Scenes From St. Patrick's Day: Fado

Chris Wetzel barhops between D.C. and Annapolis on St. Patrick's Day. (Fritz Hahn/washingtonpost.com)

4:05 p.m.: Fado

The staff of Fado know it's one of the most popular Irish bars in town, and they know it's going to be busy on St. Patrick's Day. There's a $10 cover at the door, but the pub's regulars -- "the ones who support us all year, and don't just come in on St. Patrick's Day," as a manager put it -- got special passes that let them skip both the line and the cover.

One guy who didn't get that privilege is Chris Wetzel, who's hanging out by the bar, sporting a badge from the Dubliner. Fado is the "third or fourth bar" he's been to so far today. He began at the Dubliner at 9:30 a.m., and he's not done yet. "After this, I'm going to Annapolis," says the telecommunications worker, who took the day off to go barhopping. "I'm going to O'Brien's, down on the waterfront. They have a lot of good bars there ... I like going to O'Brien's or Middleton Tavern for oysters."

Isn't Annapolis a little far from Chinatown, especially after six hours of pub crawling? "Don't worry," he says, laughing. "I have a ride. I'm not driving."

By Fritz Hahn |  March 17, 2008; 4:05 PM ET
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