Journey Hassles and Hand Heaters: A Reporter’s Day on the Olympics
9 a.m. I’m right here to contribute to The Instances’s dwell protection, and I’m sending updates to editors from my cellphone, describing what I’m seeing. I can’t kind with gloves on, and it’s 12 levels Fahrenheit, so I shortly faucet out messages, then cram my arms again in my pockets and clutch hand heaters as if I’m making an attempt to squeeze juice from a lemon.
10 a.m. I’d like to remain exterior to listen to from Shaun White, a three-time Olympic gold medalist. (All athletes stroll by the “combined zone,” the place they cease to reply questions from reporters.) However as an alternative I am going again into the nice and cozy workroom to jot down the textual content for a chunk my colleagues on the Graphics desk are engaged on, breaking down the most important tips of the day.
Midday Reserving taxis is a luxurious right here, and now I’m utilizing the far more frequent transportation system: buses for closed-loop contributors. I take one to the primary media middle, the place I’m past elated to discover a pizza restaurant. (I can hear your protests, however belief me: Little or no genuine Chinese language meals is offered contained in the loop, and, after 9 days, I would like a style of dwelling.)
3 p.m. I take a bus to the cross-country snowboarding course, the place the press space places me proper on the end line. I’m not writing any tales right here, however I’m protecting an eye fixed out for any breaking information or inspiration for a function story. It’s, nonetheless, so chilly.
5 p.m. One other bus to the biathlon. From the press space, it’s fairly exhausting to see the half the place the athletes shoot the weapons, which is disappointing.
7 p.m. For my fourth occasion of the day, I take one other bus to the big ski-jumping middle, a mammoth facility that appears a bit like a Bond villain’s lair. I’m agog at how excessive and quick they’re flying.
8 p.m. I take two buses again to the prepare station, chatting with editors and responding to emails on my manner again to Beijing, the place I’ll must ebook yet one more taxi.
10:30 p.m. I make it again to my resort and plop down on my mattress. It finally ends up being certainly one of my earliest nights right here.