LONDONDERRY, New Hampshire -- Barack Obama's White House campaign is considering two big parks in downtown Chicago as it hunts for a potential site for an election night extravaganza, aides said Thursday.
Millennium Park or the adjacent Grant Park, site of an open-air mass in 1979 by Pope John Paul II, are under consideration but permit discussions with city authorities are in their early stages, the aides said.
Both parks could accommodate thousands on what is likely to be a chilly night in the Windy City where temperatures in early November average just above freezing.
But if Obama translates his commanding poll lead over Republican John McCain into victory, supporters fueled by alcohol and elation are unlikely to mind the cold on November 4.
"Weather's never a problem in Chicago," Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce President Jerry Roper told the city's CBS 2 news.
"We know how to handle it."
The sprawling Grant Park, which hosts many of the city's biggest summer festivals, offers stunning views of both the skyline and the lakeshore and is best known for its massive Buckingham fountain.
Millennium Park, located a few blocks north along Michigan Avenue, is peppered with sculptures and is home to a bandshell designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry.
© 2008 Agence France Presse