It's St. Patrick's Day, the day when New Yorkers are greeted by the sight of green bagels. Today's parade starts at Fifth Avenue and 44th Street at 11AM, and goes north to 86th Street. However, some firefighters will be protesting the decision not to allow firefighters to wear green berets during the parade by standing on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; another group protesting the parade is the Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization. And underscoring how important the parade is to politicians, some people are criticizing Attorney General and likely Democratic gubernatorial candidate Eliot Spitzer for snubbing the parade and missing the chance to kiss the cheeks of babies (Spitzer's people say he's already attending mass at St. Patrick's, but critics point out he'll be at a tort reform meeting). Missing the parade is almost as bad as being a politician who is not wearing any green - watch WNBC to see the parade and how green in incorporated into wardrobes.
Irish events in the city from NY Metro and Citysearch; the history of St. Patrick's Day from the History Channel and from Hormel; and two other cities where the Irish march proudly: Boston and Chicago.
