As is the custom here at E@J, I usually pick my favorite image from the Games and I often pick one that Doug Mills took. This year is no different and I am partial to this one of Christian Taylor who won the gold in the triple jump.
I am supposed to be at the MPC packing up all our computer and camera equipment. It’s a bit of a closing ceremony tradition for me. I leisurely start to clean my desk of random notes, phone numbers that I no longer know to whom they belong, way too many candy wrappers and the maps and schedules that three weeks ago seemed impossible to memorize but that are now second nature.
Although if we are talking about the bus schedules, it was fruitless to memorize any of that. If they came at all, it was rarely on any set schedule. At first, this was what we needed to know to get from our hotel to Olympic Park and the MPC: Bus, BAC 19 (still don’t know what BAC means); Stop 21; Route 24. But halfway through the Games they changed it to: Bus, BAC 12; Stop 26; Route 22. So we were glad they cleared that up. But, as I said, it didn’t much matter because the buses rarely showed up on time or at all, which is why I am now back in my room writing this blog instead of tending to my closing ceremony rituals that also include watching the ceremony on TV and having a few beers. Instead I am having cashews from the minibar and limeade from the mega-grocery next store. I waited for an hour and a half (three scheduled stops) and no bus. Perhaps the drivers are still recovering from the big party Brazil through last night after winning soccer gold.
At one point I told myself that I would wait through one more scheduled stop or until the rains came. The rain didn’t come but I got wet anyway because the sprinkler system near the bus stop came on all around me.
I interrupt this blog post to say that there seems to be a storm brewing now and the winds are picking up nicely, enough to make the lights flicker in the hotel. Keep your eye on the 4-9 Simone Biles, who is carrying the flag tonight. She just may blow away.
The cashews are gone.
This may be a good time to answer # Sister’s questions about how different Olympics compare.
Brazil won’t make the top of the list when it comes to transportation, a key component to my enjoyment. Brazil may make it near the top in the friendliness of its people (not counting the ones who steal a lot of stuff. But I have yet to run into any of them and hope to get out of Dodge before I do).
As nice as the Brazilians are, they are a laid back bunch to a fault. There is no sense of urgency among any of them and therefore all the glaring logistical shortcomings. One colleague went to the transportation “help” desk early on to inquire (complain?) about the lack of buses, lack of signs, etc. He was greeted by “Yeah, shit happens.” Which turned into our go-to saying for the rest of the Games.
The best Games for transportation was Beijing by far. Plenty of buses, always on time. You could set your watch by them.
The best part of the Beijing transportation system was that all the buses were “inside” the security zone. You went through security once in the morning and unless you wanted to leave the Olympic bubble, you never had to go through it again. Here (and at most other Olympics) if I needed to go to a different venue, then I had to get on a non-secure bus and go through security again when I got to the new arena. And it’s just like airport security, long lines, belts off, laptops out. As my colleague Ken Belson said, “The best part of leaving Rio is deleting the Olympic transport app from my phone.”
The food here is mostly meat and more meat. And usually very, very good. I would put it in the upper half of the Olympic culinary scale.
My limeade is gone.
At the typical steakhouse, they bring around large skewers that have hunks of perfectly cooked meat that they slice right onto your plate. They give you a card, red on one side (no thanks, no more for now), green on the other (yes, I’ve had way too much but I will have more).
The best food overall was, not surprisingly, in Italy. Even the cafeteria in the MPC was fantastic, great pasta, red wine, the works.
But the most memorable meal was in China. It was at a small place in a hutong, China’s version of a favela. We were nearly the only ones there and we sat outdoors on a beautiful night. The chef came out and asked if there was anything we didn’t want to eat. We said we would eat whatever he was cooking. It was Szechuan like I’ve never had it. Deep fried whole snapper, something that looked like a lamb taco and tasted like heaven, and a selection of stir fry that ruined me for life because it will never taste that good anywhere in the States.
When people ask me which were my favorite Games, I always tell them Torino. It was my first full-access Games and I took full advantage. I had been to Salt Lake City four years prior but had very limited access to anything outside of the main press center. In Torino, I could go see anything I wanted and often did. And of course, there was the food.
As far as favorite moments go, here are a few:
Usain Bolt crushing the world record in the 100 in Beijing in 2008. Never experienced electricity quite like that.
Speaking of electricity, there apparently are large swaths of Barra (where I am) with no power. Still some flickering lights but lights nonetheless.
Ted Ligety winning gold in Sochi ranks high and if you read this previous post, you’ll know why.
One of my favorite work-related moments was the US women beating Japan in Wembley Stadium in London, 2012. The plan was to take images of the goals to dissect them. All the photographers there wanted to be at field level or at least close. But I asked if there were any positions near the top of the stadium and he pointed me to an empty TV booth at midfield near the top. I carted my gear up there and thought that this will be a long way down after every goal to get to the workroom to send files back to NY. I got to the top to find a table, a working phone, a live Etheret cable and a beautiful sunset. I had my own private office among the throngs.
Eat at Joe’s 
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