Putin on the Blitz!

Some days you go to the office expecting the same-old-same old.

On Monday in my "remote office" at Sochi Media Center, things were mostly routine. Except for the part when Russian President Vladimir Putin stopped by for a speedy tour.

That's right: Putin ... on the blitz!

With a surprisingly sparse security detail and motorcade, Putin arrived at Sochi Media Center, handed his coat to a greeter then strolled on in to the main press room for a look at the scene.

Escorted by a local official (I assume a minister of tourism for Sochi), and accompanied by Sochi's Mayor and Olympic Champion Aleksandr "The Great" Karelin, the Russian president listened carefully to details about the Center -- one of the best unaccredited media centers in Games history (sadly underused by Western media outlets -- once again, I was the lone USA contact with one Canadian gentleman bearing credentials).

As throngs of working media were suddenly aware of Putin's presence, TV and still camera teams rushed to surround Putin, encircling his tour about 15 rows deep.

The president spoke for a couple of minutes, answering just two impromptu media questions, then turned with his hostess to walk back to toward the entry point.

Through all of this, I was tipped by a college student media center volunteer to stand at a fixed point back from the throngs of camera women and men.

I complied to earn a most excellent payoff of three very close -- shake hands close -- photos of President Putin.

It was tempting to offer him a lapel pin for this blog, but the security detail and fears of Siberian GULag served as a deterrent.

Hey, here's a guy happy with his photos.

So happy, in fact, moments later I moved quickly to a prime spot for creating a Presidential #SochiSelfie.

As predicted, Putin turned and stopped to view a working model of the Coastal Cluster to be retrofitted for Indy racing in October.

Putin sternly looked at the miniature Olympic city then disappeared to the third floor press conference room for a private meeting with members of the Russian Presidential Press Corps.

Were the room's two North American reporters able to attend? Nyet -- Russians only. Oh, well.

Two surprises emerged about Putin the man.

First, he is not tall, only an inch or two above five feet in dress shoes. Also, he does smile, and he did so several times on the closed-circuit broadcast (sans audio) of his private meeting.

Putin also beamed during his waving exit and return to a simpler-than-anticipated motorcade featuring just three vehicles (an unusual limousine and two extended vans) and one police escort, leaving behind Karelin and the Sochi mayor.

When Karelin next turned his attention to souvenir shopping at the Sochi Media Center store, I did approach him offering an Olympic blog lapel pin, congratulations on his achievements (most recently as Olympic Torchbearer at Fisht Stadium Friday night) and my awe.

This guy is HUGE, and as a former USA Wrestling intern long-aware of his five-ringed feats in Seoul, Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney, I was most appreciative of Karelin shaking hands (his are bear-sized, strong like bull), visiting briefly and posing for a photo before he presented me with a commemorative Sochi.Ru 2014 keychain. Too Great!

One of my first reporting assignments in college involved trekking to Minneapolis for President Clinton's 1992 healthcare reform visit.

Monday's presidential reporting experience was absolutely nothing like the USA version, and I kind of liked it. I liked it a lot.

Only at the Olympics!

Photos by Nicholas Wolaver

The Road To Sochi and Other Works In Progress

Unfinished road from Aks Hotel to Sochi.

As promised a few posts ago, this update includes an image of "The Road To Sochi" from the cliff-side Aks Hotel nestled between the Olympic city and Adler.
Though the Aks Hotel completed construction in 2012, as did many of its residential tower neighbors, most of the addresses surrounding the neighborhood are either U.S.S.R.-era abodes or Sochi 2014 ambitions gone awry.

There is just one construction crane nearby, with many more orange-zone projects long-since forgotten.

From an article my friend Jim sent, and also what my sister posted via Facebook (both features courtesy of Deadspin), looks like other U.S. media are having a grand time reporting on the Sochi accommodations experience near the Mountain Cluster and Seaside Cluster of venues ("cluster" being the optimum word).

On the ride home tonight I noted the brand new, would-be-four-star Hyatt in downtown Sochi has a lobby filled with busy painters and hundreds of brand new mattresses stacked like fluffy dominoes, indicative they might open by Friday.

So, Sochi is still getting ready, yes. The basics are ready, with lots more to be done. Sounds like just about every party I've ever hosted (both of them).

But the host planners must be given their due credit for working/trying hard. It's no different here than it was in Athens, where I will always recall the grounds crew busily laying sod by the gymnastics hall during the day of the final event inside the venue.

I am greatly impressed with the Sochi Media Center, which processed my accreditation today.

Though it took three visits during two days, and five "go to the other end of the building to enter" treks to gain access, once the kinks were addressed everything got normal.

"Sochi normal," that is.

It's going to be a great event!

Photos by Nicholas Wolaver

Settling In Across Sochi

 

Day one in the Olympic City was restful then productive. Dozed off just before dawn local time, and awoke to a gorgeous sunny day with the Black Sea and Central Sochi on the horizon from my perch atop the Aks Hotel.

By perch I mean the penthouse -- this five-level hotel is on the side of a large elevation sort of around the bend from the city center. The topography reminds me of those areas of San Francisco where a dramatic elevation blocks a clear view of the urban sprawl. All three taxi drivers hired today each joked that the driveway to my hotel is a "typical Russian road" since a Hummer or Jeep 4x4 would do better on the gravel and water-swept off-road course for the final three blocks of the approach (I will try to photograph this "Road to Sochi" tomorrow).

The Southern view is spectacular, and as my eyes adjusted to the midday sun I spotted the Port of Sochi and one of the cruise ships on the horizon, not far from three Russian Navy vessels about a mile off-shore. Sunset over the Black Sea (shown) also was a feast for the eyes.

Though far-removed from the main city, the taxi ride into town is easy (even with the potholes) and downtown Sochi is a bit like Long Beach or even San Diego with the harbor traffic and many high rise buildings all around. Most of the street lights now don a Sochi.Ru 2014 banner or an LED display shaped like the Sochi sports pictograms (though about every 10th LED looks like it was created by a high school shop class flunky).

My driver dropped me right at Sochi Port at the just-opened Sochi Media Center.

Like similar media centers in Torino and London, the SMC is inside a spectacular and historic venue I suspect opened as a shipping exchange in the 1800s. There are about 300 computers and dozens of giant screen Samsung TV monitors inside -- this place will be a fun "office" not far from "home" in the neighborhood.

About a quarter mile from SMC is the main collection of cruise ships (some friends are staying at a similar cruise ship option in Adler). Though I could not yet board my floating apartment booked for Feb 6-20, the Princess Anastasia is decked out with Olympic sponsor ads and the ship's berth is next to an enormous set of the Olympic rings painted white for the night, likely to appear soon on Olympic broadcast promos. The rings nicely frame the skyline and I felt lucky to get to walk out on a lighting scaffold for some evening photos.

While walking through the seaside shopping district, I noted there were no "Sochi stray dogs" as reported by the Associated Press (if there were strays around, they are now gone in the City Center areas visited today).

But there ARE a number of feral cats. I lost count of all the cats spotted around Sochi Port, near the hotel, the airport parking and about town. How come the AP did not report about all the pussies in this part of Russia?

Thanks to pre-Games research, I found a small Greek café not far from the wharf, window shopped at a nearby mall (remember, no luggage from KLM means I need clothes!) and also stocked up on a few grocery necessities at a 24-hour market next door.

Fun to discover Olympic sponsor beverages including juice boxes with the Sochi Olympic mascots, cereal and Coke products.

Even more fun to find one of my all-time favorite beverages -- Caffeine-Free Dr. Pepper, a drink rarely spotted in Atlanta -- in the store cooler. And this tasty treat is canned in Texas, not Europe, for that home town corn syrup goodness.

While shopping for the right vodka a gaggle of Sochi Olympic volunteers swarmed the store, with two friendly English speakers informing me never (NEBBER!) to get caught drinking on the street.

That's OK, I thought, later happy to toast day one in Sochi while watching the Olympic trains speed along the seaside tracks, just down the mountain from Aks Hotel. Za schast'ye, Sochi! To happiness!

Photos by Nicholas Wolaver