A year ago, it took me a while to figure out that Columbus Day was upon us and I wrote a little blog about it.

That wasn't the case today.

Expecting the usual, slow commute to our East Side offices, I was pleasantly surprised to find traffic flowing freely in nearly every direction. I knew it was Columbus Day and that banks, post offices and federal offices are closed.

I just didn't realize how many people work in related fields and are taking the day off.

In any event, I owe Christopher Columbus a "thank you" for making my morning more pleasant. A day off, of course, would be more pleasant. But, I'll take what I can get.