My Big Adventure to the RNC Xcel Energy Center

St. Paul, Minnesota, Sept. 2 -- My impromptu visit to the RNC in St. Paul was anti-climatic. I could have gone to Minneapolis to see Ron Paul and Jesse Ventura at the Target Center, but didn't want to spend $17.76 for a ticket. I seldom visit St. Paul, other than to visit the Science Museum, The History Center, and the State Fair. St. Paul is one of those cities where it is easy to get lost. The street names and numbers have no rhyme or reason. Jesse Ventura once joked on The Late Show With David Letterman that the streets were designed by a bunch of drunk Irishmen. Therefore, I dutifully downloaded a map provided by St. Paul that clearly marked where it was OK to drive and to park.

I found a spot to park in a residential neighborhood and walked downtown. There was very little foot traffic or automobile traffic. There was the sound of helicopters overhead. I made my way down 7th and finally entered a caged-in area. I kept walking toward the Xcel Energy Center another block and finally reached a dead end. I was stopped by gates, security personnel and 10' metal security fencing. The Xcel Energy Center was right in front of me and I had a fabulous view it as well as the huge outdoor TV screen, if you can call it fabulous while viewing it through the metal grates of the security fencing.

I had planned on walking into the area and going to the Public Viewing Area close to the Xcel Energy Center. There would be speakers at the Open Forum Stage. They would each get 50 minutes to speak and on today's agenda during my planned visit were Marsha Cressy, Laura Helmueller, Earth Protector, Low Income Fellows "Lift" and Pro-Life Action Ministries.

I never got there because the route I chose brought me to the Xcel Energy Center but I could get no further because of the security block. It was basically the end of the road because it was blocked off and secret service agents were at the gate. I hung around for awhile and saw a couple of news photographers come out of the gate. There were some smartly dressed people wearing passes that got through. I didn't recognize anyone. There were also a few other touristy types hanging around looking and some of them asking how to get around the Xcel Energy Center.

I did get a very nice view of the CNN Grill which is said to be a popular meeting place for "newsmakers and media elite". There was also a huge CNN Greyhound type bus parked there. There wasn't a lot of people walking around because of the rain.

It started raining a little harder and I chose not to walk many, many more blocks, across the Mississippi River in order to get around the Xcel Energy Center and to the Public Viewing Area. I struck up a conversation with three goth-looking young people who were walking two dogs. They had many facial piercings and the dogs were adorned with bandanas. We huddled under an awning at a restaurant. They asked if I knew where any marches were and I pulled out my map and showed them Mears Park, where the "Poor People's March For Our Lives! was going to begin. At that time, the bar owner where we were standing came out and asked us to move. One of the young people said, "We smell worse when we get wet".

One bystander was saying "anarchists" to the three. I decided to head back the other way, toward my car, and get out of St. Paul.

I'll watch the RNC on TV.