Day Off

I have today (Friday) off. Don't worry...I'll pay for it with my hours on Saturday and Sunday.

Jim Bole and I got up and took the bus out to the Velodrome (indoor cycling) and BMX (first time as an Olympics sport). We didn't have tickets and couldn't go into the Velodrome, but with the BMX course being an outside venue, things were a little more chaotic and we walked right in. Right after we arrived, the women's finals started. Score! Oh, and there were cheerleaders. Yes, cheerleaders. At BMX. With feather dusters for pom-pons. Don't get me started on that.

After that, we walked around the corner to the Trek store that Jim had been to the other day with Sal Rubial, one of our reporters who specializes in cycling events. I picked up some t-shirts and Jim bought some stuff as well. When we went back to the Velodrome to get back on the bus, they told us we couldn't go through security to the bus area because we didn't have the right credentials for that venue (busted!). They initially told us we had to wait outside in the parking lot (where there was no way the bus was going to stop and pick us up), but we convinced them that actually, it made sense for them to let us through security since we had been "outside the wire" and were going back to the press center. That way, they'd know we weren't carrying anything bad into the Olympic Green. So we had to wait inside security right beside them, but we did get to get an up close and personal view of how they do vehicle inspections coming into the venues. While we were there, we took a picture of a neat sculpture and "hillside art" thing that was there.

When we got back to the office, we were planning to go to the cafe in the Hotel Intercontinental to have a nice lunch. As soon as we were ready to walk out the door, in walked a bunch of McDonald's employees with free Big Mac meals for everyone. So we settled for fast food instead.

Tonight I'm headed to a track and field event inside the Birds Nest stadium. It will be my first time inside it.