Boston police commissioner Paul Evans is no fool. Consider what he did in September, when the logistical nightmare of next year's Democratic National Convention was about 10 months away.

He announced he was planning to flee Boston. All the way to Britain, where he'd lined up a new job.

You may not want to go to the bother and expense of traveling overseas next summer. But you might want to hole up in, say, New Hampshire or Rhode Island until it's all over. During the weekend of July 24 and 25, some 35,000 people -- delegates, media types, influence-peddlers, and assorted hangers-on -- will arrive for a week of political hysteria.

As a few optimists have pointed out, that's no more than typically show up for a Red Sox game. But they don't close North Station for the Sox, as the Secret Service may do for the Democrats. They don't force the city's 5000 cab drivers to undergo a security check. And they most certainly don't allow the bars to stay open until 4 a.m., as they may do during convention week -- a good idea that is nevertheless guaranteed to create a few, uh, unfortunate incidents.

The convention may be great for Boston, but it's not going to be great for you. Get out -- if you can.