Beijing Olympic Green

Some photos from around the Olympic Green.

Ling Long Pagoda
This tall structure is where several broadcasters will have their main studio desk for their broadcasts. It has a commanding view of the entire Olympic Green.
It has a dazzling array of lights that are constantly changing as the Opening Ceremony approaches.


Ling Long in Red


Near the LingLong Pagoda a line of security guards keep a vigilant watch on the main Olympic Green.

You can't get there from here. You have to start someplace else.
This concept is a current nightmare for us. Here's the problem:


IBC by night.
Nice building. Secure, in that there are processes in place to make sure no one has weapons, flammables or explosives when they get there. It is located INSIDE the perimeter of the Olympic gates. You have to go through Mag and Bag to get there.
In theory, if you are allowed to be in the IBC, you should also have access to the rest of the Olympic grounds.
(You might not be able to, say, walk into the NST and stand in the middle of the athletic grounds, but you should at least be able to get from one location to another with relative ease.)
Alas, it is not the case.
See... There are several THOUSAND miles of fencing sectioning off the different buildings inside the Olympic Park.
Take a peek here...

See the fence? there is only ONE way to get inside that perimeter, no matter what your credential says. Even though there are several gates, you still can only enter or exit by the one gate on Beichen Xilu. Which, of course, the most inconvenient location for going anywhere else in the Olympic Park.

And there's just miles and miles of fencing, and a unsmiling security guard every 50 feet.


It goes all the way to the vanishing point...which, granted, is not that far away with the thickness in the air.
I hope there will be some changes to this setup, because if not we are going to have some major problems getting to and from the different venues around the Olympic Green.

Elsewhere in the Park:

Bat, bat! Fly into my hat!

At night, the air in the Olympic Green is just alive with bats... Thousands of them, feeding on the bugs attracted by the huge spotlights and streetlamps. In Chinese culture bats are a symbol of happiness, good fortune and harmony. The bat frequently appears in many Chinese tradition design, such as "Five Bats Holding the Longevity".


Apparently good fortune and harmony from the bats doesn't carry over to the dudes running the mag & bag and access gates.

Home Sweet (Temporary) Home
Pics from around the NorthStar Media Village


The foyer of my building at NorthStar.

I'm in C2... I was hoping I'd be in C4. I always wanted live in a building named after an explosive compound.


C4 and C3. 32 floors of fun...


The Washer/Dryers.
Free to use, and free soap. Now, if we can only figure out how to actually use them to wash and dry our clothes.
I did my laundry this morning... It made my clothes exceptionally hot, but not really any cleaner, and after the dryer cycle, they weren't exactly dry.


I'm really hoping like hell that this is The Bar. It's in the courtyard behind C4.


More of the C4 Courtyard.

One more thing to make you go "hmmm".

There are several hospitality suites out in the Olympic Green, usually some contemporary eye-catching design in order to get some notice. And it is where executives from the Olympic Sponsor companies entertain their guests...

Here's one for CNC...

A nice place. Not too flashy, but still some nice aerodynamics and lines....

And then there is the austere Bank of China...

We want to draw no attention to ourselves...

And right next door, a building covered in grass.

Now, I'm not sure of what they sell, but is covering your place of business in grass the message you want to send?

TBG out, wondering...