With Democrats Coming, It's Boston in Name Only

Economic Gains Weighed Against Disruption

BOSTON -- At Mike's Pastry, legendary purveyor of cannoli in Boston's North End, workers are gearing up for restive nights when the Democratic National Convention comes to town Monday.

Rather than forcing them to brave a gantlet of highway and rail closures to commute to a neighborhood near the convention site, owner Mike Mercogliano invited as many as 10 employees to crash all week in a basement studio apartment and upstairs annex two blocks from the shop.

"It's basically gonna be a dormitory," said Richard Martins, of Medford, who added that his usual half-hour commute to work would more than double next week. "But we can put up with anything for a few days. Otherwise, we have to deal with the chaos."

All over the city, as convention organizers put the finishing touches on the Democratic Party's big event, area residents are preparing for what some observers predict will be one of the most significant disruptions of everyday life some parts of this city have ever seen.

Security concerns are forcing the closure of 40 miles of roads and major highways leading through the city, from about 4 p.m. until after midnight from Monday until Friday, including a large portion of Interstate 93, known here as the Central Artery, which runs within 40 feet of FleetCenter, the convention site.

North Station, one of the city's two main train hubs and the point of entry for 25,000 daily commuters, will be closed from Friday night until after the Democrats have left.

Passengers on the Orange Line subway, which terminates at FleetCenter, will be barred from carrying packages on board that are larger than a loaf of bread, while riders throughout the city's subway system, known here as the T, will be subject to random searches, and those hoping to take luggage to the airport will be asked to show plane tickets.

Trying to ease people's minds, officials at a City Hall news conference last month declared there was no need for panic because the city has weathered a storm such as this before: the Blizzard of 1978, which paralyzed much of New England with two feet of snow.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino (D), who fought to bring the convention to Boston, has encouraged workers to take a vacation or telecommute, as City Hall added the less-than-enthusiastic slogan "Let's Work Around It," to its convention PR campaign.

For delegates, most of whom are staying in downtown hotels, the inconvenience will probably be minimal. "It's a walking city, so people will be able to get around, even if the traffic is terrible," said Jack Corrigan, the convention liaison for John F. Kerry, who will become the presidential nominee.

But just about every local commuter and store owner seems to be plotting a course through the four-day event.

On a recent afternoon, employees of Hilton's Tent City, two blocks from the FleetCenter, joked about how their camping gear might come in handy if they are unable to get home. But manager Tony Staffier said traffic might not be as bad as predicted if commuters are scared away.

"It's like Y2K," he said. "They've done such a good job of hyping it that it'll probably be no big deal."

Joanna LeBlanc, who works next door to FleetCenter in the Thomas P. O'Neill Federal Building, wanted to skip town next week as five of her seven co-workers are doing, but she only had a half-week of vacation. Her solution: leave every day at 1 p.m. to beat the evening rush.