Denver is hopping on the first day of the Democratic National Convention, with two to three times as many people crowding the downtown sidewalks--including VP candidate Joe Biden. Vendors are hawking Obama buttons, t-shirts, and pins, on every corner, and press and delegation passes hang from every other neck. With the exception of Speer Boulevard, where two lanes are closed, driving isn't bad either. Curiously, though, many downtown restaurants are less full than usual: Have all the DNC folks kept the regular downtown employees at home? Overheard: "I can't believe how beautiful Denver is! I've been here once before, but was at the airport and never got to see it."