MAKE IT ONE FOR MY BABY, AND ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD
By JOHN YOUNGREN
SALT LAKE CITY – You can feel it winding down, though we still have a day or two left and one long weekend to go. It’s like Labor Day weekend, though, and people are already thinking beyond Monday; making travel plans, taking some final pictures.
It’s time to go back to school.
The 2002 Winter Olympics will soon be history. What Salt Lake City has worked for – quite literally – since the early 1960s will have come and gone in a blink of an eye.
Except for a skating controversy or three, the Games have, by all accounts, been smooth as ice. Oh, sure, there’s been some grumbling about ticket scalping (on both sides of the argument), and counterfeit souvenirs and NBC’s Bob Costas. And SLOC President Mitt Romney used some foul language to berate a volunteer, which made headlines for a day or two. But all in all, things are good: A delusional Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson is even fantasizing about continuing the momentum of the Games in downtown for the foreseeable future.
(Never mind that there’s rarely any great reason to go downtown and walk around, especially night after night. Rocky has his dreams.)
Last night even put the "Winter" back into "Winter Olympics" – the streets of Salt Lake were a little more scarce, given frozen temperatures and an ongoing sleety drizzle. Thursday, though, has been gorgeous – springlike, I dare say – and there is still some anticipation in the air, for Apolo Anton Ohno and Closing Ceremonies and Michelle Kwan and a few final events.
But there’s also a sense of getting done; moving on. On Wednesday, I actually had a pin trader or two tell me that they’re not really interested in trading anymore, because they’re "just trying to get rid of what they have." People are still standing – unbelievably – in those lines for hours to try to get those Roots berets (even when it’s apparent the store doesn’t have any of them in stock), but one woman who finally got hers was on TV the other night and said in two weeks, the beret "will probably be in the back of her closet."
At work, we’ve now begun planning meetings and scheduling things for A.T.O. (After The Olympics), when the party’s over, Rocky or not.
Like I said, school starts again next week.
* * *
STAGE DESIGN: But the last few nights have been fascinating. The nightly Medals Ceremony and concerts continue to bring many that have been on the fringe of the Olympics inside, to see what’s going on.
I sat in the bleachers overlooking the main stage on Monday night – when Australian Alisa Camplin teared up as they played her national anthem and placed the gold medal around her neck for women’s aerials – and was absolutely spellbound by the tapestry of what’s been created in what is, in reality, a big parking lot.
The bleachers look down at the main stage, with two big TV screens on either side. But that’s not what’s so spectacular. It’s behind the bleachers – the panorama of the Salt Lake skyline, the buildings lit with giant, glowing faces of Olympics athletes, the Olympic rings on the mountains, the spectacle that’s been formed in perfect harmony with the visual dynamic of the Medals Ceremony stage.
I said to my friend and colleague Preston Wood, with me that night, "It looks like a set."
"It is," Preston said.
* * *
REMOTE ROULETTE: Though they’ve been upbeat throughout, the "Today" show’s Matt Lauer and Katie Couric and – it seems – especially Al Roker seem like they’re about ready to go home.
Costas hasn’t seemed that thrilled the whole time he’s been here, though I’m not falling into the trap of criticizing him just because he says snarky things about Utah.
Maybe it’s Bob’s divorce. I’m betting none of his girlfriends call Salt Lake City home.
CBS "Late Show" host David Letterman’s correspondent, Stephanie Burkett, has been amusing – but mainly because Letterman himself (absolutely giddy with Olympics fever) has been doing all the heavy-lifting, making jokes and firing questions to keep the pace up.
Still, perhaps it’s telling that Dave is sending in his ever-popular mother, Dorothy, to carry the correspondent’s ball as the final few days of the Olympics wind down.
And "Tonight Show" host Jay Leno’s correspondents – Howie Mandel, Dave Chappelle and Ross the Intern – occasionally provide humor, especially Mandel. But Leno himself seems strangely removed, despite reports that he was in Salt Lake City weeks ago, pre-taping all sorts of advance "Jaywalking" segments and other comedy bits that were going to be shown once the Olympics began.
Very little of any of that has been seen.
Which may be a blessing, knowing Jay.
* * *
MALL YUK: The pin traders may be grumpy, but here’s proof that not everyone in downtown Salt Lake City has lost their sense of humor.
Sign seen in a downtown LensCrafters:
"Michelle Kwan. Bring in your gold medal for free sunglasses."
I’m sure that will be the first stop on her list.
Monday, February 18, 2002
ONE WEEK'S MEDALS: GOLD, SILVER AND BRONZE
By John Youngren
SALT LAKE CITY--Spent another day wandering downtown, thinking about these 2002 Winter Olympics, like nothing else I'll ever encounter.
Funny thing is, they're like nothing else Salt Lake City will ever encounter, either. The national press spotlights the athletes and the competitions. Silly national press. The local press spotlights the ins and outs of the world visiting Utah. Silly local press.
Me? I just choose to award some Week One medals:
GOLD: Park City. Let's face it. This mountain town, some 45 minutes from the downtown Salt Lake City area -- we used to say 35 minutes when I was writing advertising copy about the proximity of Park City, but that was one big fat lie -- is the star of the 2002 Winter Games. We used to call it the "heart of the alpine games," but it's got the whole thing.
Every cool competition is happening in Park City. The "Today" show is broadcasting from Park City. Celebrities know Park City anyway, from the Sundance Film Festival and from, well, just being celebrities.
But Park City's Main Street is hopping, night after night. Sheryl Crow and Smash Mouth are playing private parties up there. And P.C.'s Roots store is the most popular of the batch -- and the easiest to get into, if my Week One survey is worth its weight.
In gold.
SILVER: Main Street, 300 South, The Gateway, Salt Lake City. I'd throw Bud World -- at the Gallivan Center, 200 South and Main -- into this mix as well, but I wasn't that impressed with Bud World.
But I am impressed with the rest of Salt Lake City's proximate downtown -- especially pin trading at the Greek Church (300 South and 300 West) and touring around the new Gateway outdoors mall, which I first thought seemed like a Hollywood set but now seems familiar and comfortable, like settings in Disneyland.
Tonight, a Sunday, bustling around in downtown Salt Lake City was nothing short of history making. I mean, for God's sake -- I've driven and drank and dined in downtown Salt Lake for years, even on Sunday nights. And by 7, 8 p.m., latest, it's nothing for there to be no one on the streets except homeless, drunken people, unless it's Christmas or the 24th of July -- when everyone is setting up shop for the Pioneer Day Parade (a Mormon thing; don't worry about it).
But on this Sunday, it was like it was Mardi Gras. People everywhere. Street vendors and music and food and dancing and TRAX trains and noise, noise, noise. I told my sister on the phone: "It's not like I'm going to get mugged, or anything. This is the crowd that I have to think about being pickpocketed in."
I am so savvy.
BRONZE: Pin, ticket-trading central -- ground floor, Walker Building. I entered this tonight and didn't quite know where I was: An office cubicle? An illegal underground haven for scalping? A mixed-up floor at a business expo?
The answer, of course, is none of the above. The Walker Building, long known as the site for either banking or stock broking (and most recently home to Dean Witter trading, if my memory serves) is temporarily where tickets can be bought, sold or traded as well as pins and other souvenirs.
It's a strange mix. Rough looking guys in parkas and knit caps, sizing you up and down. And husbands and wives behind their pin tables, waiting for the next trade.
Today's news? Katie Couric visited the pin-trading booths, for a feature on the "Today" show this week. We'll see. The pin traders were a buzzing.
The ticket traders? They were mainly just barking.
NO MEDAL: Last week, the Salt Lake Tribune ran a headline: A Bud and a Dud.
They were talking about the two "free" parties in town -- the 200 South and Main Gallivan Center "Bud World" (popular, despite my assessment) and the City-County Building party, which has been a bust (despite Mayor Rocky Anderson's inspiration, promotion and best efforts).
I paid a quick visit to the City-County Building today. Sad, as it has been site of previous Olympics glories, including serving as the main hub for the news that Salt Lake -- "the city of Salt Lake City," in the words of former IOC chairman Juan Antonio Samaranch -- had been selected for the 2002 Games that "Washington Square" (which no one knew that it was called) is so lame.
In all reality, it took me longer to get through security -- which includes putting all your carried possessions into a baggy -- then it did to wander the Washington Square grounds. Even the food and merchandise was lame.
I was gone in 20 minutes.
Which was about 11 minutes longer than it took me to find a parking space.
By John Youngren
SALT LAKE CITY--Spent another day wandering downtown, thinking about these 2002 Winter Olympics, like nothing else I'll ever encounter.
Funny thing is, they're like nothing else Salt Lake City will ever encounter, either. The national press spotlights the athletes and the competitions. Silly national press. The local press spotlights the ins and outs of the world visiting Utah. Silly local press.
Me? I just choose to award some Week One medals:
GOLD: Park City. Let's face it. This mountain town, some 45 minutes from the downtown Salt Lake City area -- we used to say 35 minutes when I was writing advertising copy about the proximity of Park City, but that was one big fat lie -- is the star of the 2002 Winter Games. We used to call it the "heart of the alpine games," but it's got the whole thing.
Every cool competition is happening in Park City. The "Today" show is broadcasting from Park City. Celebrities know Park City anyway, from the Sundance Film Festival and from, well, just being celebrities.
But Park City's Main Street is hopping, night after night. Sheryl Crow and Smash Mouth are playing private parties up there. And P.C.'s Roots store is the most popular of the batch -- and the easiest to get into, if my Week One survey is worth its weight.
In gold.
SILVER: Main Street, 300 South, The Gateway, Salt Lake City. I'd throw Bud World -- at the Gallivan Center, 200 South and Main -- into this mix as well, but I wasn't that impressed with Bud World.
But I am impressed with the rest of Salt Lake City's proximate downtown -- especially pin trading at the Greek Church (300 South and 300 West) and touring around the new Gateway outdoors mall, which I first thought seemed like a Hollywood set but now seems familiar and comfortable, like settings in Disneyland.
Tonight, a Sunday, bustling around in downtown Salt Lake City was nothing short of history making. I mean, for God's sake -- I've driven and drank and dined in downtown Salt Lake for years, even on Sunday nights. And by 7, 8 p.m., latest, it's nothing for there to be no one on the streets except homeless, drunken people, unless it's Christmas or the 24th of July -- when everyone is setting up shop for the Pioneer Day Parade (a Mormon thing; don't worry about it).
But on this Sunday, it was like it was Mardi Gras. People everywhere. Street vendors and music and food and dancing and TRAX trains and noise, noise, noise. I told my sister on the phone: "It's not like I'm going to get mugged, or anything. This is the crowd that I have to think about being pickpocketed in."
I am so savvy.
BRONZE: Pin, ticket-trading central -- ground floor, Walker Building. I entered this tonight and didn't quite know where I was: An office cubicle? An illegal underground haven for scalping? A mixed-up floor at a business expo?
The answer, of course, is none of the above. The Walker Building, long known as the site for either banking or stock broking (and most recently home to Dean Witter trading, if my memory serves) is temporarily where tickets can be bought, sold or traded as well as pins and other souvenirs.
It's a strange mix. Rough looking guys in parkas and knit caps, sizing you up and down. And husbands and wives behind their pin tables, waiting for the next trade.
Today's news? Katie Couric visited the pin-trading booths, for a feature on the "Today" show this week. We'll see. The pin traders were a buzzing.
The ticket traders? They were mainly just barking.
NO MEDAL: Last week, the Salt Lake Tribune ran a headline: A Bud and a Dud.
They were talking about the two "free" parties in town -- the 200 South and Main Gallivan Center "Bud World" (popular, despite my assessment) and the City-County Building party, which has been a bust (despite Mayor Rocky Anderson's inspiration, promotion and best efforts).
I paid a quick visit to the City-County Building today. Sad, as it has been site of previous Olympics glories, including serving as the main hub for the news that Salt Lake -- "the city of Salt Lake City," in the words of former IOC chairman Juan Antonio Samaranch -- had been selected for the 2002 Games that "Washington Square" (which no one knew that it was called) is so lame.
In all reality, it took me longer to get through security -- which includes putting all your carried possessions into a baggy -- then it did to wander the Washington Square grounds. Even the food and merchandise was lame.
I was gone in 20 minutes.
Which was about 11 minutes longer than it took me to find a parking space.
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