Downtown Crowded At st. patrick's day 2010

Rain and wind couldn't keep people away from attending Pittsburgh's annual St. Patrick's Day Parade Saturday.

This parade started at 10 a.m. and followed a new route that started at Liberty Avenue and 11th Street and ended at Commonwealth Place.
According to organizers, this year's parade was scheduled to feature more than 23,000 participants including nearly 200 marching units, 17 bands, groups from Irish and other ethnic communities of Pittsburgh and floats.

It's different with Chicago, there are Dance troupes, marching bands, and approximately 70 floats -- including ABC7 Chicago's-- entertained the crowds that lined Columbus Drive, while Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen joined the parade of Chicago area dignitaries, including Mayor Daley and Governor Quinn, marching in the afternoon's festivities.
This year, the downtown St. Patrick's Day celebration began early for some, due in part to rainy weather, but mostly because of the demise of the city's South Side Irish St. Patrick's Day Parade.
Other celebrations were set to take place Sunday on the city's South Side and at several suburban locations.