While Federal government offices in Washington, D.C. are closed for Columbus Day, students in Maryland, just a few miles away, have a full school day. What was once a guaranteed day off from work is now a gamble, with many schools and workplaces open on Columbus Day.
A New York firefighter car
ries an Italian flag on Fifth Avenue in the annual Columbus Day parade in... A New York firefighter carries an Italian flag on Fifth Avenue in the annual Columbus Day parade in this October 2008 file photo, in New York City. While Federal government offices in Washington, D. C. are closed for the holiday, miles away in suburban Maryland class is in session for public schools students. What was once a guaranteed day-off from work is now a gamble with many schools and workplaces open on Columbus Day. (Chris Hondros/Getty Images)
Columbus Day is not commemorated universally. Federal and state offices are closed, the United States Postal Service will not deliver mail, and many banks are shuttered.
But public schools in large cities like Los Angeles, Miami and Dallas are open, while in Washington, DC, New York City and Chicago they are closed
It has been a growing trend for more than 20 years. In 14-hundred and 92, Columbus sailed the ocean blue -- but that no longer means you have the day off.
In New York City, an estimated 30,000 parade goers lined Fifth Avenue, which was decked out in red, white and green for the city's Columbus Day parade.
Meanwhile, the city's subways and buses ran on a regular weekday schedule, since only a fraction of their riders had the day off from work.
History tells us Christopher Columbus first came ashore in the New World 1492, starting centuries of European exploration and settlement, and eventually leading to the creation of the United States.
Colorado was the first state officially to observe Columbus Day in 1905; in 1934 it became a federal holiday.
Since then Columbus Day has expanded beyond honoring Columbus the explorer. For many communities the day also serves as a time to celebrate the legacy and cultural heritage of Italians in America.
But Columbus and his legacy are not without controversy
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