Even someone like me who has been to ten political conventions will admit, when you walk out into the convention hall, and see the big rostrum, the lights, the delegates and everyone else, it's a pretty cool scene.

The Pepsi Center is a first class arena that is needed to host these type of events.  It reminds me of the Fleet Center in Boston, the United Center in Chicago and more that we've been lucky enough to work from in recent election years.

When you come in the front door, along with all the other delegates, you go up a long escalator and emerge on the main floor, which is jammed with radio stations doing live broadcasts, places to buy food, delegates, reporters and VIP's, all shoulder to shoulder.

While my press pass gets me into the building and in all areas inside the security perimeter, I have to go through a special line to get a pass to go inside where the delegates are seated.

You exchange your pass for a floor pass and off you go for 30-45 minutes, depending on how busy the floor is.

Luckily, that post is staffed by all the people that work in the House and Senate Radio TV press galleries where I work in Washington, D.C., so that helps me out from time to time, when I really need to get to the floor fast.

What I usually do is wander the floor for awhile, hoping to run into someone interesting.  That worked several times today, as I saw a Congressman I cover back in DC and a former Congressman, Buddy Darden of Georgia, who introduced me to a series of delegates from his home state.

Along the way, I saw a lot of familiar faces, because it seems like they take most of the reporters, producers and camera operators from DC and put them here in the convention. 

There was the guy dressed up as a superhero who was drawing all kinds of laughs. 

And of course, all the people with wacky hats that do their best to be seen on television.

At one point, I got stuck over by the New York delegation.  I knew there was someone important around, because there were all kinds of secret service type security guys.

"Move out of the way!" one yelled as we all stood crammed together on the floor.  Finally they pushed and pushed and broke through, and there was the VIP, the Governor of New York.

He is legally blind, and so that made it a bit trickier to move him across the darkened floor.

I climbed some more stairs and tried as hard as I could to read the delegate name tags, hoping each person was someone I was really looking for.

Bingo.  Marcia Knox in the Ohio delegation.

One humorous moment came as I introduced myself to a delegate, who was a State Representative.

When he heard my name, his head cocked to the side.

"I know you.  You're the famous guy."

A few minutes later, I was the one cocking my head to the side, as I heard this guy introduce himself to a delegate as Mike Peters, the great political cartoonist for the Dayton Daily News.

I thought to myself as I shook hands with Mike, "I know you.  You're the famous guy."