July 26, 2016
Alex Brandon/AP
The outside of the Wells Fargo Center is seen before the Democratic National Convention, Saturday, July 23, 2016, in Philadelphia.
Heat, humidity, throngs of protesters and blustery storms can put just about anyone in a crabby mood, especially when it all interferes with work or a commute home.
On the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, some visitors from out of town — and plenty who live here — vented their many frustrations about the city's layout and preparation for a four-day political summit.
It started with a barrage of tweets about the inconvenient location and arena sponsorship at the Wells Fargo Center in South Philly.
i've been in Philadelphia for a total of an hour and I've already realized the Wells Fargo Center isn't near anything else.
— Chris Cillizza (@TheFix) July 25, 2016
DNC BUILDS WALL AROUND WELLS FARGO CENTER IN PHILADELPHIA TO KEEP OUT ILLEGALS AND SYRIAN REFUGEES. IRONICAL = IRONY + COMICAL
— Kenneth R Salera Jr (@salera_r) July 25, 2016
Dems are holding their convention at Wells Fargo Center and the agenda tonight is to bash Wall St and big banks. Oh the #LiberalHypocrisy
— Christopher Jones (@chrisjonesrph) July 25, 2016
12:30 am: Thousands still in gridlock trying to leave Wells Fargo Ctr. One-hour-plus wait for Uber. Shuttles MIA. Worst. Convention. Ever.
— Dana Milbank (@Milbank) July 26, 2016
No city that has its venue miles from the nearest accommodations is prepared for a convention. https://t.co/P8ArMN0NY1
— Thomas Mills (@tmillsNC) July 26, 2016
Come on!! Get it together, Philadelphia! It have places to go!! Oh well nap time! #DNCinPHL traffic. pic.twitter.com/a11fuQdzLC
— Kerry Charles (@KcharlesNewsNow) July 25, 2016
Others jumped in to suggest that Philadelphia shouldn't have been chosen over Columbus and New York City to host the DNC.
It really does not seem like Philadelphia was prepared to hold a political convention. Columbus would have aced it.
— Matt Bai (@mattbai) July 26, 2016
Cleveland 2016 : Charlotte 2012 :: Philadelphia 2016 : Tampa 2012 (Just with more traffic)
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) July 25, 2016
Philadelphia, Septa and the DNC: you need to do a better job with this traffic! Holding the citizens of... https://t.co/JIFwFJQ2ha
— Deborah Steed (@DJSteed729) July 25, 2016
Stuck in traffic outside of the Wells Fargo, an hour after I left, and thinking how much better Columbus would be at hosting a convention.
— John Hagner (@jhagner) July 26, 2016
Comparing Philly and Cleveland right now in terms of convention logistics is like comparing Cavs and 76ers. No comparison.
— Chris Cillizza (@TheFix) July 25, 2016
not even 9 am and I've already decided the DNC is the worst thing to ever happen to Philadelphia
— emalyn (@emalynruth) July 25, 2016
Wow. Philadelphia wanted to host the DNC in the worst way and a lot of the reports say it's doing just that. Sigh#DNCinPHL
— Brett Mandel (@brettmandel) July 26, 2016
By and large, most of the gripes had to do with brutal traffic.
Complete clusterfuck getting out of Wells Fargo Arena. 45 minutes and still in the lot. #DemsInPhilly pic.twitter.com/qC9HtNDyuP
— JoeMyGod (@JoeMyGod) July 26, 2016
Can you imagine all the poke eggs you can hatch in Philadelphia traffic this week during the DNC convention
— Joe (@GusBus106) July 25, 2016
So glad the DNC is in Philadelphia,? So happy there are so many traffic jams so many to decide which to include myself in
— Nick Greco (@NickGreco721) July 25, 2016
To the city's credit, officials acknowledged the delays, including a temporary suspension of SEPTA service on the Broad Street Line below Oregon Station, and thanked visitors and residents for their patience.
As Monday ends, we thank our residents & visitors for patience with today’s #PHLRoadClosures. We anticipate similar activity rest of week.
— City of Philadelphia (@PhiladelphiaGov) July 26, 2016
There were also plenty of positive signs on Day One, to be fair. Amid multiple demonstrations, just 54 people were cited and detained.
Here's the Philadelphia police statement on today's protests. 54 people cited and detained. #DemsInPhilly pic.twitter.com/qVGxmGfW6P
— Jim Dalrymple II (@JimDalrympleII) July 26, 2016
Some visitors actually took a moment to appreciate the beauty of nature.
Cool shot following a nice rainfall in Philadelphia @ the DNC #nxstDNC pic.twitter.com/prheSg2n8u
— Nick Perreault (@NickPReporter) July 26, 2016
Or drink.
A lot of Philly bars-including one inside Le Meridien- staying open til 4am during DNC. pic.twitter.com/P1rnIUf86q
— Katherine Scott (@KScott6abc) July 26, 2016
Ultimately, when it comes down to it, how are people going to grumble for four days when they're getting all this free stuff?
DNC 2016: Here's cool #swag journalists and delegates received in Philadelphia https://t.co/u3TPFpNz3e #pdx pic.twitter.com/7lUtRIWm8U
— Gary Powell (@imagewear) July 25, 2016
Is everyone gonna be all angry again today or did we get that out of our system? #DemsInPhilly pic.twitter.com/TrAkzSInuL
— William Bender (@wbender99) July 26, 2016
