This past week, as many of you know, was the RNC, or the Republican National Convention, in Cleveland, Ohio. And, as a young college student working downtown at the Aquarium and a catering service in Cleveland, I had the pleasure of working at many events for the delegates and important members of the Republican Party. Even though the work was very long and highly stressful, it was pretty cool seeing all the important people and how the city of Cleveland had changed for the event. Here are some cool things that I got to see while working this event.

Security:

The security was insane. Not only was every other street in town closed, but there were hundreds of cops everywhere you looked, some on bikes, some on horses, and some just walking around. Once I finally got to work, I had to present my issued ID for the week in order to get into the parking lot and then the powerhouse building where my work is located. After being medal detected and searched for weapons, I was finally allowed to enter work. As the day continued, my co-workers and I were followed by secret service and attempted to not be distracted by when heavily armed SWAT capital police with bullet proof vests and automatic weapons would sweep though the room. Then, every few hours, we would be asked to leave the building so the secret service could do a bomb sweep with guard dogs. However, all of the secret service guys and capital police that I worked with were very cool people.

Important People:

You could always tell when an important person was about to enter the building. Everyone would be asked to stay out of the hallway when the important person was on the move. Then, once the person was where they intended to be, a wall of security guards would surround them 24/7. However, it was cool to see Paul Ryan, the current Speaker of the House, so interested in the marine life and conservation within the aquarium and to listen to Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the House, and John Kasich, a former presidential candidate and Ohio Governor, talk about their view on Donald Trump and the future of America. The Secretary of State of Ohio, Jon A. Husted, also mentioned how great Cleveland has done with all of the media attention and pressure. I totally agree that Cleveland really stepped up and acted with class throughout the week.

Diversity of the People:

So many different people from around the nation came to Cleveland in the past week. There were protests about every topic including Right to Life, Black Lives Matter, and even Gun Rights rallies where people carried their guns around on W 25th Street. Also, working as a caterer, I got to see and work many different delegate parties. Overall, the Kansas delegates were the nicest of them all, and the Texas delegates most definitely knew how to party. The Texans all came to the Powerhouse wearing one piece, Lone Star, red, white, and blue jumpsuits with cowboys hats. They were all hysterical. The Louisiana delegates had the most amazing food, including Turtle Soup, which is actually made with snapping turtle pieces. Working in an aquarium and all, I was skeptical of this “turtle” soup. However, it was absolutely amazing!

Overall, the RNC was a super cool experience. Although Trump did not show up to the classic “Wheels Up Party” which was hosted at our own Powerhouse, it was awesome to see and to teach and to serve so many influential people. Also, it was great to see how classy and safe Cleveland remained through the whole stressful event.