A few years ago, as I recall, Minneapolis bid to host the Democratic National Convention. It lost. It may be a blessing in the post 9/11 world. Imagine, I-35 being closed at Route 36 in Roseville. I-94 is shut down -- both directions a mile or two from the convention center. Light rail? Ha. Forget it. Buses? Nope, no buses. Oh, and even if you could find a bus or LRT, you couldn't take any packages on. That's the plight of the Bostonian and depending on how bad this initial security plan is (I'm going to guess that welding the manhole covers shut isn't going to cause any more angst than Nomar Garciaparra's poor season), other cities may rethink this whole idea of hosting conventions.

Few people I know -- and I grew up outside of Boston -- are still in town, which probably comes as good news to the B&Bs on Cape Cod. But it's still a major city and people DO still have to get to work and even those who don't work in Boston proper, often still have to drive through it to get to work. But where would WE go if this were happening in Minneapolis? New Ulm?

The local merchants aren't all that thrilled with the idea of emptying the city (Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images). Reportedly, the DNC recognizes the grief this convention is causing and scheduled a "thank you" concert on the Esplanade on Wednesday. It looks like that idea is collapsing becaue of cost concerns.

It pains me to say this since I consider myself a Bostonian, but it's likely New York City will eat Boston's lunch when it comes to hosting political conventions. After living with the Curse of the Bambino for so long, you'd think we'd be use to it by now.