Closing Out Beijing

Travis Sherwin/Orlando

This being my last post, I’m leaving you with what I’ll remember from the Beijing Olympics.

Of course, I’ll remember meeting America’s medal-winning athletes and their events, but I’ll also remember the incredible people, places and tastes of China.

Starting with what will forever be the image of the Beijing Games:

The Bird's Nest at night

The image I’ve always associated with China:

The Forbidden City

Then, there’s the wonderful Summer Palace. I never knew it existed, let alone that it is so beautiful.

Steps at the Summer Palace

I’ll never forget the food. Including the signature dish of Beijing:

Peking Duck

And, there’s also what I call the Chinese version of fondue:

Hot Pot

I’ll always be fascinated with the way they get around here.

A popular way to travel

Finally, there are the friendships. Like the new one I made with our translator, Mady.

Mady at the Summer Palace

And, the lifelong bonds I’ve made with our team.

The HATV Olympic Team

It’s time to pack and take a much-needed break. See you in Vancouver!

Xie Xie, Zai Jian,

-Travis

The not so subtle differences in China…

Travis Sherwin/Orlando

There are a few subtle differences that really stand out after you spend a few weeks in China.

Let’s start with food. The Chinese really love corn. It’s everywhere. You see people eating it on street corners. You see them eating it while they ride their bicycles. You see it on their vegetarian pizza.

Corn on pizza

Another Chinese favorite – potatoes. Dominos Pizza delivers tater tots; traditional Chinese restaurants have multiple dishes featuring potatoes; and the meals at our workspace always include spuds.

I’ve had baby potatoes, roasted potatoes, sauteed potatoes with leeks, mashed potatoes, potato wedges, potato cakes, baked potatoes, and today’s selection, scalloped potatoes.

Scalloped potatoes

Finally, there’s a subtle difference in the bathrooms here. No paper towels. They use tissues instead. Ever notice how little water is absorbed by a tissue? If you haven’t, try it. The fewest I can get by with per wash is three. Plus, they stick to your hands.

Tissues to dry your hands

Alone, these small items are minor issues. But, day after day, they start making their impact. It will be a long time before I have another potato. I’m off corn for a while, too. And as for tissues, I’m not planning on catching a cold any time soon!

-Travis

The HATV Beijing Bureau

Travis Sherwin/Orlando

It’s time I took you on a tour of where I spend the vast majority of my time, the workspace.

We call the Beijing International Convention Center home. It is a very large building with multiple floors. 

Beijing International Convention Center

Our live location is on the roof of the fourth floor. There’s a light on in our assigned spot. I’ll take you up there a little later in this post.

The entire NBC News Beijing operation is housed inside this building. But NBC Sports, the operation that produces the Olympic coverage you see in prime time, is located in the International Broadcast Center, an entirely different location.

NBC News Beijing

We work in the same location as Nightly News, The Today Show, MSNBC, CNBC and NBC NewsChannel.

        

The Today Show

I’ve met, or seen, all the NBC greats:  Brian Williams, Matt Lauer, Lester Holt. This afternoon, I spent a little time with Hoda Kotb from the Today Show. She and I are old alums of WINK-TV (Ft. Myers, FL).

The Nightly Newsroom

 Down the hall, you’ll find NBC NewsChannel. This is the NBC group that feeds stories to affiliates. We share space, and work with, that group.

NewsChannel Workspace

The HATV Workspace

Inside this room, you’ll find our little corner of Beijing. This is where the Hearst-Argyle team is based. We have three reporters, four photographers and two producers.

Every day, reporters and photographers go out on the streets to turn stories for the sunrise and evening broadcasts back home. They return, then write, edit and feed out their stories. All of us double as engineers. That means we set up the equipment – and if there’s a problem, we are the ones who have to fix it.

Our rack

This is known as our rack. It is where we control out satellite path, record feeds and send out edited stories. It’s hard to believe we were smart enough to put all this equipment together!

The big board

On the right is the big board. This monitors all the satellite signals coming out of our workspace. Our signal is path number seven, on the lower left.

After feeding the tape, it’s time to head upstairs and do six hours worth of live shots. We provide Olympic stories for 27 television stations across the nation.

Kate Amara live from Beijing

Here’s Kate Amara preparing for one of many, many live shots with producer Erin McManamon. Notice the great backdrop!

After the live shots, we prepare for the next day and feed out a few more stories for the afternoon. Tomorrow, we’ll start all over and do it all again!

-Travis

Things You Can’t Do in China

Travis Sherwin/Orlando

There are a lot of signs around Beijing telling you what you cannot do. It’s probably no more than in America, but it’s really spelled out here.

Here’s list of what you can’t do at the Summer Palace, a popular historical tourist attraction:

You Can't Do This

No motorcycle riding.

No picking flowers.

No sitting on the railings.

No taxis.

No littering.

No playing of music.

No rollerblading.

No ballplaying.

No guns.

No dogs.

No fireworks.

No open fires.

On my way out, I noticed this sign:

What Does This Mean?

Mady, my new friend and translator, said it means, “No open fires in cars.” Who knew that open fires in cars were so popular that you needed a sign to prevent them? (There’s a good chance this sign’s true meaning is lost in translation.)

The wait for a cab as we left the Summer Palace was impossibly long, so I chose to ride in this:

Traditional Rickshaw

It’s a common sight on the streets of Beijing – a traditional rickshaw. We hired the driver to take us to a restaurant for lunch. He told us the ride would be $20 yuan.

Price Haggling

After arriving at the restaurant, the driver told us, “Oh, no, it’s not $20 yuan, it’s $20 yuan per person.”

Mady wasn’t very pleased, but we agreed that the guy probably needed it given the condition of his rickshaw.

And $40 yuan is only $6.70 in U.S. dollars.

-Travis

Summer Palace

Travis Sherwin/Orlando

Yesterday I spent some time at a popular tourist spot within the city of Beijing, the Summer Palace. You’ve seen this place a lot if you’re watching the Olympic coverage. NBC frequently uses aerials of it as bump shots.

The Summer Palace is a very large park, with exquisite buildings, beautiful gardens and a grand lake.

Dominating the park is the Temple of Buddist Incense. It sits on a steep hill and is three stories tall.

Temple of Buddhist Incense

Inside is an elegant statue called Buddha with One Thousand Hands and Eyes. It is 16 feet tall and has 12 heads and 24 arms. Pictures of the statue are not allowed, but I did get a good shot of the incredible detail on the exterior of the temple.

Incredible Detail

The buildings are very similiar to those in the Forbidden City. Here’s an impressive lion statue guarding a temple. Notice the carved animals on the roof? The number of figures on the rooftop denote the importance of the building.

Lion Statue

This last picture is of the Marble Boat. It’s a two-story structure that’s actually made of wood, but was painted to imitate marble. Trust me, it looks like it – even up close.

Marble Boat

With little free time and so many places to explore, I’m glad I made it to the Summer Palace. It’s a must-see for everyone visiting Beijing.

-Travis

Beijing High-Rises

Travis Sherwin/Orlando

Beijing is a city of high-rise buildings. Twenty-plus stories is very common. The elevator companies have got to be making a killing.

Directly across from my hotel are five identical apartment buildings. I’ve walked by them many times. Either no one lives there, or they must be so happy there that they never leave, because I’ve never seen anyone go through the doors.

Apartments

To the left, is this office tower. Again, twenty-plus stories. The building is closed because it is directly across from the Bird’s Nest. There must be hundreds of people enjoying their Olympic vacation.

Office Tower

To the right, another office tower. Again, closed. I wonder if the companies that lease space there get reimbursed for the business they are losing. Likely, not.

Office Building

The Chinese people say it’s their duty to help make these Olympic Games a success. There are many volunteers doing everything from directing traffic to picking up trash.

Volunteers

Here’s a view of the outside of the boxing venue. All the people dressed in blue are volunteers. If you’re ever lost, or can’t find the restroom, the folks in blue are your best friends.

-Travis

Raining Buckets!

Travis Sherwin/Orlando

 

Today, it rained. Nearly all day. It postponed almost all of the outdoor events.

I’ve learned that you must always carry your umbrella with you in Beijing. It is the rainy season.

Necessary Accessory

Our translator, and my new friend, Mady, says that umbrellas give you freedom. You find out exactly what she means when you’re caught in a downpour without one!

The man below must be a Beijing native. These people have raincoats that they seem to pull them out of nowhere.

Beijing Native

One thing I’ve noticed, the drainage here is very, very poor. The streets are in great shape, but when it rains there are 3, 4 even 6 inch deep, puddles everywhere.

Drainage is an issue

The rain isn’t all bad – it clears the skies for the next day. So tomorrow, I’m breaking out the sunglasses!

-Travis

Awesome Sights

Travis Sherwin/Orlando

There are many interesting sights here in Beijing, the following will be hard for me to forget.

Scattered around the Olympic Green, home to the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube, are giant big screen TVs that are always on and aways showing Olympic images. Sometimes the screens show programs promoting the games, other times they show highlights.

These are the largest big screens I’ve ever seen. This picture is taken from two very long blocks away. The screens are four stories tall and mounted more than 20 stories from the ground!

Big Screens!

The next picture is the first Beijing gold medal I’ve seen in person. Ricky Berens swam the third leg of the men’s 4×200 relay. The team smoked the field and became the first ever to break the seven-minute mark in that event.

Ricky Berens

The last picture I have for you is another shot of the stunning Bird’s Nest. I took this last night.

Bird

Pictures, video and live shots do not do this venue justice. It is truly one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever seen.

-Travis