My first day in Rio for the 2016 Summer Olympics

Greetings from Rio de Janeiro. Yep, I am finally here and running on very little sleep. But this is the Olympics, so it is expected.

I wanted to do a quick blog tonight to show you what I saw of the Olympic Park today. 

Our flight landed at 9:15am this morning and it took a couple of hours to get my credentials laminated, get my luggage, and get to the hotel. So...after getting cleaned up and out, I had 6 hours to take care of business at the Olympic Park. 

My first stop was the Main Press Center (MPC) because this is where I check in and get my photo vest, locker, media guide and other goodies. The MPC is home to all the photographers and editors, as well as all the offices of the big news agencies. But there is more to the MPC as you can see below.

There is a bank, post office, laundromat, mini market, food court and more.

The most used room for me is the press room. This is where many of us edit and do our work. All the press buses leave from the MPC, so it is not uncommon for me to stop and work here in between venues.

They do have some dedicated workstations, but I bring my own Mac to work from.

Here is one of my favorite parts of the MPC. This is the Canon area where I can borrow just about any camera or lens, and they also do on-the-spot cleaning and repairs. I love these guys!!!

As you can see, the press room is starting to fill with all the arriving media from around the world.

I saw this sign and had to get my photo there. :)

After getting everything taken care of at the MPC, I went over to the Maria Lenke Aquatic Center where all the early water polo matches will be held. Here is where I checked out the backgrounds, distractions, and shooting positions for the upcoming games.

I even took a panorama shot with my iPhone too. (All other photos in this blog were taken with my Canon 5D Mark III and 24-70mm lens)

While there, I watched many of the synchronized swimming teams practice...

...and some of the divers too.

I walked to many of the other venues, but most of them are not open yet. Heck, many of them are still under construction still. Nothing major, but the fine details are definitely not being looked after. I have seen a lot of really sloppy paint jobs, holes and cracks in walls and tons of scaffolding still up. But I am going to show you the good stuff right now. :)

This is the main area of the Olympic Park. It is still being worked on, but looks pretty good.

You can't have an Olympic Park without the Rings!

This is a photo of the swim venue.

And as I got closer, I loved how I could see through the skin of the building, to see the stadium inside.

And when I entered the media entrance to the swim facility, I looked up and liked the patterns I saw.

Here is a photo inside the main swim venue.

I was walking out of the swim venue and saw this life guard sitting here. It made me laugh that he is watching the best swimmers in the world and standing by in case they might drown? I know, I know, safety first, but still funny.

Oh, and in case you are all wondering, and I know you are, I have seen no mosquitos!!!!

Time to get to sleep. I am exhausted. Good night all.

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