At the Al Rasheed - part 1

Well, needless to say, I went to the performance. I didn't want to look back and regret not going. It is a historical occasion and and sets another precedence for normalcy in Baghdad.

I went with about 5 of my co-workers, although only one had ever been to a symphony performance. There were lots of people at the shuttle stop ready to go. Many state department employees and Air Force personnel. Hardly an Army folks, read into that what you will. ;-) The ride over was uneventful but we did have to go through several checkpoints. I finally go to see the other side of the convention center. The only side I have been able to see thus far is the closed bombed-out side. It's quite large and looks like any other convention center in the US except for some subtle cues of a mosque-esque design.

The shuttle approached the Al Rasheed in yet another compound and thru another checkpoint. Security is tight. Just beyond the checkpoint is a defunct water fountain with bronze statues. One is a woman and the other a horse. I'm not sure of the significance.

We wlked up to the hotel thru these huge glass doors that opened like sliding doors, automaically. It was a bit of a shock since we don't see much of this kind of technology being implemented here. As soon as you enter the doors, you enter a lobby with marble floors and walls. It's quite cavernous. there is now a little shop here to the right with rugs strewn about on the floor for sale. We follow the crowd down a long corridor; to the right is an atrium with granite fixtures, benches, plants, outdoor lighting fixtures. You can tell that this hotel was the pride of Iraq. It is still in use but to get accomodations here requires permissions beyond my comprehension. A few hundred feet down the corridor, a line formed to the right. We stood in line before I realized there were only Iraqis in line. They were well-dressed, suit and ties, dresses, and other formal clothing. Again, it was similar to a crowd attending a symphony performance in the states. We exited the line and walked to the left. As it turned out, the line for the Iraqis was so they could pass through a metal detector and other screening. As Americans, we could bypass all this and just show our DoD card.

I felt weird...and uneasy. I understand that the ones likely to bring a bomb into the area are Iraqi extremists and precautions had to be taken. But this is their country and this is an event in the arts. I hope that we are on the road to an environemnt where this kind of thing can be eliminated.

So after the security checkpoint, the corridor opend up to the right into a smaller lobby with a large wall of art. I have a photo of this. The left sidde of the corridor contained doors for the auditorium. I walked into the auditorium and it is a large ballroom with a stage on one end. Chairs have been placed facing the stage. There is a front section, which is already filled. the second 2/3 of the seating is split into a left and right with a large walkway between them. At the front of the walkway are video cameras on tripods. I counted 9 cameras in addition to the roaming ones. We found setas in several places since we were a large group. We were about 45 early but the place was filling up fast. It was only slightly cool so I guessed that it was only going to et warmer.

The audience wa a mix of Iraqis in formal attire, soldiers in their uniforms, American civilians in business casual clothing, as well as some Iraqis running around shooting video and photos. There were some interviews being conducted by various Iraqis.