1.   By mid-afternoon, the normally crowded and humming corridors of the Capitol were eerily empty and silent.

2.   Police planned to close the normally crowded highway northbound for the procession and were considering closing the southbound route as well.

3.   The normally crowded corridors were empty Wednesday, except for a few staffers and many police officers in dark blue uniforms.

4.   With violence and the death toll rising daily in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, many people have chosen to avoid normally crowded areas throughout Jerusalem.

5.   Businesses were closed and normally crowded streets were nearly empty as families visited friends and relatives.

6.   Most shops in the area were closed, leaving the streets -- which are normally crowded -- almost deserted.

7.   The Israeli positions at the hotels, which are set on normally crowded main streets in Bethlehem, suggested the Israelis could be preparing for an indefinite stay.

8.   The normally crowded parking lot had only a few cars during the day.

9.   There were only a few customers inside the normally crowded restaurant as many people are fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

10.   Tourists, taken aback by the frenzy on the normally crowded but peaceful square, watched the protests.