Hey Everyone!
The weekend started with more training at the NIS where we spent the day going over more procedures and protocol for flash quotes (FQ). Later in the afternoon, Doreen, one of our Olympic supervisors, took us around the Olympic Green. I was magnetically pulled towards the Today Show set again and got to talk with an NBC freelance employee who was setting up the studio. Mark, from Hong Kong, gave us a quick tour of the set and told us to come back when they air and bring signs. We think Matt, Meredith and Al will start broadcasting the eve of the Opening Ceremonies,
but I think a lot of us are going to try and get down there the Monday after due to our work schedule. To the right, is the newly unveiled Line 10 - one of the lines Mark said just opened up. It's calm and peaceful...for now.
In addition to giving us access to our venues, our accreditation gets us free metro and bus transportation around the city. We decided to check it out and found the Beijing transportation system does not like us. The bus ride back from the Olympic Green was like being at a crowded party unable to move. It was hot and the smells on the bus were extremely strong. One of my friends had to get off the bus because the driver wasn't the smoothest stick shift operator. But we didn't have to pay - if it's truly worth it. Using the metro is a different story. Usually, you get a one-pass card to use. With our accreditation, you have to show it to the ticket booth and they will give you a card for free.
However, recently, they've been waving us to just go through the corral. The problem is, the person at the corral ushers us back to the ticket counter. One worker was so exasperated, she took off my accreditation pass and pointed with it to the ticket counter. An argument between the woman and the ticket officer ensued and ended with the upset woman sheepishly saying "sorry" as she let us through. I'm sure as the Games get closer, public transportation will become more interesting. It will be neat to see how the city accommodates the people.
To the right: some musicians were putting on a show on the metro as we were coming home from dinner.
Ted
No comments:
Post a Comment