The Olympics... and beyond

Near the end of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, I offered up my rankings for the three Olympic experiences I had under my belt at that point. I updated the rankings after my fourth experience in Beijing and now it's time to put Paris in the mix. Transportation Paris PyeongChang, Sochi, Beijing, Tokyo I am putting Paris first in this category because of the very efficient, clean and manageable public transport system that we used. There were fewer shuttle buses, but they were needed less with the option of using the stellar Metro system. Tokyo was last on this list because of the one hub to get anywhere. Beijing also had the one hub within the city, but there was another hub located near the alpine venue and there were buses operating between venues in certain places, which was convenient. Beijing touted the high speed train as a plus, and to get to the Zhangjiakou (biathlon, freestyle skiing, XC skiing, ski jumping), it was great, but to get to Yanqing (alpine, sliding) it wasn't a

 In a previous post the morning after the Closing Ceremony, I spoke briefly about the ceremony, but I promised another post reflecting a little more on what we saw. As in the last two closing ceremonies that I had been to, I got there pretty early. The idea was to make sure I had a spot in the venue media center inside the Stade de France and a fairly decent seat inside the stadium. As I mentioned in a previous post, I didn't have a tabled seat, which meant that I was sitting in a normal stadium seat, which was just fine. In Tokyo and Beijing I had a tabled seat, which allowed me to keep my laptop and phone charged. This time, I left my laptop in the media center and basically just carried my phone and my camera out to the stadium seat. Like in Tokyo and Beijing, I got the chance to sit and watch the dancers and the musicians rehearse their performance. The scene where the Olympic Rings are raised high above the floor of the stadium, was one that was rehearsed numerous times. On a

Over the last couple of days, I made a couple of stops at the transport desk to check on the transportation options for getting the airport. Because my hotel is not directly on a public transport line that runs to the airport, the very nice young woman, who probably dealt with a ton of idiots like me over the course of the weekend, told me that there would be a bus that came through our neighborhood at 2 a.m., 6 a.m., 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. I just had to walk up the street to catch the bus. My original plan was to get up some time after 4 a.m. and catch the 6 a.m. bus, however I must have turned off the alarm when it went off (I went to bed about 2 a.m.) and when I woke up, it was 5:45 a.m., which did not leave me enough time to pack up the rest of my stuff and get to the bus stop. So, I went back to sleep for a bit and figured I'd take the 10 a.m. bus. I made my way up the street to the bus stop, which I should add is not exactly in the best neighborhood. I waited. And waited. And wai

The Paris Olympics are officially over. Last night, I watched as Tom Cruise leaped off the top of the Stade de France, grabbed the Olympic flag, hopped on a motorcycle and headed out of the stadium. Then much like Jeff Probst used to do during the finale in the early days of Survivor, he boarded a plane and eventually ended up in Los Angeles, where he handed off the flag and proceeded to turn the Hollywood sign into Olympic Rings. With the torch officially passed to Los Angeles for the next Summer Games in 2028 (I still don't know how this is going to go), the torch was extinguished on French soil and the 2024 Games came to a close. Someone asked me what I thought the big story was in these Olympics and I have to say it was the fact that the Olympics are back. Tokyo and Beijing did a great job hosting the Games, but without fans in the stands, without the excitement that builds with every competition, it just wasn't the same. With Paris, the Olympics are officially back and tha

It's about four hours before the closing ceremony for the Paris Olympics takes place. I am sitting in the venue media center of the Stade de France. I've heard the Star Spangled Banner blasting over the speakers and have walked out into the stadium to see the preparations that are under way. This is my third Olympic closing ceremony, the first coming in Tokyo three years ago and the second coming in Beijing in February 2022. They were definitely different, with Tokyo in the heat and Beijing in the cold. I am excited to see what France has to offer for the closing ceremony. There's rumors that Tom Cruise will be involved as part of the handoff to the Los Angeles Games in 2028. In the last two closing ceremonies, I have had a tabled press seat, which includes a desk and plugs to charge my computer and phone. This time around, I have a non-tabled seat, so no desk to work with, so I probably won't be updating much during the closing ceremony since I don't want to kill m

As my time in Paris draws to a close, just a few observations. This Olympics has definitely been an eye-opening experience for me. I was aware that the Summer Olympics involved more sports, more athletes and more media members, but my only experience with the Summer Games was in Tokyo, where there were no fans in the stands and fewer media than normal. Coming in to Paris, I was expecting a lot of people and I certainly was not disappointed. There are a lot of people. Media, fans, staff and volunteers pack every single arena full for every single game. After each game, I find myself battling throngs of people to get on the train and head back to the hotel.  On a related note, the French people seem pretty stoked about the Olympics. As mentioned, every single venue is full for every single match (at least that I've seen) and they are enthusiastic and excited for everything. I know that not all of the fans are from France, but the reactions that the French athletes get every time they