Denver is in a frenzy. I can hardly imagine how residents feel about today, the start of the convention. After all, they have been preparing for this all year. We’ve only been here a week, but I’ve already noticed changes around the city.
Every souvenir shop has these, as well as shirts, buttons, flags, shot glasses, etc. Basically anything you can think of is made for the convention.
First, there’s the road blocks. On Monday night a group of us walked right up to the Pepsi Center. We snapped a few pictures and let it sink in that in a week what we had been waiting for all summer would begin. The CNN Express bus had just arrived and we hopped on board to take a peek. There were no barriers anywhere.
That night downtown was relatively quiet. Sure there were lots of people out enjoying the weather, but on the whole it was calm. We did not have to waited to be seated at a Mexican restaurant, even though there were ten of us. No one had lanyards around their neck, proudly displaying their credentials. And I did not see a single glittered red, white, and blue hat.
Not so last night. The delegates are here! They are exploring the streets of Denver, flocking to restaurants, catching free rides on the bus that goes along the 16th Street Mall (where many shops and restaurants are located) and experiencing all the city has to offer. I saw several patriotic hats last night. A week ago everyone I talked to was from Denver and last night I was hard pressed to find a Denver resident. The convention is upon us.
And that’s not even mentioning the security. Saturday it took an hour to get into the perimeter around the Pepsi Center. Today it took around ten minutes, but the whole area is surrounded by fences and concrete barriers. The Secret Service and police are everywhere, literally. They are listening attentively to their earpieces and checking their blackberries, SWAT teams are riding on the outside of vans, and there are helicopters patrolling the skies (if you look close enough you can see several guys perched on the edge of the helicopters, ready to jump at a moment’s notice).
Plus, Pepsi Center itself is buzzing. That CNN bus we walked onto a week ago? Well, now the whole restaurant and surrounding area is reserved for CNN staff. The media tents are a hive of activity; everyone’s heads are down and the quick staccato of their typing captures the intense anticipation and focus on today. I just walked into the hall and everyone, while still helpful, spoke at a quicker pace than even yesterday. Last minute preparations are being made as we head up to gavel time.
What we have all been waiting for is here.
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