These first few days in Paris have been a whirlwind of different impressions, from meeting current and former Olympians to completing my first shifts volunteering in the USA House and the Olympic House and exploring this beautiful city. I have taken some walks in the neighborhood of our hotel and found some great spots for hanging out or being active.
The first one I just found today is a complete sports complex with tennis courts, basketball courts, volleyball courts, a soccer field, and even a running track, only a five-minute walk from our hotel. I quickly learned that people could use all the sports venues there for free, so I decided to look around. I was stunned to find banners and flags for Paris 2024 even there, as that sports venue is part of the ‘Paris Fete les Jeux’ program. That describes an event that provides free festivities for everyone in Paris before and during the Olympics. It was really cool to see that so many courts were being used, and I think it is an excellent opportunity for people to get into various sports.
Another spot I found is the public viewing site a couple of blocks down the road. Even these sites are part of this program and offer a plethora of activities. It provided numerous lounge chairs, a large flatscreen for live event viewing, food trucks, and entertainment trucks. The most surprising find was that one of these trucks housed a display of at least fifty board games, available for borrowing and playing on the spot. Many families took advantage of that opportunity and played various games on the tables in front of that truck. Besides the food and drinks, everything there could be used for free, and even if it was raining shortly before I got there, a lot of people from all age groups gathered on that site.
It is incredible that Paris not only focuses on all the tourists for the Olympics but also offers activities for the residents. I hope to find more of these sites while I am here as it is always great to not only visit the tourist spots but also find places for the locals to get a better feel for a city.