Saturday, July 31, 2004
CITY UNDER SIEGE
The City of Boston made some huge sacrifices to welcome the Democratic National Convention. Their entire city was shut down, their businesses were temporarily closed, their lives were interrupted. And during the entire week, I was stopped and greeted by Bostonians who had only one question - "Are you having a good time?"
Security was everywhere. We had to show ID to ride the escalator up to the second floor to breakfast every day. We had to show our room keys in order to access the hotel elevators. We had hotel security officers and Secret Service officers mingling among us in the hotel lobby. And that was just in the hotel, before we even got to the Fleet Center.
We were required to show our daily Convention credentials to board the shuttle buses to the Fleet Center, and once we got in, we went through security lines to be X-rayed before entering the secure perameter. There were two different types of lines, which most people didn't realize but I recognized very quickly. In the lines with the smaller X-ray machines the security personnel were hand-picking through everyone's bags, while in the lines with the large airport-style X-ray machines they were passing the bags through without opening. I always picked the latter, and never had a single problem or a single thing confiscated - even with a laptop. It probably helps that I'm an airline employee and know how to strip all my jewelry and shoes off before I get up to the line, but I always breezed through with a smile and a thank you.
All around the Fleet Center, both inside and outside, were military personnel, Secret Service, and other security personnel keeping a close eye on us. I'm absolutely sure I didn't sneeze or cross my eyes without someone taking notice.
On our way out of the Fleet Center on Wednesday night, we passed a long line of MPs - Military Police - each carrying a knapsack, some with bulk packages of bottled water and other sundries. Their job? To spend the night inside the Fleet Center and keep it safe for us for another day.
During the week I managed to go out a few times - lunch at the Barking Crab, a mid-afternoon meal at Legal Seafood, a late-night Guiness at The Black Rose. And at each venue I had no problem getting a table. There were no locals to be found. The hotels were doing a booming business, but restaurants and other retail business suffered greatly by having the Convention in town. At each venue, and even on the streets, I talked to locals who all said the same thing - yes, it's a sacrifice. Yes, we wish we were getting more of an economic bounce. But it's a sacrifice we're glad to make for Senator Kerry and the Democratic Party, and we hope you're having a good time.
The City of Boston really put on a hell of a show. I highly recommend that you go visit. Walk the Freedom Trail. Have some chowder at The Barking Crab. Visit the JFK Library. Sing Irish songs with your pint o'Guiness at The Black Rose. And while you're there, tell everyone thank you for hosting us. The City of Boston couldn't have been more hospitable, and we Democrats - and Americans - won't forget it.
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Security was everywhere. We had to show ID to ride the escalator up to the second floor to breakfast every day. We had to show our room keys in order to access the hotel elevators. We had hotel security officers and Secret Service officers mingling among us in the hotel lobby. And that was just in the hotel, before we even got to the Fleet Center.
We were required to show our daily Convention credentials to board the shuttle buses to the Fleet Center, and once we got in, we went through security lines to be X-rayed before entering the secure perameter. There were two different types of lines, which most people didn't realize but I recognized very quickly. In the lines with the smaller X-ray machines the security personnel were hand-picking through everyone's bags, while in the lines with the large airport-style X-ray machines they were passing the bags through without opening. I always picked the latter, and never had a single problem or a single thing confiscated - even with a laptop. It probably helps that I'm an airline employee and know how to strip all my jewelry and shoes off before I get up to the line, but I always breezed through with a smile and a thank you.
All around the Fleet Center, both inside and outside, were military personnel, Secret Service, and other security personnel keeping a close eye on us. I'm absolutely sure I didn't sneeze or cross my eyes without someone taking notice.
On our way out of the Fleet Center on Wednesday night, we passed a long line of MPs - Military Police - each carrying a knapsack, some with bulk packages of bottled water and other sundries. Their job? To spend the night inside the Fleet Center and keep it safe for us for another day.
During the week I managed to go out a few times - lunch at the Barking Crab, a mid-afternoon meal at Legal Seafood, a late-night Guiness at The Black Rose. And at each venue I had no problem getting a table. There were no locals to be found. The hotels were doing a booming business, but restaurants and other retail business suffered greatly by having the Convention in town. At each venue, and even on the streets, I talked to locals who all said the same thing - yes, it's a sacrifice. Yes, we wish we were getting more of an economic bounce. But it's a sacrifice we're glad to make for Senator Kerry and the Democratic Party, and we hope you're having a good time.
The City of Boston really put on a hell of a show. I highly recommend that you go visit. Walk the Freedom Trail. Have some chowder at The Barking Crab. Visit the JFK Library. Sing Irish songs with your pint o'Guiness at The Black Rose. And while you're there, tell everyone thank you for hosting us. The City of Boston couldn't have been more hospitable, and we Democrats - and Americans - won't forget it.
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