August 19, 2008 4:59 AM
A.M./P.M.: Dionysus and Holyfield
The best party at the Beijing Olympics isn't by the lake at Hohai or in the popular Sanlitun District. It's actually at something called the Agricultural Exhibition Center.
You wouldn't guess it by the name, but Beijing's two biggest parties -- the Holland Heineken House and Club Bud -- are both there. Since the Games started, they've both been packed, too.
The former, as you can guess by its title, is sponsored by the Netherlands. It's awash in orange, and on some nights, access is limited to those with a Dutch passport. Beers cost 30 yuan. On Friday, I talked volleyball with the Angolan team and met a ninth-degree black belt from Flushing, N.Y. It draws an eccentric crowd, I suppose.
Down the street, there's the even more exclusive Club Bud. Entrance is limited to athletes and those with tickets, and no, I have no idea how you procure a ticket. But somehow Sunday night, I managed to get my way in. Let me say this: they might be owned by Belgians now, but the King of Beers still throws a great party.
It's the Olympic party of choice, as the athletes are literally walking around with their medals on. They're even ordering beer -- well, asking for it, technically, since all drinks inside Club Bud are free -- with their medals.
Among the events I've been able to recreate from Sunday: a 10-minute discussion with Team New Zealand about "Flight of the Conchords" and a chat with some American Olympians about the relative merits of Vail's China Bowl.
Also spotted: a kangaroo, plus Evander Holyfield.
As for the "no fun Olympics" theory? So much for that.
It's 7 p.m. in Beijing, and 5 a.m. in Denver. Here are the stories that are making Olympic headlines on this Tuesday evening/morning:
>On a related note: Budweiser sales are up 36 percent this year in Beijing.
>A televised address by the Premier of Singapore was postponed for the China-Singapore women's team ping pong final.
>Your could-be-an-Onion-headline-of-the-day: "OMG! A heavy crash during women's points race."
>Enough with the quasi-racist photos already.
>Mo Rocca gives a shoutout to Wood Acres Elementary School -- I'm also a proud alum -- and attempts to conquer the back handspring.
[Photo of Evander Holyfield at Club Bud by Dan Steinberg/The Washington Post, who, incidentally, was also spotted there on Sunday.]
Join the discussion