I attended both national conventions in 2008. The Democratic convention was in Denver while the Republicans held their events in St. Paul (no, not Minneapolis–the GOP was at the XCel Center).
The two events were quite distinctive in at least one respect: the Democrats walked and the Republicans drove (or were driven). Virtually every GOP delegation I knew stayed at hotels in or near Minneapolis, while the Democratic delegations stayed near downtown Denver or at locations along the light rail line.
Every night, the Democrats flooded the 16th Street Mall. That place was hopping! I assume every night, the Republicans were scattered in their hotel bars and suites–I don’t know because I never saw them.
Now I read that Republican delegations are once again frustrated by transportation problems in Tampa.
Before anyone idly maps partisanship onto these choices, the GOP held its convention in Philadelphia in 2000 and NYC in 2004; the Democrat cities were Los Angeles and Boston. And Charlotte is not exactly a walkable city (though they do have a pretty nice light rail–with great barbecue available at Bill Spoon’s right next to the Tyvola Stop on the Blue Line).
You have to wonder, though: who books a convention with 15,000 people into a city where everyone has to rely on private buses to get around?