:lol The funny thing about this whole thing was that people are smarter than we give them credit. This town was hoping for the crowds to pour in on a Friday and spend like crazy through the weekend, everybody making their millions. They even told the locals to stay home. :lol What actually happened was that 75% of the crowds came in on Monday morning, enjoyed the eclipse and then headed out. Traffic was at a standstill on the interstates bumper to bumper for hours because of this. Surprisingly, it seemed like, the locals did stay home. The main drag, that has all of our shopping and eats, were on the opposite side of town from the main focus of the crowds to watch the eclipse. It was like one of those movies where everyone has disappeared, totally empty. My daughter and I had a clear path to and from the Comic Con on that Saturday, totally unheard of in this town for a Saturday. By Sunday they were begging people on social media, etc, to go out and support vendors that were set up on that main drag. :lol They had in the middle of town the Summer Festival happening that mainly attracted the crowds with a stage and singing, food booths, etc, through the weekend. They claimed we had around 140,000 people that made their way in and out. Not sure how they came to those conclusions. I think in the towns planning for all this there was a little bit of exaggerated hysteria and imagination. Everything went smoother than planned.
As for me and my Family, we only ventured out for the Comic Con which we enjoyed very much. Spent a little time and money, took some photos. On the day of the eclipse I set up my chair in the driveway. Placed my video camera on the trunk of my car to video tape myself before, during, and out of the eclipse. My wife and daughter stayed inside because they didn't want to hurt their eyes. Once in a life time event and they watch from the window? It was awesome, enjoyed it. And I still have my eyes. :lol :rockin