CHICAGO -- Mayor Richard Daley is preparing for at least 1 million supporters at Barack Obama's rally in the heart of Chicago, Grant Park, tonight but there was little sign of that magnitude several hours before the first polls close. In fact, Grant Park and neighboring Millennium Park just to the north were both calm, with just a few Obama supporters milling about and outnumbered in fact by curious tourists.

That will surely change come the evening. Daley has ordered a section of Lake Shore Drive, the lake-side thoroughfare that funnels traffic north and south, closed and most of the area around Grant Park, which includes the dowtown Loop are, closed to parking.

What will surely help turnout tonight is the magnificent weather. Rarely do November days in Chicago hit a sunny 72 degrees, but it's downright balmy at the moment in a city known for its inclement weather.  Also, turnout in Chicago, a heavily Democratic city, is expected to break records today, with many polling stations reporting 2 hour waiting times.

Indeed, despite the relative calm, Grant Park will surely be anything but in a few hours.