The streets of San Francisco are eerily quiet approaching south of Market near the Moscone Center. Traffic is blocked off and most of the activity is construction crews putting up metal barricades - high black metal fences border the affected blocks - like a metal maze. There are only a few people walking around and the nearby malls are empty. Here’s Baptise:
“We just picked up our food, it's not that bad. There's a little bit of, uh, there's a little bit of, uh, you know, fences on the side, yeah. But it's, you know, it hasn't started also, it starts tomorrow, so. Yeah. But it seems like we're going to not come into the office to avoid all of the, all of the traffic tomorrow and for the rest of the week."
Locals have been told to try and avoid the areas impacted - and most are planning to work from home as the conference gets going. For today at least, it seems like the calm before the storm. Judy Mackie is a local worker - she had this to say:
"So, I was really surprised to see all of these barricades. And what I've noticed the most though is someone cleaned house. I'm like, the streets are spotless. I walked down Market Street to get my lunch and I'm like, someone came out here with a toothbrush, and scrubbed the streets."
At Yerba Buena Center there’s a group of lion dancers then Chinese demonstrators - some in support and some protesting against President Xi.
Heading back to Market Street, there were lines of giant black SUVs, with drivers at the ready, as well as police cars with flashing lights - crowds of police on bikes zoomed by.
