context
Today I moved downtown to my home for the next month; I have to say, my expectations were pretty skeptical based on some of the TripAdvisor reviews of where we are being housed, but maybe because of this, the hotel is pretty damn nice and definitely better than I expected. (It does smell of new carpet and paint, so perhaps we're benefiting from a remodel for the Olympics - either way, I'm pleasantly surprised.) The view in the top pic is from my room. If you notice the lights on the top of the mountain, I'm guessing that's a ski area (with your eye you can see the cut paths of snow glowing in the light). What I don't know is whether its a venue for an event. I'm kinda hoping so because it really gives another layer to being here to see that right outside your window. In Torino, the mountains were so far away that we rarely even saw them from the city, and we certainly couldn't see any mountain venues from the city. Something about seeing those just adds another emotional and creative layer to why being here matters, though there are certainly plenty of venues and energy within the city as well. For those not following at the time, we did the Beijing games from New York, and while I would say it was certainly successful and it worked well, it also just felt different to not be around the environment. Tomorrow I start my work for NBC, I'm excited to jump in.