So there wasn't a seige....big deal!

So around eleven I ventured out of my apartment and down the street where the crowd was gathering. While almost no one was on the west side of the street, the east side venues were beginning to fill up. Little girls holding signs chanted anti-Bush cheers while grownup protesters coo-ed "aren’t they cute. The Communists were out in force, selling books and tee shirts while people dressed in their Sunday best, so to speak. There was a platform on 17th street, where a few speakers gave short addresses to the crowd. Screams went up as if people were doing the "wave" at a sports arena. I went west on 17th to see if the western venues were beginning to fill up. They weren’t So I headed up eighth avenue until I hit 23rd street and headed east to join the throng, which had finally begun to move.

Up we went through the 20s and then around 30th street, we began to see resistance. Not much, but we couldn’t go on the sidewalk any more. Madison Square Garden was in view, and people stopped to chant and get a good view of the ediface, where the marquee had an animated "thank you New York" doing a dance on the screen. What did it mean exactly, who in the city were they thanking? The Republicans? The protesters? What?

The way north was blocked, and thus he had to head east along 34th where we were to go before heading south on Fifth avenue and Union square park where we were supposed to disperse. There was a long line at a Sbarro’s restaurant by people who had to go to the john. The sign said "customers only" but who was gonna stop us? We had to go and this is a protest march, right? So we headed south, and when we got to Union square, the protestors, like good little boys and girls, dispersed.

Oh, yeah. The best stickers read: "Republicans for Vordmort." Harry Potter would be proud!!!!

The march was a success. After all, while they didn’t get the quarter million advertised, they came quite close. That’s impressive. It was hot and sticky and I really needed a nap and a shower. There’s the official broadway plays and receptions for the delegates at five and an anti-convention barbecue at six….