Beijing-It is raining today, which is already not very glamorous, but it is time to put to rest those rumours of my charmed life. Yes, I have posed in Glamour magazine wearing a "tent" dress and yes I am here at the Water Cube watching history unfold, however this post will be about the not-so-glam side of being a press accredited member of the Olympic Games.
My hotel is great this year, which is a far cry from the brothel I stayed at in Athens. It really was a brothel that had been "renovated" for the Games. The first night Duncan W., swimmer friend from Brown was going to be crashing on my floor for a few hours before he caught a boat to the islands. He called from the airport to say he had landed and I said, "Okay, call from the lobby when you get here and I will come down and get you." At about 3am the door to my hotel room opened (there was no way to lock it from the inside) and the front desk guy was letting my friend into my room. Sweet.
So, my hotel here is great and breakfast is included, but we pre-clear security at the hotel before boarding the bus to the Olympic Green. I beep every time and I don't think the woman who "wands" me realizes that the wand is used to detect metal, not as a pat down technique. Nevertheless, it is fast and easy, just like the woman makes me feel.
Did I mention that there are no less than 12 people who facilitate the process of me going through pre-security clearance and getting on my bus? I am usually the one of about 3 people being serviced. The nice thing about the bus is we get to drive in the "Olympic Lane" which means no traffic.
We are dropped off at the Main Press Center or MPC as it is known. Then we must walk a mile to get to the pool. Every 10th time I make this walk a golf cart drives by and I hitch a ride, but it is getting to be a really long walk when I don't. NBC has their own fleet of carts, some with TODAY show on the side. Despite seeing my forlorn face standing in the rain, the yahoos driving whiz by with empty seats ignoring my pleas to stop. My first job in NYC was at NBC news. I think I will start watching Good Morning America.
To be continued…
1 comment:
good god, you have to walk a mile? that's absurd. sounds like my days doing swim camp during the summers, trekking from dorms to the pool. HATED it...i mean i like to exercise on my own time, not as part of my workday.
Post a Comment