We arrived in Cleveland last night and tried to get the lay of the land. What we found: Lots of journalists, lots of cops, and not much else.

Before we landed, a largely peaceful march wound through downtown. Some protesters said they were met with roughness from a police force that's bracing for the worst.

But the environment we saw wasn't one of protest. It was eerie. Like a pop-up Disneyland for people who a) really, really hate Hillary Clinton and b) have no qualms expressing a pretty grotesque kind of sexism.

So wherever the Real Cleveland is, we didn’t get to see much of it. The only hint that the 2016 Republican National Convention was taking place in a city hollowed out by the Great Recession—a city that still struggles with a 7.1 percent unemployment rate—came to us much further away from well-dressed Republicans and selfie-stick journalists on East Fourth Street.

Near the Shaker Square train station, we came across this sign telling residents it was “OK to say NO!” to panhandlers:

In Cleveland, “aggressive solicitation” is prohibited within 20 feet of an ATM, a bus stop, a line of people waiting for an event, or an outdoor restaurant. It is further prohibited within 15 feet of a pay phone, 10 feet of a public bathroom, 10 feet of a building entrance, and 10 feet of a parking lot entrance.

Some advocates have worried about how the convention circus will affect homeless people. At least one drop-in center has reportedly been shut down because the service provider couldn't find security. And after a lawsuit over Cleveland's planned "event zone," which includes bans on things like coolers and rope, the city agreed late last month to allow homeless people within the zone to possess those items.

We'll see how that—and everything else—plays out beginning today, the first official day of the convention.