The votes haven't all been cast and the ones that have surely haven't been counted.
Having said that, whatever the results of the election a week from tomorrow, the city of Chicago looks to be having one heck of a celebration on our front lawn.
As a Chicago resident and political junky, I've been taking walks around Hutchison Field on my lunch break since word leaked that the Obama campaign was planning an election night event in Grant Park near Chicago's lakefront.
Immediately last Wednesday, there were signs of a plan being carried out. A dozen AT&T trucks were lining the park, preparing the area to handle hundreds of internet and telephone connections. Rows of electrical generators and cherry pickers lined the access road along the baseball diamonds. Workers were blowtorching the bolts off of the backstops on the fields, clearing the way for an open surface around the entire park. Fences had already been constructed along the perimeter and sidewalks to prepare for crowd control.
All of this while the media - and the mayor - were saying that the kinks were being worked out, permits had yet to be filed, and payment plans still being arranged. Gotta love Chicago.
Funny me. When I saw them constructing the building above last week, I thought it was the media tent. A nice hard walled building for the pundits and filing center to base their operations. Kinda small, but maybe big enough? Little did I know that it was only the beginning.
It's not as easy to see in this first picture, but that small white structure in the background is that first building constructed. It turns out that is merely the headquarters for the planning and staging of the event itself. In the foreground of that building is the beginnings of a massive media center. Three stories high and seemingly 75 yards in length, and flanked on one side by several other massive soft-roof tents, which are only now being unrolled.
While the stage has yet to be finished, it looks as though it will be mid-field. I'm not sure of the orientation of the stage itself, but while he may not have his back to the skyline, the choice of venue is going to be stunning.
Below are a couple of videos of the construction of the massive media center.
I plan on visiting every day until they don't allow the public to access the park - and I assume that the powers that be will be limiting access very soon.