional German bar was infused with Irish heritage when it was bought by Irish owners in the 1950's. Have your first beer and take in some of the pieces of Buffalo history that adorn this bar (although you may not get to peruse as usual given the holiday crowd). Meet up with your friends and get ready for a full day of drinking.

Colter Bay: Now that you're warmed up, take a brisk trek down to one of the cornerstones of the parade route. Colter Bay's position on the corner of Delaware and Allen St. make it the best place to see and be seen during the parade. If you can squeeze your way to the bar, you'll be treated to a wide assortment of beers on tap and good, experienced bartenders. It doesn’t matter whether you’re inside or out on the stoop watching the parade, you’re sure to find a great crowd at Colter.

Frizzy’s: When you’re ready to sneak away from the busy street, duck into Frizzy’s, just a couple doors down on Allen St. Bubble hockey, darts, an old fashion photo booth and a great jukebox await you, making it an optimal place to hang out for a few. If you haven’t already, now is the time to delve into shots of Jameson. Once your pocket or purse gets over-stuffed with pictures from the photo booth, it’s time to move to the next stop.

Old Pink: The day is waning, you’re getting squinty eyed and need some place dark but inviting to go to. You need the Old Pink. Step inside the dimly lit interior, request your favorite indie rock song at the DJ booth, get your drink and settle in. You may even want to order their famous steak sandwich. No matter how long you want the party to last, Old Pink is there for the long haul.

For more ideas on St. Patrick’s Day bar crawls, check out Ethan Cox’s South Buffalo bar crawl in the March issue of Buffalo Rising Magazine. Here’s to enjoying St. Patrick’s Day among good friends in this great city, slainte!