Ah, Downtown! How lovely you look this fine convention morning.

So I’m sitting at my desk down on Stout Street, trying to get things done but distracted by the constant thoughts of what I might be missing out in the streets.

Currently, the mood is slightly quiet and the buses seemed about as packed as usual…. Quiet. Maybe too quiet.

Yesterday was full of hustle and bustle: We headed down to look for celebrities and oddities and take in the local arts, but ran into much more interesting events on our way.

Swat team members with blue zip ties and sniffing dogs loiter at ever corner, chatting with each other and eliciting the stares of curious (and spooked) passer-bys. I got nervous when the guard dog snapped his head to look at me: I was sure the smell of my cat clinging heavy to my clothes would provoke some sort of awful attack, but luckily we only locked eyes, me and that pup.

Horses with eye sheilds and fancy “Sherriff” leggings trotted up and down the bus mall, scooting back and forth as shuttles zipped around. The horses certainly made the police less threatening and more, I don’t know, welcoming?, as the adorable factor of a horse in fancy dress can’t be denied.

Around noon yesterday, the peace march came by, well, peacefully, with veterans against the war leading the way, and peace activists in pink toting large puppets and signs behind them.

We walked right past whatever the excitement was on Colfax and Broadway, although I hear it wasn’t all that much of a hubbubb. Sure did look it from the full riot-gear swat teams lining up along Grant Street, but considering we were right in the heart of the so-called “Trouble Area” and didn’t see a damn bit of trouble, it couldn’t have been that bad (Although I read today Fox News was trying to invoke some crapstorm to catch excietable viewers…)

Well, that’s all for the moment. If anything good is out to be seen today, I’ll keep notes of it and blog at you from the 16th Street Mall.

I’m heading out there quite soon- my delivery guy saw George Clooney and apparently Tom Brokaw is roaming the streets (We walked past him and didn’t even notice until someone pointed it out later…) and I’m damned determined to find the Daily Show crew.

I’ll be live-blogging all week, so let me know if there’s anything out of towners or those staying away from the Mall want to hear about…..