By Rick Bonnell
When thousands of visitors show up in your city,
pretty much all at once, and security is already on high alert for the
Democratic National Convention, you’re going to have some travel
hassles.
Based on Twitter comments from various delegates Sunday, some were charmed by Southern hospitality and others were peeved that streets leading to their hotels were closed much of the afternoon. As Massachusetts delegate Elaine Almquist commented, “We’re in Charlotte, but it doesn’t want us.”
Well, not exactly. The road closures and the 8-foot fences make it hard for Charlotte to show its best face, but that happens anywhere these national political conventions are held, particularly in a post 9/11 world.
The Tampa Tribune illustrated that well in a Sunday story that wrapped up last week’s Republican convention. The newspaper quoted Chris Heimburger of Houston as saying, “Tampa is beautiful, but with all the police and barricades and security, it also felt like an occupied country.”
Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn responded that his first responsibility was public safety, “even if we had to miss some of our better pictures.”
Not everyone had complaints. Delegate Keri Lorenzo, also from Massachusetts, had this to say on Twitter: “Amazing hospitality by residents of Charlotte in helping a tired pregnant lady make it to hotel after security shut down!”
Any soccer fans? CNN talk-show host and British soccer fan Piers Morgan scoped out where to watch Arsenal’s match against Liverpool early Sunday, but he was all by himself at Ri-Ra, the Irish Pub uptown.
Morgan tweeted at 8:25 a.m. that the bar was open for the match, but he was the only soccer fan in attendance. He included a picture to illustrate the point.
Pathetic, you said? Tommy Johnson, a political blogger out of Minnesota, is already a big fan of Charlotte before the actual convention convenes: “It’s big enough, but not too big – and the Host Committee is making the rnc in Tampa look pathetic already.” Based on the rest of his post, Johnson was won over by the media reception held Saturday at the North Carolina Music Factory.
We do ’Cue: Predictably, visitor tweets include dozens of questions and comments about that North Carolina delicacy, barbecue.
Philadelphia Inquirer political reporter Tom Fitzgerald asked, “So the air in Charlotte smells like pit barbecue - or is that just my imagination? (No, we pump it through the air-conditioning ducts to make visitors drool.)
Alex Horton of Virginia isn’t such a fan of Carolina ’Cue: “Best bet? Drive southwest for a couple days, then cross the Texas state line.”
Windy City view: The Chicago Tribune recommends these Charlotte bars to delegates looking for a drink: The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, Connolly’s On Fifth, Alexander Michaels, VBGB, Courtyard Hooligans and The Dunhill Hotel.
Life is a Segway: A blogger for the Business Insider website took a different spin on learning Charlotte, signing up for a Segway tour of uptown Sunday run by CharlotteNCTours. It sounded like tour guide Luke was pretty entertaining. Among his observations:
Bank of America Corporate Center is “a weird thing that’s become kind of a landmark.” … Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan lives in a penthouse atop the Trust Building … The Knight Theater is occasionally used to film scenes from Showtime series “Homeland,” and … Charlotte’s last legal brothel closed in the 1950s.
Based on Twitter comments from various delegates Sunday, some were charmed by Southern hospitality and others were peeved that streets leading to their hotels were closed much of the afternoon. As Massachusetts delegate Elaine Almquist commented, “We’re in Charlotte, but it doesn’t want us.”
Well, not exactly. The road closures and the 8-foot fences make it hard for Charlotte to show its best face, but that happens anywhere these national political conventions are held, particularly in a post 9/11 world.
The Tampa Tribune illustrated that well in a Sunday story that wrapped up last week’s Republican convention. The newspaper quoted Chris Heimburger of Houston as saying, “Tampa is beautiful, but with all the police and barricades and security, it also felt like an occupied country.”
Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn responded that his first responsibility was public safety, “even if we had to miss some of our better pictures.”
Not everyone had complaints. Delegate Keri Lorenzo, also from Massachusetts, had this to say on Twitter: “Amazing hospitality by residents of Charlotte in helping a tired pregnant lady make it to hotel after security shut down!”
Any soccer fans? CNN talk-show host and British soccer fan Piers Morgan scoped out where to watch Arsenal’s match against Liverpool early Sunday, but he was all by himself at Ri-Ra, the Irish Pub uptown.
Morgan tweeted at 8:25 a.m. that the bar was open for the match, but he was the only soccer fan in attendance. He included a picture to illustrate the point.
Pathetic, you said? Tommy Johnson, a political blogger out of Minnesota, is already a big fan of Charlotte before the actual convention convenes: “It’s big enough, but not too big – and the Host Committee is making the rnc in Tampa look pathetic already.” Based on the rest of his post, Johnson was won over by the media reception held Saturday at the North Carolina Music Factory.
We do ’Cue: Predictably, visitor tweets include dozens of questions and comments about that North Carolina delicacy, barbecue.
Philadelphia Inquirer political reporter Tom Fitzgerald asked, “So the air in Charlotte smells like pit barbecue - or is that just my imagination? (No, we pump it through the air-conditioning ducts to make visitors drool.)
Alex Horton of Virginia isn’t such a fan of Carolina ’Cue: “Best bet? Drive southwest for a couple days, then cross the Texas state line.”
Windy City view: The Chicago Tribune recommends these Charlotte bars to delegates looking for a drink: The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery, Connolly’s On Fifth, Alexander Michaels, VBGB, Courtyard Hooligans and The Dunhill Hotel.
Life is a Segway: A blogger for the Business Insider website took a different spin on learning Charlotte, signing up for a Segway tour of uptown Sunday run by CharlotteNCTours. It sounded like tour guide Luke was pretty entertaining. Among his observations:
Bank of America Corporate Center is “a weird thing that’s become kind of a landmark.” … Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan lives in a penthouse atop the Trust Building … The Knight Theater is occasionally used to film scenes from Showtime series “Homeland,” and … Charlotte’s last legal brothel closed in the 1950s.
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