G-20 Minus One - Downtown Pittsburgh Clearing Out; Delegations, Media & Protesters Arriving in Numbers

Call it the calm before the storm. The streets of Downtown were eerily quiet this morning. Many advance teams, media and protest groups are here, but many of the local residents who usually come Downtown seem to be absent.

At around 11 a.m., a group of protesters on ropes dropped from the West End Bridge to hang a banner calling for reduced CO2 emissions. Other than that, everything seemed pretty quiet.

We are arranging interviews today with BBC Radio, Beijing TV and other international media outlets. This is what we've been waiting for, so we're planning to make the most of it.

A protest march through the streets of Pittsburgh came off without incident. A grand evening celebration at Heinz Field attracted some out of town delegates, along with Gov. Ed Rendell and many other local VIPs. Also a bash at the Warhol.

A free concert across the river featuring Joan Jett, Big Head Todd & the Monsters and Pittsburgh's own Joe Grushecky, seemed to loosen things up a bit, although the city still feels a little bit like a war zone, without the shelling.