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Friday, September 25, 2009

Morning of anticipation at the G-20 Summit

The difference between Thursday and Friday is one of anticipation.

My walk through the downtown to reach the Mellon Arena was much like yesterday. Little traffic on the streets, scattered pedestrians. But there was much more of a visible security presence, likely in preparation for a major march by protesters expected around midday.

I heard more sirens wailing today. They seemed even more piercing without the noise of everyday traffic and sidewalk chatter.

The bus from the media security screening area to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center practically zipped through town today along the same route. That's as much as a bus can zip, squeezing through concrete barriers and fencing.

Inside the convention center, the media room is more animated now. A briefing by the U.S. President on an issue that was unexpected (Iranian nuclear activity) will do that. But the anticipation of getting the Group of Twenty Summit communique is what may be keeping more reporters inside the house today.

There's room for 1,500 reporters in the ground-floor media room. But no one will get caught without a seat. It's a media room that's "too big too fail" although that's probably not how anyone dealing with a global financial crisis would ever describe it.

It all ends for Pittsburgh today. For the G-20, now poised to gain in importance over the better known G-8, the summit certainly comes to end. But its work to promote greater cooperation among the industrial and developing economies is really just starting.
Posted by Mike Armstrong @ 11:13 AM  Permalink | 1 comment
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:09 PM, 09/25/2009
    The fact that this is the G-20 versus the G-8 is good news. It means the virtually the whole world will have its say about global economics.
    — david wayne


1 comments
About Mike Armstrong
Mike Armstrong, a business editor and writer for nearly two decades, is the Inquirer's business columnist and PhillyInc blog editor. Contact Mike via e-mail or at 215-854-2980
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