The Olympics changed in 1996. When we were in Atlanta for the games, we had the "central" area for people to gather. It was Centennial Park. It was a fun place to be. It was the cultural and entertainment center of the games. It was crowded to say the least. One night we were there late and were taking in the sights. I was with my boys and we also met Christina that night. We separated at that point for the boys to return to our place of lodging and Christina went with me to meet two of my high school classmates. We "partied" to the wee hours of the night, dropped Christina off at her house, and, on the way back, stopped at a Waffle House for an early morning breakfast. While in the restuarant, two woman came in with the news of the "bombing" in the park. They were ushered out of the park after the incident. Things changed after that. Security check points went up and no one got into the park without going through them.

From that point on, we have seen a different mode of operation for the games. The main venues at the Athens and Beijing games have been inside a central area. These areas are fenced off to the public. The only admittance to this section of the games is with a ticket to an event on the exact day that you are there. This area in Beijing is called the Olympic Green. It is the main attraction area for the games. There are many cultural and entertainment sessions going on all around the city, but this is the hub. So, without a ticket to a venue in the "Green", you do not get in. We spent the second half of yesterday there. One day this week, we had tickets to the lower section of the "green" to see Team Handball. We were not allowed access to the central area of the "green" while there. We were upset about this. You have to understand that the "green" is huge. It is immense. Much larger than the area in Athens. There are three areas. One is north which houses the hockey, tennis, and archery venues. One is south and contains the water polo, team handball, and equestrian venues. The center area is the main "green" and has the Birds Nest for Track and Field and the finals of Soccer (Football over here), the Water Cube for the swimming and diving, and the National Convention Center which houses the fencing venue. Last night we had fencing tickets, so we got into the "green".

It is an awesome place with sponsor venues, attractive gardens, statues, the main Olympic Store, and, the only main place to eat, McDonald's. (Christina ate at McD's)

I am really torn in my feelings about this area and the limited access. When the games are over, I am sure that this will be an open area to the public. The shame of it is, there is such limited access to this beautiful area that many of the people who would like to be in there can not get there because they do not have tickets to the events in the "green". We have met many people from America and other countries who would love to get to this area and are limited by their tickets. I can't solve this problem and I am struggling with how I would do it differently. If we opened the "green" to the public it would be too crowded. But how do we do it differently so that the people who are here from other countries to be a part of the games and the Chinese culture can get in? We are fortunate. We have Track and Field tickets for Friday and Saturday night. We'll be in the "green" and we can see all of the things we want to see. I think I already stocked up on my Olympic pins, so shopping may not be on the agenda. We will be there the night of the men's 100 meter finals with front row seats that we "splurged" for.

Please comment back as to what you have seen on the TV relative to the "green". If you watch the Today show on NBC, it is shot from the "green". We got there yesterday to find that our friend from the show did not make the trip due to some cut-backs on the staff. It was fun to hang at the site in Athens where we met many athletes being interviewed for the show.

Rick