Irish Pubs, Festivals, Events, and Parades to Attend on Your St. Paddy's Day

Saint Patrick’s Day is just ONE WEEK AWAY! Being that I did my last semester of college abroad in Dublin, Ireland, Saint Patrick’s Day is probably my favorite holiday.

I have been pretty nervous for this holiday to come up because I spent it last year watching the parade and pub-crawling my way through Dublin. (Nothing will ever top that, just saying). BUT, since we can’t all rush over to Ireland to spend Saint Patrick’s Day in a pub decked out in green and orange, I have done my research and found some pretty exciting ways we can all spend Saint Paddy’s.

(Also, just a pointer—Patty is short for Patricia. Paddy is short for Patrick. It’s St. Paddy’s Day, not St. Patty’s Day).

1. This Saturday, March 12, is the Hermosa Beach St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Hermosa injects a bit of Irish spirit into the coast with bagpipers, marching bands, cars decked out in green, and festive pups from the Irish Setters Club of Southern California. The parade kicks off near City Hall on Valley Drive, heads west on Pier Avenue, and ends at the corner of Hermosa and 10^th. 

2. Also this Saturday is the Rock and Reilly’s Annual St. Paddy’s Day Block Party. At this annual bash, you will see green beer and pretty faces. Held in the lot behind the Sunset strip pub, you will find eight full bars and more than 100 kegs of Bud Light and Guinness. Eat some Irish nachos from some delicious food trucks AND a portion of the proceeds will benefit the Pencils of Promise Foundation. Eat, drink, be merry, and it’s all for a good cause. (I dig it). 

3. If you want to stick to a beach town, head over to the Long Beach Irish Heritage Parade and Festival on Saturday March 12^th. Celebrate Long Beach’s Irish heritage during the parade and food festival! The parade steps off at 2 pm and runs down Pine Avenue from 6^th Street to Broadway with firefighter displays, marching bands, dancing groups, and more culminating at Promenade Park with a free all-ages festival!  

4. Sunday March 13^th is the St. Paddy’s Day at One Colorado in Pasadena. Head over to Pasadena’s shiny shopping plaza, One Colorado, for a kid-friendly St. Paddy’s Day bash. Stop in throughout the day for kids crafts, Irish dance lessons, and a set of traditional Irish music from the Bracken Band Quartet. (If you haven’t heard Trad Music, it’ll change your life. It’s beautiful). 

5. Sunday March 13^th is the St. Patrick’s Day 5K in Redondo Beach! This is a lively way to spend the Irish holiday. The 5K run/walk (8 AM) is followed by the Little Leprechaun Dash for the Gold (9:30 AM). Both races start near the intersection of Catalina and Elena avenues. All participants earn a festive T-shirt! 

6. ON Saint Patrick’s Day, March 17^th, head over to the Irvine Meadows Amphitheater to watch Flogging Molly play LIVE. (They’re an Irish punk-band). This is where you’ll find me. Decked out in festive attire. Tickets are still on sale and they aren’t very expensive!

Give them a listen here:

https://youtu.be/1AOp9c5DRzc

7. If you can’t make it to this concert, Sunday March 18^th is the Shamrock and Roll and the Queen Mary in Long Beach. Climb aboard for a night of Irish music, drinks and food. Grab a pint of green beer and sample a selection of Irish grub. 

And of course, here is a list of killer Irish pubs you can always spend your day in:

1. Tom Bergin’s Tavern in Central LA. 

2. Molly Malone’s in Fairfax District. (this is one of my favorite songs, so I’m partial to this pub).

3. Timmy Nolan’s in Toluca Lake.

 

4. Ireland’s 32 in Burbank. (If you didn’t know, this is called Ireland’s 32 because there are 32 counties in Ireland. Also, the owners are wonderful).

5. The Auld Dubliner in Long Beach.

6. Jameson’s Irish Pub in Hollywood.

7. The Irish Times in Palms.

And the top Whiskey bars in LA:

1. Seven Grand in Downtown Financial District.

2. Ten Pound in Beverly Hills.

3. The Blind Donkey in Pasadena.

4. The Daily Pint in Santa Monica.

5. The Pikey in Hollywood. 

Best places to get an Irish coffee:

1. Irish coffee at Tom Bergin’s Public House in Central LA. 

2. Irish Hello at Casey’s Irish Pub in the Financial District.

3. Coffee Nudgie at The Pikey.

4. Irish Coffee and Menotti’s and Townhouse in Venice. 

Hopefully you find something to do to celebrate this holiday. It’s always so much fun because the Irish do it best!

Sláinte! (which means cheers in Irish).

Inexpensive Spring Break Ideas For Kids, Teens, and College Students!

Spring Break is coming up quickly! For the high schools in the area, Spring Break might be closer to April. But for universities on the quarter system, Spring Break is only a couple weeks away!

There is typically a pressure that comes with Spring Break to have an exciting game plan for the week, and I know during college, I always wanted to make sure I sought out an adventure for this week. Unfortunately, I always found myself dead tired after Spring Break and struggling to focus for the rest of the semester.

I have compiled a list of things to do this Spring Break that are the perfect level of adventure! You’ll (hopefully) have motivation to finish up the semester and get to summer, but won’t be completely burnt out!

For kids:

1.  Go to the zoo! The LA Zoo, Santa Barbara Zoo, or San Diego Zoo are all so much fun and a great little daycation! 
   
2.  Set up a little backyard camping gig! Have a cookout on the grill and make s’mores for dessert! Leave all electronics in the house and only go back into the house to use the bathroom! Stay outside and be creative! Remember—you’re camping! (We live in California, so this is totally doable). 
   
3. Have a gardening day! Spring is a wonderful time to get started on your garden. When I was younger, I used to LOVE gardening with my parents. It was a treat—picking out flowers and planting them together. Making the backyard look new and beautiful. Because I did this when I was little, I still cherish this time with my mom now!
4. And of course, go to the beach! Even if it’s too chilly to go into the water, grab a sweatshirt and make a sandcastle! The beach is fun no matter what J

For Teens:

1. Have a bonfire at the beach with a group of friends. This is always so much fun and an absolute adventure. From grabbing the perfect snacks, to digging the hole for the bonfire, this is a great way to spend a night over spring break and get closer to your friends!
2. Spend the days exploring new places you haven’t been to in your area! Sometimes all the adventure you need is exploring a city!
3.  Go on a hike that you’ve never been on before! Malibu, Topanga, Ventura, Burbank, and Santa Clarita have some incredible hikes!

For college kids:

1. Buy a hammock and a tent and go camping with some friends for a few nights! It’ll be a great taste of summer and a perfect way to make memories with some friends without technology getting in the way as a distraction.
2.  Go on a road trip! We have stunning places nearby that we can all drive to—Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Big Sur, etc. Plus, when you’re in places like this, what you’re seeing is so beautiful that you don’t even want to have your phone out! 
   
   
   
   
3. Go on kayak.com or southwest.com to book a cheap flight! Sometimes, all you need to get yourself out of the rut of midterms and finals is to see a new city. This is a perfect teaser for summer—a low-key trip that feels like the freedom of summer.
4. Ride your bikes through the beach with some friends! Santa Monica, Carpinteria, and Ventura are all perfect for this.
5. Go paddle boarding or kayaking in Ventura, Balboa Island, Channel Islands, or San Diego! In California, we have such beautiful weather that Spring Break is bound to have a day where you can get in the ocean! 
   
   
   
   
6. Go wine tasting! Whether it be in Los Olivos or Malibu Wines, wine tasting is always a blast. Get dressed up and go with a group of friends! 
   
7. If this is your last Spring Break of college and you want to go all out, book a trip to Cabo, Miami, or go on a cruise!

All you really need for a perfect, adventure-filled Spring Break is a day with friends free of distractions, and a couple of days to catch up on sleep or be productive!

You don’t always have to go anywhere for Spring Break. You can also use this time to catch up on projects or personal goals you’ve been putting off! Or just spend some time at home with your family!

But if you didn’t pick up on my not-so-subtle subliminal message, let me spell it out for you: the best way to spend your Spring Break is enjoying the people you are with or the location you are and not with your eyes glued to your phone. Use this week to go on an adventure and explore. Don’t waste the week checking Instagram and tweeting every ten minutes. You’ll regret it and you’ll feel like you didn’t get a break. You’ll feel refreshed and excited for summer if you leave the apps out of your head this week! And remember, you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to have an incredible Spring Break. Get creative and surround yourself with the right people and places!

The first official day of spring is March 20^th and Daylight Savings starts on March 13^th! 

Leap Day Deals for 2016!

Leap Day is on Monday, which means there are 366 days in 2016! How exciting is that?! Since this only happens every four years or so, it’s (kind of) a big deal!

I typed in Leap Year 2016 into Google and a million different things popped up. Stores and airlines are celebrating Leap Year, so we should too! We’ve compiled a list of deals going on through leap day and different things you can fill your day with! 

1. EXPEDIA.COM deals! Make a hotel reservation with Expedia on or before February 29^th and you get 29% off at select properties! Who doesn’t love a weekend getaway?! Schedule that now!
2. URBAN OUTFITTERS LEAP DAY SALE! Shop special items at $29 or less to celebrate 366 days in 2016! Sale Ends Monday, 2/29. (There’s something at Urban for everyone. And if not, it’s a great time to pick up an early gift for someone—or be really responsible and pick up your mom’s Mother’s Day gift already). 
   
3. CheapOAir: Use Code GETAWAYS30 to save up to $30 on Getaway Vacations through February 29^th! (These travel companies are really trying to get us travel somewhere!).
4. Watch LEAP YEAR! This is an adorable movie about an American girl who follows her boyfriend to Ireland to propose to him on Leap Year, but she ends up falling in love with an Irishman. (MATTHEW GOODE—NEED I SAY MORE?!) If you’re bored and want to “celebrate” your extra day, seriously, watch this movie. 
   
5. GO TO DISNEYLAND! Disneyland Park will be open for 24 hours for a Leap Year Celebration. 24. Hours. Of. Disney. What more could anyone ask for?! Their campaign is called “One More Disney Day.” Everyone wants an extra day of Disney magic. 
   
6. And of course, make some frog cupcakes. Your coworkers might need a Monday pick-me-up and these froggy cupcakes will do the trick. They’re easy to make and so delicious! Recipe here: http://www.food.com/recipe/frog-cupcakes-307072