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St. Patrick’s Day is an Irish religious holiday. But if you happen to be in New York on March 17, 2008, you can be forgiven for thinking it is an all-american festival. On St. Paddy’s day, New York will be a green city - and that has nothing to do with the environment.The city gets a green makeover. The people, their clothes, hats, flowers, water fountains and buildings such as the Empire State Building will go green. People from all over the nation and the world come to NYC for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and festivities, even the Irish.

Here are the list of festivities and places I recommend to join the celebration.

Start the day with the mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. No better way to start a day than a one-on-one chat with God and a cardinal who is an archbishop. Edward Michael Cardinal Egan is the Archbishop of New York and St. Patrick’s Cathedral is his HQ. It’s one of the most beautiful Gothic style catholic churches in the world, where the exquisite stained glass windows compete with the altar’s spirituality, and the marble sculptures vie for attention with the uplifting music emanating from the 150-rank Kilgen organ.

The cathedral is one of the prime tourist attractions in New York, with over 5½ million visitors each year. It is especially busy on St. Patrick’s Day. The two blocks around the church are packed with people waiting to get inside. To get a seat, get there well ahead of time, leave your car at your hotel and take the subway or walk.

Next up, is the main event of the day, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The parade starts at 11.00 a.m., at 44th St. and Fifth Ave. The parade is a tradition not just for the Irish here, but the whole of NYC.

Everyone wears green, shops are decked with green, green beer flows in the Irish pubs and entire families turn out to line the streets on Fifth Avenue, from 44th to the 86th streets, to enjoy the bands, the colorful costumes and the carnival atmosphere. The best viewing spot for the parade is at the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The parade ends around 3 p.m., which is a cue for a break and well deserved lunch. A suitable choice for lunch is an Irish pub in the vicinity, with thick, juicy steaks, shepherd’s pie and Irish beer. If you follow the parade to its end at 86th Street, one of the most well known pubs in the area is the Parlour, located at 250 West 86th St. (212) 580-8923, which serves fresh Irish salmon steak seared with mustard sauce and a leek confit. It is also known for its shepherd’s pie, a foodaholic’s dream - tasty, filling and reasonably priced. Wash it all down with one or three of a range of Irish beers.

St. Patrick’s Day is a part of the culture and history of the city - an essential part of the New York city experience. So tell me, how do you spend St. Patrick’s Day in your city? And is there a special festival or day in your city or town which makes it something worth visiting?