Pub crawls crawl on Boston's Dot Ave

BOSTON, March 17 (UPI) -- Boston is synonymous with Irish America but the pubs in the city's once vibrant St. Patrick's Day pub crawls offer more gimlets than Guinness.

Many of the celebrated pubs along Dorchester Avenue, or Dot Ave, including The Tara, Mickey's and the Irish Rover have disappeared, making room for Vietnamese cuisine and "dbar," one of the more popular gay bars in the area, The Boston Globe said Monday.

The Blarney Stone, the first stop for many travelers once they make it out of Logan International Airport, is now more famous for its pear martinis than displaced hooligans.

But the declining heritage is felt in Ireland as well, where even Guinness itself has seen declining sales over the past few years, the newspaper quietly mourned.

With more Americans moving to Ireland than the other way around, Dot Ave. has become a hub for Boston's Vietnamese population.

The new character on Dot Ave. means many of the pubs there got a face-lift as well.

Brian Piccini, dbar's new owner, said he left some of the shamrocks and other adornments in the bar "for heritage's sake" when he refurbished the pub.

The pub favorite at dbar this St. Patrick's Day? The espresso martini.