Well, that about does 'er.
The party's united (sort of). Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton came across as an able, amenable candidate (or not, depending on whom you ask). Donald Trump is still a baby; his campaign sent nearly a dozen press releases out during Clinton's Thursday-night speech.
We can all go to the beach now, where there's a bottle of bubbly we strategically placed in our aunt's fridge between the two conventions.
Yet we won't pretend that we're a little bummed out that the madness has so abruptly ended.
There will be no more 16-hour days running from place to place to place, nearly knocking over Daily Show correspondents, witnessing near-fistfights between protesters and unwittingly chatting up campaign advisors over gratis champagne.
The Democratic National Convention's final day was an eventful sendoff, though, wasn't it?
8:30 a.m., Downtown Marriott, again.
If we had one request of the Florida Democratic Party, it would be that they consider a more brain-friendly start time to their events.
The start time for these, especially given how late we're up to catch the convention speeches the night before, can only be described as brain-pummeling.
Anyway, we arrive at the banquet hall under the impression there will be a huge unannounced special guest, because VP pick Tim Kaine showed up unannounced yesterday, as Bernie Sanders had the day prior. It was only up from there, we figured.
The glass teleprompters placed on the podium and rumors of a motorcade outside stoke our suspicions.
Former DNC chair Howard Dean, who is among the expected speakers, says he wasn't surprised when he heard news that morning of Florida Gov. Rick Scott heading up a PAC to help Trump get elected.
"Well, that's about right," he says. "He's a neanderthal nincompoop and so is Rick Scott. Donald Trump is a guy who made a lot of money at other people's expenses and so is Rick Scott. Pretty good match, I'd say."
Of course, the common theme at all of these breakfasts is Florida's importance in the November election.
Dean urged Sanders supporters, many of them younger, that change happens, man. It may not happen exactly when you want it, man, but it happens.
"If you had told us, in 1968, when Martin Luther Kind was assassinated, when Bobby Kennedy was assassinated, when the Chicago convention blew up and turned into a riot in a week because a candidate for president was nominated in a back room having hardly entered a single primary, if you had told us that 40 years later we were going to have a black president, we would have told you that you were crazy," Dean says.
As it turns out, the surprise guest is Rev. Jesse Jackson who, like Dean and Sanders, lost a Democratic primary after being a progressive favorite.
"Why should the Bernie people vote for Hillary?" he says. "Well, you want student loan debt reduced? A commitment to debt-free education? … That's a reason. A commitment to racial justice? That's a reason. A commitment to racial justice? That's a reason. A commitment to banning assault weapons? That's a reason. {Commitment] to end racial and gender disparities, that's a reason."
Other noted speakers on the roster are former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, U.S. Rep. and possible candidate for governor Gwen Graham, D-Tallahassee, U.S. Rep. from Texas Joaquin Castro and NAACP president Cornell William Brooks.
3:47 p.m., The Land of the Lost
Hoping to play up the whole Hillary-is-a-harpy thing ahead of Clinton's big night, Gov. Chris Christie revives the nutty "lock-her-up" speech he delivered the second night of the RNC (which contributor Michael Howard wittily recaps here) via a fundraising email asking that the recipient declare Clinton guilty of the nebulous list of crimes with which Republicans have "charged" her by dropping 200 bucks into the GOP bucket.
4:30 p.m., the arena.
Gavel, prayers, pledges and all that stuff, followed by a looooong list of pre-primetime speakers, including a group of female and Democratic members of the U.S. Senate who explain why they are backing Clinton (duh) and urge an aggressive ground game.
“Women, put your lipstick on," said U.S. Sen. from Missouri Claire McCaskill. "Men polish your shoes. Our shoulders are square. We're ready to fight.”
Prime time, still in the arena obvs.
A couple of speeches knock us all on our asses and it's about fucking time.
First it was Reverend William Barber, who shakes the room with a speech that laid it all out there, man.
Then it's Khzir Khan, a Muslim father whose son was killed in Iraq in 2004. He calls Trump out on the GOP's rhetoric on Muslim-Americans.
9:13 p.m., hallway of the arena.
We spot a young woman wearing a prim dress and a sash that says "Bernie."
Her name is Natalie Vowell, and she's a Sanders delegate from St. Louis.
"Dress like the event you wish you were attending," she said. "Bernie's inauguration."
In the wake of her disappointment over how the primary shook out, she said she's going to focus on down-ballot races when she gets home.
9:20 p.m., from a tiny patch of blue carpet we manage to find in the press stand.
When General John Allen speaks, we almost tear up a little (one of our big brothers is a Green Beret, who's currently deployed and we have no idea where he is right now or when we'll see him again, so…).
Under Clinton, he says, “Our armed forces will be stronger. They will have the strongest weapons, the greatest equipment, the support of the American people…And they will be cared for in the way that they deserve for the sacrifices they have made for all of us."
On Trump, he said, “our international relations will not be reduced to a business transaction.”
9:45-ish, same.
Katy Perry performance. Good time to use the loo.
10:04, back at the spot.
Chelsea Clinton speaks. It's a contrast to Ivanka Trump's speech in an identical time slot last week. Mainly, she seems a little uncomfortable up there, reciting lines from a teleprompter, but that could actually play to her advantage.
10:30 p.m., the Center of the Universe.
Clinton speaks.
Over the course of nearly an hour, she somehow manages to appeal to progressives and hawks alike.
Though she has plenty of hecklers (whom supporters frequently drown out by shouting "Hillary! Hillary! Hillary!"), the speech is generally well-received.
Check out the full text (and a goof fact check, courtesy of NPR) here.
11:29 p.m., the arena.
Pyrotechnics! Balloon drop!
11:31 p.m., the arena.
Bill Clinton plays with balloons.
12:18 a.m., xfinity Grill.
Time for a beverage. Too bad we've been standing here for 15 minutes and the bartender is totally ignoring us. Fuck this.
12:46 a.m., after a quick subway ride, Cantina los Caballitos, Passyunk Avenue.
This will be the sixth and final time we get food and beverage at this consistently excellent spot. We will cherish this kale salad, which goes well with bubbly, believe us, one last time as we exhaustedly try to get some work done before last call.
This article appears in Jul 28 – Aug 4, 2016.