What's Open, What's Closed Washington's Birthday Weekend

Presidents' Day or Washington's Birthday is observed on Feb. 17, the third Monday of the month, by most governments, banks, schools and other public institutions.

Presidents' Day is an unofficial name for the Washington's Birthday federal holiday and it's also popularly written without the apostrophe, but either way is considered acceptable by most dictionaries, even while the apostrophe version is used more by authoritative writers.

Washington's actual birthday Feb. 22 (the date he himself celebrated after the British calendar was changed during his lifetime), is actually never officially observed as a holiday because the third Monday of the month never falls later than Feb. 21.

Here's what's open and what's closed in Darien and beyond for Presidents' Day weekend, 2014:


Department of Motor Vehicles

Holiday schedule for major service centers, including the Norwalk Office:

• Saturday: Norwalk Office is closed

• Monday: The department is normally closed.

• Tuesday: The department reopens for business with normal business hours of 7:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Monday, Presidents' Day

• Banks in Connecticut have the option of opening or closing. According to state policy: "Connecticut banks and credit unions are required to give at least two weeks’ advance notice to their customers of holiday openings and closings by posting such notice in the lobby of each office." TD Bank is open.
  

• Greenwich Public Schools and private schools are on winter recess through Tuesday, Feb. 18.

• Greenwich Library, including the Byram Shubert and Cos Cob branches, as well as the Perrot Memorial Library in Old Greenwich.

• Connecticut state government offices (including state courts)
  

• U.S. government offices

• Post Offices

• Greenwich Town Hall and government offices (although the Holly Hill recycling center is open regular hours)
  

• Greenwich Senior Center
  

• The New York Stock Exchange and much of the financial industry

• Norwalk Transit District offices are open, as is regular Wheels bus service around Norwalk. For other services, see its scheduleon the website.

• Metro-North has announced: "On Presidents' Day, Monday, Feb. 17,  Metro-North will operate on a Saturday schedule. The Hudson Rail Link and Newburgh-Beacon and  Haverstraw-Ossining ferries will not operate. Grand Central North's exits at 46th-48th Streets will be closed."

• CT Transit bus service in Darien and Stamford has regular local service but "reduced" Commuter Connection service.