By Paddy
The pic speaks for itself (approx 75k), but dig this description of the line to get into the rally-
How badly did people want to see Sen. Barack Obama on Sunday? Here's where one line was at 2:30 p.m. when his speech was scheduled to begin in Portland's Waterfront Park. Thousands of people were still waiting - often in the hot sun - to get in - or at least get close, but first they had to snake along this route:
Up Columbia Street to Fourth Avenue, north one block to Jefferson, east to Third Avenue, north another block to Madison, east to Second Avenue, in front of the Justice Center and north to Salmon Street (heavy breathing here while we get our second wind). OK. West for six blocks along Salmon to the Hilton Hotel, across the front of the Hilton, across Broadway to Columbia Sportswear, with the end of the line in front of where the Taste of Bali Restaurant was.
That was at 2:30, usually with the sidewalks filled with people four to five across. Forty minutes later, Steven Kassing of Portland was finally approaching Waterfront Park on Columbia Street. The line had been even longer at noon when he, his wife, their one-year-old and his mother-in-law got in it, starting by Pioneer Place. By the time they finally neared the Willamette River, Obama had already been speaking for 10 minutes. But here's the amazing thing: They had zero complaints.
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