St. Patrick's Day is my favorite "holiday" of the year; last year, both Jack and I were sick as dogs with viral infections (he ended up in the hospital, in fact), so this year I was determined to make the most of it as best we could. Starting about 1 p.m., we planned on hitting three places - two for a beer, and one for traditional corned beef and cabbage. Up A Creek Tavern in Howland was our first stop, where we had a delicious lunch. Then it was off for a beer at Gasoline Alley in Niles for a beer, and finally to Quaker Steak and Lube in Austintown for our final beer of the day (and a reuben bites appetizer for Jack - photo at right). Strangely, we didn't encounter crowds anywhere, and the only place to have Irish music was Quaker Steak.