So one of my goals here is to make contact with members of the committees bidding for the 2016 Olympics. Chicago, Madrid, Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro are the finalists. Each has a presence at different hotels in something amusingly called a house. There's USA House, Spain House, etc.
Tomorrow I'm meeting with the Chicago people, so today I set out to explore Beijing and make some contacts with the other three.
My first stop, though, was at another hotel where some tickets were left for me for two events I'm going to see later this week: track and field on Friday night and baseball on Saturday. I got there, though, and the tickets were not left as I had hoped. Much confusion ensued with the concierge sort of explaining that someone had come earlier with my tickets but left. She eventually got on the phone and I spoke to somene who speaks English, thank goodness, and they sent someone back to the hotel. I watched the women's volleyball match for a while in the hotel lobby (it seems the Olympics are on TV everywhere in places you can't even imagine), and the woman eventually came back with my tickets. She was American and we spoke for a few minutes. She told me that Beijing is enormous and that I can only expect to get two or maybe three things done a day. She was right. The hotel where the tickets were looked like a 15 minute walk on a map. It turned about to be a 20-minute cab ride. Glad I didn't walk!
But walk I did the rest of the day. I went deep into the bowels of the capital and rode the subway to my first stop: Brazil House.
All I had was the name of a public relations contact when I showed up. Amazingly, she was there at the check in station and asked if I was there for the press conference. Um, sure I am. Yes, of course, the press conference, I said.
So I walk another 15 feet and there is the soccer legend Pele at a podium talking about how he's going to help Rio get the Olympics in 2016. It was ridiculous! Better yet, they had food for the press. And none of it, as far as I could tell, was donkey or dog or happy balls. What a relief.
I continued next to Japan House where the people there really didn't know what to make of me. Nothing like trying to converse from English to Chinese to Japanese. It was a mess, but the end result was that the one person who could help me, a Mr. Takaya, was not at the hotel so could I come back later? We'll see.
My last stop was what I thought was Spain House. Imagine my surprise when I walked in to find Georgia House. Kinda gloomy in there given the Russian invasion and all. Definitely not bidding for any Olympics any time soon at Georgia House. Turns out I have no idea where Spain House is. Bummer.
All of that was a short walk from Tianneman Square, so I took in the sites there and got back on the stuffiest, smelliest, most unpleasant subway car I've ever been on back to my hotel.
Interesting observation. Between all the subway stations and tourist sites and hotels I walked into and out of today, I think me and my bag went through about 800 metal detectors. They really like their security here. Imagine what the NY subways would be like if you had to run your bag through a metal detector every time you got in. Sheesh.
More to come...
Tomorrow I'm meeting with the Chicago people, so today I set out to explore Beijing and make some contacts with the other three.
My first stop, though, was at another hotel where some tickets were left for me for two events I'm going to see later this week: track and field on Friday night and baseball on Saturday. I got there, though, and the tickets were not left as I had hoped. Much confusion ensued with the concierge sort of explaining that someone had come earlier with my tickets but left. She eventually got on the phone and I spoke to somene who speaks English, thank goodness, and they sent someone back to the hotel. I watched the women's volleyball match for a while in the hotel lobby (it seems the Olympics are on TV everywhere in places you can't even imagine), and the woman eventually came back with my tickets. She was American and we spoke for a few minutes. She told me that Beijing is enormous and that I can only expect to get two or maybe three things done a day. She was right. The hotel where the tickets were looked like a 15 minute walk on a map. It turned about to be a 20-minute cab ride. Glad I didn't walk!
But walk I did the rest of the day. I went deep into the bowels of the capital and rode the subway to my first stop: Brazil House.
All I had was the name of a public relations contact when I showed up. Amazingly, she was there at the check in station and asked if I was there for the press conference. Um, sure I am. Yes, of course, the press conference, I said.
So I walk another 15 feet and there is the soccer legend Pele at a podium talking about how he's going to help Rio get the Olympics in 2016. It was ridiculous! Better yet, they had food for the press. And none of it, as far as I could tell, was donkey or dog or happy balls. What a relief.
I continued next to Japan House where the people there really didn't know what to make of me. Nothing like trying to converse from English to Chinese to Japanese. It was a mess, but the end result was that the one person who could help me, a Mr. Takaya, was not at the hotel so could I come back later? We'll see.
My last stop was what I thought was Spain House. Imagine my surprise when I walked in to find Georgia House. Kinda gloomy in there given the Russian invasion and all. Definitely not bidding for any Olympics any time soon at Georgia House. Turns out I have no idea where Spain House is. Bummer.
All of that was a short walk from Tianneman Square, so I took in the sites there and got back on the stuffiest, smelliest, most unpleasant subway car I've ever been on back to my hotel.
Interesting observation. Between all the subway stations and tourist sites and hotels I walked into and out of today, I think me and my bag went through about 800 metal detectors. They really like their security here. Imagine what the NY subways would be like if you had to run your bag through a metal detector every time you got in. Sheesh.
More to come...
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