It's the economy, of course, and it's the fact that it was Tuesday when I checked in, but this hotel is EMPTY. The convention starts Thurs., so maybe it'll begin to fill up tonight. Very weird, though, walking those windswept corridors, eating alone in the hotel restaurant. This morning, went for my usual walk, looking for a grocery store (fruit and milk, bread and cheese, hotel room staples) and unsurprisingly was the only person on foot. A couple of folks on bikes, otherwise just cars, cars, cars. Necessary here because like so much of this country there's no center. A few stores here, another few there, not many within walking distance of most homes... Sheesh, what a mess we've made.

But the sun was shining, the wind was blowing, two egrets flew right over me, and the President's address last night was pretty good. Days like this I think we might make it through in spite of ourselves.