The City of Republican Love
Jeff "works" the GOP convention
You're probably wondering why I put 'works' in quotation marks in the title.
Even though I did perform a duty, per se, it didn't seem like work, more like a vacation. Of course, a vacation where I had a set schedule Monday through Thursday. Only with a great seat to watch the mechanics of the media during a major event, and a front-row seat at one of the hallmarks of American politics.
With that, let me tell you it was a hoot! I just hope I'm picked for 2004 as well. Of course, if it were the Democratic convention I may not have survived; I had enough of dealing with the we-think-we're-not-but-we-are-liberals in the media. To be surrounded by them in the convention hall as well would have required a dozen lifelines, with polling the audience not a viable option.
FRIDAY, JULY 28
I returned from England at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday and was awake at 5:30 a.m. Friday, out the door at 6:20 a.m. and hopped on MARTA to get to the CNN Center for the 7:45 a.m. crew call.
 Even though I spent nine cramped hours the day before and slept less than five hours, I was more psyched up for this trip than when I discovered boxer briefs, and didn't experience jet lag at all. My schedule is so screwed up by working overnights, I can adapt to anything now. I've done so much traveling, Steven has taken to calling me Uncle Matt from "Fraggle Rock," the classic kids show on HBO. I don't know, Matt was cool, but those Doozers were a righteous bunch.
The flight was fine, at least much quicker than the day before, by about 7 1/2 hours. Joe Business next to me said hi when I sat down, then he stared out the window for the next hour and a half, never touching his drink or snack and never looking away from the window. You'd think John Lithgow was on the wing.
We arrived in Philadelphia about 11 a.m. The approximately 20 of us (others got there earlier, some later) gathered up the equipment and loaded six of the vehicles Newsource rented for the week from Avis to take us to the hotel. Before that, though, we had to load about 55 boxes of backup gear to supplement the hundreds already in Philadelphia. On the way to the Holiday Inn in Runnemeade, three of us took the correct path, the other three vans took a wrong exit and thus the rest of us had to wait over an hour until we could unpack and eat lunch.
Since our hotel was in Runnemeade we were forced to stay across the Delaware River in New Jersey. This is where I found out how Pennsylvanians and (Jersey-ites?) feel about the Garden State (what a contradiction that is). There is a $3 toll to get into Pennsylvania across the two major bridges, the Ben Franklin and Walt Whitman, but no toll on the return trip. So, long ago it was deduced that people will fork over three bucks to get out of Jersey, but won't pay to get in?
Newsource rented about a dozen cars and vans for the convention, all of which were needed since everyone's shifts were so varied. I had plenty of opportunities to drive, usually during social events since I don't drink and thus volunteer to be the designated driver. These were hip vans, too, with automatic locks when you exited the vehicle, and doors that shut with the push of a button.
Philadelphia at a glance
Founded in 1682.
Served as the nation's capital from 1790 to 1800.
Second largest city on the East Coast and ranks fifth in the nation, with a metropolitan population of 5.8 million.
48 percent white; 42 percent black; 7 percent Hispanic; 3 percent Asian/Pacific Islander
Pennsylvania has 1,000 museums, 50 lakes, 7,000 campsites, 33 ski resorts, 116 state parks, 64 wineries, 20 amusement parks and 45,000 miles of rivers and streams.
1.6 million people see the Liberty Bell each year.
The Republican National Convention was also held in Philadelphia in 1856, 1872, 1900, 1940 and 1948.
Besides Rocky, other films made in the city include Witness (1984), The Sixth Sense (1999), Up Close and Personal (1995), Twelve Monkeys (1995) and Philadelphia (1993).
Source: goPhila.com, the Official Philadelphia Media Guide and CNN.
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Just in case one couldn't find a ride to the First Union (F.U.) Center, CNN ran a shuttle 24 hours a day, every half-hour to and from the hotel, which was a great convenience when you couldn't find someone with a rental van.
I had to do this on Monday and Tuesday to the Convention, and as a result can't complain as much about Atlanta drivers after seeing how Philadelphians drive. We may be fast and reckless, but these people seem almost dedicated on running you off the road.
A CNN shuttle driver almost ran another driver off the Walt Whitman Bridge when he didn't see that his lane was ending until 20 feet from the barrier, and the driver to our right was hell-bent on not moving out of the way. We were just inches from a collision, and my heart hasn't raced that fast since high school when I bumped a woman's car from behind when my car skidded on wet pavement (she let it go when there was no damage). I swear I could've reached out and grabbed the adjacent driver's steering wheel with my left arm, that's how close we were. I now have a healthy fear of death.
The driver, who said he originally from New York, was a nice guy but used the F word like it was an adjective, adverb, noun and interrogative (his sentences would be easy to diagram). Not only that, he drove for extended periods in both lanes of the interstate, so while I was in the middle he was in the left lane and didn't even seem to notice. I could see other drivers staying back, very wary of this loon.
Cars and vans aren't the only weapon of choice for Philadelphia's drivers. At the convention site there was an armada of golf carts that could successfully overtake any retirement community, as the local volunteers and union members in their bigger and stronger carts had no problem running you down or knocking another cart out of the way. One volunteer hit two media carts in the span of ten seconds in an effort to move ten feet before dropping us off at our trailer.
Once you avoided the volunteers, the media's carts meandered every which way in search of the parking lot or F.U. Center, trying to avoid lost delegates in search of a ride. I may be a Republican - and I'm sure Democrats were similar to our crew in Los Angeles - sometimes I just had to tell ladies in funny hats that I couldn't give them a ride due to transporting of equipment. But by the look of their faces you'd think I just told them that I thought Bill Clinton was the greatest president since Abe Lincoln.
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Nice try, Holiday Inn, but we're still doing a hard-hitting story on the uncoordinated carpet colors.
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A pleasant surprise was that we each had own room, though I was just glad the Holiday Inn had air conditioning, considering I had done without the last two weeks in the UK. Then again, it was also twenty degrees warmer in Philly.
One of our reporters, Alexa, let us in on how to get different channels on the television in your room. We only had about 15 channels, including Headline News instead of papa CNN, which was fine with me but many of my coworkers wanted to see complete gavel-to-gavel coverage rather than highlights. Alexa somehow cajoled the manager into flipping the channel on the satellite and bingo! We had CNN. Hmm, maybe next time I can convince them to let me have the Spice . . . I mean, History Channel?
After lunch we drove out to the F.U. Center to see the Newsource setup and tour the facilities, where we were able to walk down to the floor and around the stage and in the suites where our networks have booths.
The media compound is enormous, like a little town, with 15,000 residents. CNN Newsource alone had 35,000 square feet, CNN only 25,000, because we had to accommodate over 50 affiliates who brought producers, reporters and photographers.
The "media city . . . a village of trailers, tents, trucks and cables has become a community with its own landmarks. Turn left at the CNN sign. Make a right at NBC. Meet you at the NHK truck, the Japanese Broadcasting Co., truck with the colorful cartoon drawings of the Statue of Liberty and Michael Jordan." (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
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I'm the king of the convention! [click on photo for larger picture]
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There was a sign outside the F.U. Center designated a "guide dog relief area," and it was very telling that the area's location was adjacent to the media tents.
Nicole and Mera went over the demands of our job as Path Directors for those of us who came from Headline News, then those in Newsource that had been there for a week or two gave us a tour of the compound and the F.U. Center. It's a nice arena, newly built in the last couple of years to house the NBA's 76ers and NHL's Flyers. The Center, next to Veterans Stadium, home of the Phillies of Major League Baseball, isn't too far from downtown, only about a 10-15 minute drive once you figure out the one-way streets.
After all this fun, we decided at 9 p.m. to see the Philadelphia nightlife by driving to South Street, near downtown and the river. The area reminded me a little of Beale Street for you Memphians, except South Street is a few miles longer and has a lot of eclectic shops to go with dozens of diverse restaurants and hip clubs. Okay, it doesn't remind me of Beale Street.
Those in our group that night were Monica (Headline News director), Mark (Headline News director), John Murgatroyd (Newsource tapes editor), and Amanda (Newsource writer).
We ate at Jon's for our requisite Philly cheesesteak. It was pretty tasty, although there could've been more cheese. Jon's wasn't our last, though, and we'd get a better taste later in the week from another restaurant and CNN's catering service.
Even better, though, the night was extremely pleasant and we could enjoy one of my favorite activities: people-watching. Following our meal we strolled down South Street to Penn Landing along the Delaware River to take in the atmosphere and experience the feel of Philly.
Once at Penn's Landing and the river we could see the USS New Jersey across the shore in Camden, which was cool since it's not everyday (or every year) you see a battleship, not to mention on the Pennsylvania side there was a Tall Ship decorated with lights.
Philly drivers in automobiles aren't the only ones to fear; the kids near South Street do not care that they're riding a bike and you're in a car. As far as they're concerned, theirs is bigger. The kids ride down the street in front of cars, never getting out of the way, with large groups riding along South Street and on sidewalks through the crowds. They're like a Junior Hell's Angels without the biker babes. After all these years it's still hard to pick up dates on a Schwinn.
SATURDAY, JULY 29
For some reason, I could never grasp that it was actually Saturday; it felt like the middle of the week. Mid-afternoon we were driving back to the hotel, and I kept wondering where all the rush-hour traffic was. Well, duh, it wasn't there on a weekend.
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I claim this arena for the land of Georgia!
[click on photo for larger picture]
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Today was a practice day work-wise, going through a dry run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., then were cut loose to do whatever we wanted. So I, Mark, Monica, Ladonna (Headline News director) and Jan (Newsource editor) first walked over to the F.U. Center to experience the sights of the convention floor and take pictures. Then we toured the Center City district (basically, Midtown in every other big city) to see the popular historical places.
First up, the Liberty Bell exhibit, which reminded me of Stonehenge in that it takes very little time for the Park Ranger to give a rehearsed two-minute spiel about it and for you to take pictures with it, then move on to the next sight, Independence Hall across the park.
Unfortunately for this history-buff, Independence Hall was a disappointment. The wait was 20 minutes and then it took less time to actually tour the building. But that's nothing compared to the silliness that occurs before the tour. A group of tourists are let in (about 40 at a time) and have to sit in a room to watch a video about how to tour the Hall!
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Where freedom rang.
[click on photo for larger picture]
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Once out of that room - - where we now know how to deposit trash in receptacles and not stick our heads between the rails - - we only saw two rooms on the bottom floor (the upstairs was off-limits for some renovation).
Once it was over, I then discovered there are no shops in order to buy my shot glass or postcards for my brother. I had to wait until later Saturday night at a private gift shop to make my purchases, when normally I prefer to give my money to the National Park Service in order to keep the most prized governmental organization up and running.
History Lesson: Independence Hall was built in the 1730s as the State House "of a proud British city." The Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were drafted in the building, renamed Independence Hall in the early 1820s to reflect its historical importance.
That evening we attended the media party at the Philadelphia Convention Center, in the Chinatown section of Center City. It took an hour and a half to get there, since we took a Philly-run GOP Express shuttle that first went to another hotel in the opposite direction of the party. We were all dressed up with somewhere to go, but spent too much time chatting on the interstate.
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The picture the Secret Service made me take of the ground to prove it wasn't a bomb.
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It got worse, though. To connect to a bus that would take us to the Convention Center for the party, we had to stop at the F.U. Center. There we were stopped by the Secret Service for awhile because security was so tight. Every time a bus came into the F.U. Center parking lot it had to be checked thoroughly inside and out, even using the crooked mirrors to look at the undercarriage, and agents had to inspect inside the bus, interrogating us with such personal and intense questions as "How are you guys doin'?"
When we went through three checkpoints to get in the F.U. Center (to get into the parking lot, entering the media compound and to get into the building itself) they went through every bag and even my seven rolls of film, opening the canisters, and I had to take a picture of the ground to show security that it works as a camera and not a weapon.
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We don't have to be drunk to wear funny hats.
[click on photo for larger picture]
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At the media party we walked around the large, very crowded room sampling the free food with which were bribed by the best restaurants of Philly in order to eat at their places and write glowing reviews.
Despite being late, we still managed to eat and drink from nearly every single booth in the hall, over 100 spread around the room, from seafood to red meat to pasta and vegetables, etc. Ladonna had an excuse to fill her belly, being a few months pregnant. The rest of us, however, were just hungry and desperate for that one "awesome taste." The prime rib from the steakhouse that gave out free fireman hats did it for me.
Just to make sure the media wasn't entirely on stable legs, alcohol was available at almost every other booth, and every once in a while soft drinks and water for those of us nondrinkers. As was the entire week, the entire event was a big schmooze fest for everyone to network and kiss each other's butts. I didn't see many bigwigs of the media, but I did see Republican chairman Jim Nicholson, who is a lot smaller than I imagined.
After the party we walked about 10 blocks to an after-party event at Lights of Liberty, a nighttime tour of historic Philadelphia. Media got in free (normally $17.76 - cute, eh?) and they served us free champagne. Of course, I spent that much on souvenirs, so they know what they're doing.
I had a self-confidence pick-me-up at the souvenir shop, from the cute teenage girls behind the counter. We talked a bit (they liked that I was from Atlanta), and I found out later from Joelle that they said I was cute and sweet. Needless to say that gave me a lift in the spirits for a bit.
From a Philadelphia travel brochure:
"Lights of Liberty: Relive America's harrowing struggle for Independence in the breathtaking one-hour Lights of Liberty Show, a sound a light spectacular that shows nightly throughout Independence National Historical Park. Using 3-D sound with special effects by Skywalker, 5-story projections, music by the Philadelphia Orchestra and celebrity voices including Walter Cronkite, Whoopi Goldberg and Ossie Davis, it's the only show of its kind in the world."
It's a pretty original tour, strolling through the historic district for about an hour in groups of 30 led by energetic young guides in period clothing. We wore headsets that made us look like Lando Calrissians's aide on Cloud City in "Star Wars", but the audio was surround-sound and digital, which allowed it to play automatically so we didn't have to push any buttons to keep up.
Walking the dark cobblestone streets there are lights and images projected on buildings, corresponding with the audio. It was interesting and imaginative, not to mention informative for history buffs and non-history idiots alike (I mean, those whose night of a romantic evening isn't the History Channel special on Hitler's henchmen).
We had a lot of fun on the tour, which was even more fun because there was a drunk white-haired lady in our group, stumbling over her friends and talking loud, even tripping on the cobblestone path. She was plastered, and it was funny.
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I am Ben Franklin and you will worship me!
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The tour takes you by the Liberty Bell, the Second Bank of the United States and finally at Independence Hall for the "God Bless America" extravaganza." It begins at the courtyard dedicated to Ben Franklin near where his home once stood. Philadelphians seem to have an orgasm every time Franklin's name is mentioned, they speak so highly of him. Not that it's without merit, I just hadn't heard so much hubbub from a city over one person since the entire Cuban population in Miami thought a six-year-old boy could overthrow a Commie dictator.
I'm just getting started . . .
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