Obamapalooza Site Empty Now - But Not For Long
By Karl Klockars in News on Oct 30, 2008 5:00PM
The Sun-Times had a nice semi-overhead shot of the rally site in yesterday's paper, but we figured we'd go check out the rally site from locations that will look more familiar to any of the estimated million-plus people that are going to show up to Hutchinson Field in a little under a week.
If you think you're going to wander up to the rally site and get the lay of the land early, think again - the site is surrounded on three sides with fencing, and the north end of the field is wall-to-wall with some security and mostly construction traffic. You can still get a feel for how the crowds are going to file in - if you get there late and can only pile into the masses of humanity on the north end, it looks like you're going to have a tough time doing anything other than being part of the event.
If you want to avoid the massive throngs of people on election night, go wander down by the Museum Campus and take a peek through the fencing. Then try to remember that there is some precedent for such a huge gathering going off without a hitch - 1.2 million people gathered in Grant Park in 1979 to see Pope John Paul II deliver Mass. If you haven't gotten your tickets reserved yet, try to avoid the temptation to show up anyways - just stay at home, get quietly stewed in peace, and watch the results come in.