On the scene, Day 1
Traveling to the Winter Olympics often is a serious trek. We're talking small towns, with limited plane service, and then you've got a drive, usually, to get to the city. Nagano (1998) was nightmarish, the plane ride and then the four-hour bus ride. Ditto for Lillehammer (1994). Sarajevo (1984) was a disaster, but that was more of a travel agent trainwreck (getting us only as far as Zagreb, then having us take a train the rest of the way ... a train that was about five hours late).
I took three planes to get to Turin. From Ontario to Atlanta, to Paris, to Turin. Every plane was packed AND late. Then there is the wait for luggage, media credentialing and the ride into the Main Media Center. First thing you do is tend to logistics -- getting a local wifi hookup, a phone card for local calls, etc. We weren't here in time to get a cell phone, which will be critical if colleage Steve Dilbeck and I are separated by a three-hour bus ride for most of the games, which seems likely. Maybe tomorrow.
Also, I don't actually have a room reserved. I've been fretting about this for a week. I've sent off emails and faxes here without result, and not I'm about to go out into the night and wait for a bus that I HOPE is running to take me to the media village where my reservation currently doesn't begin until Friday night. I think/hope I can talk my way in. Otherwise, I'm up all night again -- as I was last night, during the flight over the Atlanta.
Did I mention I was in transit for almost 24 hours? From door to media center?
This is not a well-organized Olympics, far as I can tell. I went to the Help Desk to ask where to find a cell phone, and the Help Desk sent me to another desk. In other words, the Help Desk was zero help.
This doesn't matter to readers, but for reporters, who actually live and work in these places, this looks like the least charming Winter Games I've ever done, and this is my sixth Winter. When you watch the olympics on TV, you don't think about the hassle everyone went through to get to the venue, and gather information, and write things, and move around ... but I can guarantee you that reporters spend about half their time and energy (and much of their conversation) talking about logistics. When do the buses run, who often, how close do they drop you off to the media center? That sort of basic stuff.
Both Steve and I are fried. He might be worse off than I am. Jet lag is gonna grab us in its fist any minute. And HE has a three-hour bus ride to get to his hotel, way up in the mountains ... and it's already 11 p.m. here.
Turin has 20 days to change my mind about it.
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