I had an opportunity to get out on the street early this morning when I went downstairs to get a much-needed cup of coffee to bolster my blogging. I took a few pictures that were necessarily a bit fuzzy, as the light was still pretty faint and the flash resulted in poor illumination of the scenery.

You can see the calm on the streets that likely will be absent during the day today, as more traffic and protests will jam the sidewalks around the convention site. The first picture is from the hotel looking down 33rd, and has the Empire State Building in the background. You can see that the street itself is completely barricaded:

This picture is straight across from the Hotel Pennsylvania, where they're allowing vehicle traffic for the moment. I expect this to be barricaded later on today:

In order to get in and out of the protected area, I have to show my photo ID and my room key at all times. They are serious about securing this event, and believe me, it's comforting.