Today is Columbus Day, and the annual parade up Fifth Avenue (from 47th to 72nd) starts at 11:30 a.m. It's a federal holiday, which means public schools and government offices are closed (the Farley Post office at 8th Avenue is open, though) and there's no garbage pickup, street cleaning or recycling and alternate-side parking is suspended. The NYSE is open, banks may or may not be open, and mass transit is running on regular weekday schedules. Factoids: The first recorded Columbus Day celebration in the U.S. was on October 12, 1792, organized by the Society of St. Tammany but it was in 1892 (the 400th anniversary of Columbus' voyage) that was the first official U.S. celebration.