Mark Bieganski: August 2008 Archives

Even a small submarine shop in Denver -- duely called Chicago Subs -- gets in on the crosstown rivaly between the Cubs and the Sox. The clear winner? The Sox in this town

Check out the free candy -- bound with Mayor Richard M. Daley metallic ribbon -- that Illinois delegates got to take home after the last delegation on Thursday. Chicago's very own Tootsie Rolls were a sweet snack for attendees of Dick Durbin and Rahm Emanuel's Chicago night bash held Tuesday at the convention.

Illinois State Senator and Barack Obama friend Terry Link on Obama's poker face, his golf game, and him being president.

DENVER -- On the closing day of the Democratic National Convention, Illinois delegates each took turns signing one of the placards from the convention to commemorate Barack Obama being the first African American to be nominated for president.

Once signed by the delegates, the sign will be donated to the Smithsonian Museum.

Culminating the end of a four-day Democratic love fest, Barack Obama will accept the nomination of his party tonight at Invesco Field.

Word on the street is we'll have to head to the field -- where all DNC events are being held today -- very, very early, possibly as early as 1 p.m.

God bless Twitter. Look for updates throughout the day.

There are at least two Denver restaurants with a Chicago-themed name - a sub shop and a pizza joint. The sub shop doesn't promise a good beef sandwich, so we let them be, but the pizza place comes very close to offering a Chicago-style pie, which we just had to investigate.

Mark went in and talked to the regional manager, who seemed very nice and, if given the benefit of the doubt, probably has never had even one slice of a true deep-dish sausage or a crispy bit of heaven that is the thin crust with toppings slathered to the edge. So if he's told this is Chicago pizza, he's acting in good faith. But hey, pal, sometimes you gotta question your faith.

So we bought a pie and offered it up to the hardest-working Chicago news crew in the media ghetto here at the Pepsi Center in Denver to see if we had a find here. Turns out, not so much. Check out the video for the results.

And to our new friends in Denver, a truly beautiful city with lots of nice people, don't be mad. But keep in mind, we don't try to build Denver-style mountains and bring the Colorado skiing experience to Chicago, so maybe you should leave slinging world-class pizza to the pros.

But any time you want to visit, we'll buy. You bring the beer.

They're chicks with a cause, but not Democratic cause. Meet the "Missile Dick Chicks."
They're not strangers to political conventions, and have campaigned for the Republican cause as far as New York.

Note: There's a reason they're called the "Missile Dick Chicks," though we had to sensor out the bottom-halves of their bodies.

Denver -- You can't walk a block here without hearing about someone's cause. Usually it's about the war in Iraq. Or high gas prices. Or abortion.

This one, not so much.

No explanation necessary. Just watch the video,

Denver -- They're not preaching Barack Obama's message of hope, but rather one of their own: Bring back Crystal Pepsi.

Let's rewind: Crystal Pepsi was on store shelves for an early time in the 1990s -- but only for a short time.

The clear drink aimed to bring clarity with purity -- being offered as a caffeine-free, clear alternative to regular colas.

Initial sales were promising, but quickly dropped off, just like the product on store shelves.

Some fight for world peace, they fight for consumer satisfaction.

She might be on markdown, but she's still packing a merchandise punch. Shops and vendors are filled with political memorabilia and merchandise -- even Barack and Hillary dolls.

Barack doll: $20
Hillary doll: $12 (discounted from $20)

Forget pogs, bobble head dolls and action figures. Political pins are the hot items to collect here at the Democratic National Convention. Loosen up my buttons, baby.


Loosen up my buttons, baby. More pictures when you click through ...

Yes, that's a Playboy-themed limosine. And yes, those are Playboy magazines in the front seat of the limo. But no, the limo doesn't belong to Playboy or Chicagoan Christie Hefner.

Crowds outside the Daley party Sunday questioned whether it was that of Christie Hefner -- chairman and chief executive officer of Playboy -- however, a spokeswoman says Hefner was not in attendance and that the limo doesn't belong to the company.

Case closed.

Noticeable sign of increased security as the convention open nears. Patrols are stationed throughout downtown Denver and there's a constant air presence above the area.

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley is throwing a party today at Marlowe's in downtown Denver.

First morning in Denver, Colo., site of the upcoming DNCC -- and probably the quietest one we'll have.

The Sun-Times team is staying at two separate hotels while here -- Craig and I are staying in Wheatridge, Colo., while the rest of our team is in an area called Cherry Creek. Our hotel it pretty far out from downtown Denver -- a good 25 minutes away. Things are a tad quieter here, but hotels this far out still are all booked up for the convention.

Strangely enough, we're neighbors to a truck stop, liquor store and a 24-hour porn shop. --three things that when put together might make a dangerous combination.

Last night Barack Obama's VP picked was leaked out -- an inevitable secret dangled in front of the world for the past week -- but also hours before supporters received a text or e-mail informing them who it was. Some would say the VP guessing game went on too long.

Did you get the thrill factor when getting Obama's text? If you're like me, probably not, and you just rolled over and went back to bed.

Here's a picture of our Pre-convention credentials for the Pepsi Center -- site of where the DNCC is taking place in Denver. These are just one of the many sets needed to get around the convention.

This set allows us access to the Pepsi Center until Sunday -- at which point these expire and another set is issued.

I've never been one to get mad when something doesn't go right. Usually there's a reason. And I think if we weren't meant to handle and solve problems, they wouldn't happen to us. My car's been booted. I didn't mind because I knew I was in the wrong. My car's been towed. It was OK, because I knew I could pay for it.

Well, add missing my flight on the list of lessons learned. Like the mojo I'm trying to be, I was blogging and reading up on the convention before boarding my plane 20 minutes before departure.

When I finally reached the gate, my friends at United told me my gate was moved to another terminal.

"Didn't you hear?" they asked.

Well, no. That's why I was at the gate on my ticket.

Like a scene out of "Home Alone" there I was -- dashing through O'Hare to another terminal, just to get there to see them close the door to the airbridge to the plane. (Lesson to air travelers: Board stops a good 15 minutes before a plane takes off -- another thing I didn't know.)

They say to come early to the airport. I did.

My friends at United got me a ticket on a later flight. You betcha I'm there early. A good three hours early.

Check out the new "American Prayer" video from Dave Stewart.

Stewart co-wrote the song, set to the backdrop of Obama supporters across America -- including celebs Forest Whitaker, Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, Cyndi Lauper, Barry Manilow, Joan Baez, Macy Gray and Joss Stone.

Obama fans are asked to submit their own video at MyAmericanPrayer.com

OK, it's not REALLY for me, but ADT ain't got nothin' on the feds and the Obama/McCain camps. Check out this Bloomberg article out this morning -- putting the cost of securing the Denver and St. Paul areas at almost $100 million dollars.

The candidates, delegates, attendees and the swarms of journalists covering the conventions will be protected by airplanes, helicopters, barriers, fences and thousands of police officers, National Guard troops and Secret Service agents.

If only my life were like this every day. I'd settle for just a driver to make me happy.

There's one thing most journalists probably have been anticipating more this week than the trek to Denver, Colo. Barack Obama's text message announcing who'll his pick as his No. 2 man (or woman) in the White House. Rumor has it the announcement will come today. Hopefully not during my flight to Denver.