Good for you Allegra!
How was the traffic and what kind of strategy did you and your group use to negotiate the crowds?
Did you get into the inner area by chance?
Would you do anything different and do you have any hot tips for anyone attending future rallies?
From what I saw, the crowd extended to the hangers in the background... perhaps a mile or more away from the inner area and stretched sideways about a quarter mile in width. Is that about right?
Typically there is a forklift on the sidelines present at these rallies with a pallet on the forks and a dome or dish mounted on the pallet that is hoisted into the air. I wonder if it is a Stingray-type device collecting everyone’s phone traffic, or perhaps it is a temporary cell tower signal booster?
Also, wondering if it might be some kind of communication device for the exclusive use of the USSS and other LEOs?
Did you see this contraption by chance?
Thanks!
One of our foursome had to work until 1:00 p.m., so we swung by and picked him up and headed to the airport. We didn’t encounter any bad traffic snarls until we were about a mile from the venue. The we kind of crawled to an intersection where police directed us to parking. It was maybe three quarters of a mile from the event entrance, so not bad at all. There were bluebonnets growing all along the side of the road we walked on (closed to all but VIP traffic.) Vendors were lined along the road, hawking all manner of Trump merchandise. What’s cool is that when we got to the security line, it wasn’t long at all. Took us about twenty minutes at most to get through the line and get in.
People we met that had been there since morning were in the line up to two hours, so we got there at the tail end of that and missed the “rush.”
We heard the Nuge singing the national anthem while we were in the security line.
Did you get into the inner area by chance?
No, you had to have a wristband, but we were pretty close to the front of the area just outside the inner area.
Would you do anything different and do you have any hot tips for anyone attending future rallies?
Not really. In fact, getting there a little late was probably a good thing, if you don’t mind a small walk. I’m not sure if this would work everywhere but it seems to have worked out well for us. :)
I’ll double down on the suggestion you and others have made about having a good meal beforehand, which we all had. The lines at those food trucks were very long and moving slowly.
From what I saw, the crowd extended to the hangers in the background... perhaps a mile or more away from the inner area and stretched sideways about a quarter mile in width. Is that about right?
Since we were near the front, I really couldn’t tell. I’d like to see an aerial shot. I need to look for one. But it was definitely a good-sized crowd.
Typically there is a forklift on the sidelines present at these rallies with a pallet on the forks and a dome or dish mounted on the pallet that is hoisted into the air. I wonder if it is a Stingray-type device collecting everyone’s phone traffic, or perhaps it is a temporary cell tower signal booster?
Also, wondering if it might be some kind of communication device for the exclusive use of the USSS and other LEOs?
Did you see this contraption by chance?
Yes! It was not far from where we were standing. I have no idea what it was, but it sure wasn’t boosting signals. I had bad connectivity there, and it was so sunny, I just left my phone alone for the most part.
We were pretty tired at the end of it all and traffic getting out wasn’t nearly as bad as we expected, so we took our sunburned selves to a Mexican restaurant for some grub, margaritas or beer and lots more water.
We were all very, very glad we attended. It was a great day, surrounded by lots of friendly, upbeat, like-minded people. Everyone appeared to be in a cheerful mood.