A Bus To Nowhere

I've only been in Vancouver a few hours and already I feel like I know the city like the back of my hand. That's because our media bus driver cruised up and down most main streets in Vancouver, and a few side streets, more than a few times.

You can't imagine the feeling of helplessness when you cruise past your hotel for the second time. Trying to get my Olympics off to a good start I resisted the overwhelming urge to yell out, "Hey Nimrod, stop the bus!" So I drove around for an extra hour and was rewarded for my patience by being the last media type to be dropped off.

Speaking of patience, USA Hockey's Executive Director Dave Ogrean, who has been to more Olympics than anyone I know, likes to say that the one thing you need to remember to pack when heading off to an Olympics is an extra supply of patience. That's probably the one thing I didn't pack.

Other than a little transportation snafu, everyone here has been so nice. I have never cruised through customs as easily as I did at the Vancouver airport. Of course I've never had an express lane set up solely for the Olympic Family.

Of course the Games haven't started yet. We'll see how things are going as we head into the second week, the weather turns cold and dreary and no Canadian athlete has yet to win a gold medal. We'll see how those smiles are then.

In the meantime, I'll enjoy dealing with all these great volunteers. That is except for a certain directionally-challenged bus driver.