誰將代表美國申辦2024奧運會

The United States Olympic Committee seems ready to bid for the 2024 Summer Games. But the hard part is deciding which of the four finalists — Boston, Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco — has the best chance of being chosen by the International Olympic Committee. The U.S.O.C. could make its selection as soon as this week, so we asked New York Times reporters in each city to describe the view from each place.

美國奧委會看來要準備競爭2024年夏季奧運會的主辦權了。但要在波士頓、華盛頓、洛杉磯和舊金山這四個最終入圍名單中挑選出那個最有機會贏得國際奧委會青睞的城市，可不是一件容易的事情。美國奧委會最快本週就會做出決定，所以我們請來時報駐這四座城市的記者，讓他們寫寫自己眼中的這場競爭。

Boston

波士頓

A couple of years ago, The Onion ran a satirical piece about Bostonians pretending to live in a big city. It said residents “buzz about their daily routines in a delightful hubbub of excitement as if they lived in a major American metropolis.”

一兩年前，《洋蔥新聞》(The Onion)登過一篇文章，諷刺波士頓人假裝自己是生活在一座大城市裏。文章寫道，這裏的居民“以一種可愛的興奮熱鬧勁兒過着他們的日常生活，彷彿真以爲自己住在一個美國大都會呢”。

Some people laughed, some were defensive. But few disputed that Boston is wrapped up in an existential debate with itself about whether it is a “world-class” city.

對於這篇文章，有人哈哈大笑，有人則爲這座城市辯護。但有一點倒是爭議不大，那就是波士頓全身心地投入到自己究竟是不是一座“世界級”城市的存在主義的辯論中。

Despite its many obvious assets — world-renowned universities, top-flight medical centers, a thriving biotech-driven innovation economy and championship sports teams, not to mention Tom Brady and David Ortiz — Boston still has an inferiority complex. And as it makes its first serious bid to host the Olympics, it shows.

雖然這裏有着衆多爲大家所認同的優勢——世界聞名的大學、一流的醫療機構、以生物科技爲創新驅動力的繁榮經濟、冠軍運動隊，更別提湯姆·布拉迪（Tom Brady，著名的橄欖球運動員——譯註）和戴維·奧爾蒂斯（David Ortiz，著名的棒球運動員——譯註）這些如雷貫耳的名字，但波士頓始終有着一種自卑情結。隨着該城首次正兒八經地競標奧運會主辦權，這種情結也是一覽無遺。

Some seem to think that being picked to put on the 2024 Summer Games is entwined with mythic world-class status.

有些人似乎認爲被選爲2024夏季奧運會的舉辦城市，是與所謂的世界級城市地位息息相關的一件事。

“Boston is a global leader in innovation, and in order to remain a global leader, we must be aspirational,” the pro-Olympic Boston2024 website says.

“波士頓在創新方面是全球的領導者，爲了保持領導者地位，我們必須充滿對勝利的抱負，”一個主張舉辦奧運會的網站Boston2024寫道。

To Boston’s mayor, Martin J. Walsh, an initial skeptic of the bid, hosting the Olympics “puts us on a scale not too many cities can claim.”

對於波士頓的市長馬丁·J·沃爾什來說（起初他對於爭辦奧運持懷疑態度），主辦奧運“把我們放到了只有爲數不多的城市所具備的級數上”。

Mike Ross, a former Boston city councilman, argued that the Olympics are a good idea “and not just for the reasons one might think, such as helping us get over our persistent ‘smaller than New York’ Napoleon complex.”

波士頓前市議會議員邁克·羅斯(Mike Ross)認爲，舉辦奧運是一件好事，“不僅僅是大家能想到的那些原因，比如幫我們克服一直以來的‘比紐約要小’的拿破崙情結。”

Whether winning an Olympics confers world-class status, Boston’s bid contains an inherent paradox: Its dream to make it big is not that big.

不管贏得奧運會的舉辦權是否會帶來世界級城市的地位，波士頓的努力包含一個自相矛盾之處：它的大城夢想其實並沒有那麼大。

Boston’s modest $4.5 billion proposal envisions a new Olympic model: a walkable, bikeable, sustainable Games that uses mostly pre-existing structures. This compact city of 646,000 plans a downsized, compressed, antisprawl Olympics. No venue would be more than a 10-minute walk from a subway stop or a commuter rail line.

波士頓的承辦方案只有區區45億美元，它想像出一個全新的奧運模式：一個主要利用現有建築、可以用步行或騎自行車作爲交通方式、具有可持續發展性的運動會。這座有着64.6萬人口的小巧城市計劃的是一個規模縮小的、緊湊的、不搞場館散亂分佈的奧運會。所有的比賽地點，都在地鐵站或者通勤火車線路10分鐘步行路程之內。

The International Olympic Committee has been forced to encourage this kind of thinking. Interest in hosting has declined as potential hosts watched costs spiral out of control for recent Games in Beijing ($40 billion) and Sochi, Russia ($50 billion).

國際奧委會也被迫鼓勵此種思路。一些有興趣主辦奧運會的城市看到最近的北京奧運會和俄羅斯索契冬奧會的成本節節攀升，直至失控（北京400億美元，索契500億美元），紛紛打起了退堂鼓。

Still, one might wonder if Boston’s proposal was actually made by The Onion: The athletes could live in college dormitories that are empty during the summer; the modular housing of an Olympic village could later become new dorms; and a proposed $700 million Olympic Stadium would be temporary, so it could be razed or relocated.

然而，波士頓的方案還是讓人忍不住疑惑，這不會是《洋蔥新聞》整出來的方案吧：運動員住在暑假空出來的大學宿舍；標準間搭造的奧運村可以變成新的宿舍樓；一座計劃投資7億美元的奧運主場館將是臨時性的，會後可以拆掉或者搬到其他地方。

Does anyone think this might be carrying Yankee frugality too far? And are Olympic bigwigs serious about not wanting an extravaganza?

會不會有人因此而認爲北方佬太摳門？那些奧委會要人真的對鋪張華麗不再感冒了嗎？

Either way, the Boston promoters are trying to win over naysayers by promising tangible benefits like upgrades in roads, bridges and public transit. But many wonder why it would take the Olympics to get those much-needed improvements. The Boston Globe columnist Joan Vennochi wrote that the promoters were giving Bostonians an impossible choice: Buy in to their bid to get a modern transportation system, or “be labeled a small-minded, provincial party-pooper.”

不管怎樣，波士頓舉辦奧運會的推動者正在努力爭取那些唱反調的人，他們許以種種實在的好處，比如修路、修橋，更新公交系統。但許多人都想知道，爲什麼基礎設施的改進非得通過奧運會來完成。《波士頓環球報》(The Boston Globe)的專欄作家瓊·文諾奇(Joan Vennochi)寫道，波士頓舉辦奧運會的推動者向波士頓人提供了一個棘手的選擇：想要一個現代的交通系統就要支持辦奧運，否則“就要被貼上心胸狹隘、沒見過世面的掃興鬼的標籤”。

And there you have it: Without the Olympics, Boston cannot be world class. KATHARINE Q. SEELYE

所以你看：不舉辦奧運會的話，波士頓就不可能成爲世界級的城市。KATHARINE Q. SEELYE

Los Angeles

洛杉磯

Have you been to Boston? It’s boring.

去過波士頓嗎？那兒沒勁透了。

Sorry, Washington: No nation wants to send athletes to the home of the National Security Agency.

對不起了華盛頓：沒有一個國家願意把運動員送進國家安全局的老窩。

That leaves Los Angeles with one actual competitor, San Francisco. It’s up to you, International Olympic Committee, but the population of that peninsula city — already terribly full of its Apple-Google-Uber self — would very likely burst into a fireball of smugness if it was also given the 2024 Olympics. Think it over.

所以洛杉磯只剩下一個真正的對手，那就是舊金山。國際奧委會，決定在你。但是那座半島城市現在已經到處都是蘋果、谷歌、優步公司那些自負的傢伙們了，如果它再獲得2024年奧運會的主辦權，那裏的人肯定得意到要爆炸了。好好想想這個吧。

Los Angeles, on the other hand, is the perfect choice.

換句話說，洛杉磯纔是完美的選擇。

The Chinese will be running Hollywood by then (except for North Korea’s Democratic Republic of Sony Pictures), so their athletes will feel right at home. To save on housing costs, David Geffen can offer to host the men’s gymnastics team at his mansion. And also the men’s water polo team.

到時候中國已經接管了好萊塢（除了歸北朝鮮民主主義人民共和國領導的索尼影業），所以他們的運動員肯定會覺得賓至如歸。爲了節省住宿開銷，男子體操隊可以住進大衛·格芬(David Geffen)的大宅子，男子水球隊也能住進去。

Beach volleyball? Hello.

沙灘排球？不成問題。

True, there will be no water for the aquatic center. Perhaps the pools could be filled with San Pellegrino. Or perhaps the divers could simply be trained to land in one of those itty-bitty washtubs, the way they used to at the circus. We’ll work it out.

沒錯，到時候水上運動中心裏不會有水。沒準可以用聖培露礦泉水灌滿泳池。又或者跳水運動員可以練習着跳進一個小洗澡盆裏，以前的馬戲團就是這麼幹的。我們總會有辦法的。

Imagine the opening ceremony Los Angeles could put together: Meryl Streep riding sidesaddle on a dolphin. Magic Johnson and Mama Kardashian carrying the torch. Fireworks sponsored by “Star Wars: Episode Ad Nauseam: Does It Really Matter What We Subtitle These Anymore, Part 1.”

試想在洛杉磯舉辦的開幕式可以湊出什麼東西來：梅麗爾·斯特里普(Meryl Streep)騎海豚。魔術師約翰遜(Magic Johnson)和卡戴珊大媽(Mama Kardashian)舉火炬。焰火由《星球大戰：沒完沒了的第N集：起什麼副標題還重要嗎，第一部》贊助。

Look, there are pros and cons for every potential host city. Pro: Los Angeles would become more health-conscious than it already is. Con: Los Angeles would become more health-conscious than it already is.

你看，關於每個主辦城市都有贊同和反對意見。正方：洛杉磯本來就夠有健康意識的了，到時候會更有健康意識。反方：洛杉磯本來就夠有健康意識的了，到時候會更有健康意識。

But the City of Angels, really and truly, is a terrific choice. Get under the hood, beyond its silly celebrity facade, and you will see how serious a contender it is:

但是這座天使之城的確是一個非常好的選擇。透過愚蠢的名人文化假象，深入它的內部，你會發現它的確是一個有力的競爭者。

Los Angeles is bigger than Boston, Washington and San Francisco combined. More than 30 countries have their second largest population in Los Angeles, a region of roughly 19 million people, giving a home-field advantage to more than Americans.

洛杉磯比波士頓、華盛頓和舊金山加起來都大。這裏的人口大約是1900萬，有30多個國家都在洛杉磯擁有爲數最多的海外僑民，除了美國人，其他不少國家在這裏也擁有主場優勢。

Naysayers will bray that Los Angeles has hosted the Summer Games, twice. True, and that experience could be critical. Besides, London has been an Olympic city three times, so get over it.

反對者會大吵大鬧說洛杉磯已經兩次主辦過夏季奧運會了。確實如此，但這種經驗也是很重要的。另外，倫敦還主辦過三次奧運會呢，所以就別糾結這個了。

Among subway construction, road improvements and a desperately needed modernization of the Los Angeles International Airport, $40 billion worth of infrastructure enhancements are underway.

除了地鐵建設，地面道路也在改善、亟需現代化的洛杉磯國際機場正在進行翻修，還有價值400億美元的基礎設施改善工作也在進行中。

In other words, stuff is being built in Los Angeles — unlike in San Francisco, where something as seemingly simple as improving four grass soccer fields last year was met with litigation, protests and a ballot measure. (For real.)

換句話說，在洛杉磯，建設工作已經在進行，而舊金山呢？在那兒，去年連改善四塊帶草皮的足球場這麼簡單的一件事都吃了官司、遭到抗議，還得做投票決議（這是真的）。

Speaking of roads, everyone worries about Southern California’s famous freeway gridlock, which can indeed be formidable. But in 2011 and 2012, when a particularly busy stretch of Interstate 405 was closed for days at a time to accommodate construction, the opposite of Carmageddon happened: the streets emptied, with residents foregoing unnecessary trips.

至於道路問題，大家都擔心南加州著名的高速路交通堵塞，確實很可怕。但在2011年到2012年，繁忙的405州際公路關閉數日進行建設期間，不但沒有發生末日大混戰，相反街道都空了，居民們把非必要的行程提前，以便錯過這段時間。

Finally: Have you been to Boston? BROOKS BARNES

最後，你去過波士頓嗎？ BROOKS BARNES

Washington

華盛頓

Unlike other cities that hide their goodies far from the airport, the glories of your nation’s capital are breathtakingly beneath you in your final approach. There is Arlington National Cemetery! Hello, Jefferson Memorial! Wow, I can practically touch the Washington Monument from my seat! (Fun game: Listen to a passenger near you describe with great authority and total inaccuracy what they see. My personal favorite was the guy who called the United States Capitol a memorial to George Washington.)

不同於其他那些把好東西藏在離機場很遠處的城市，你國首都的美景在你的飛機落地之前，就令人激動地在你下方一覽無遺。那裏是阿靈頓國家公墓！你好，傑佛遜紀念堂！哇，我幾乎在座位上就能摸到華盛頓紀念碑！（有趣的遊戲：聽你旁邊的乘客非常權威的口吻但又完全不準確地描述他們所看到的景緻。我個人最喜歡的是曾有個人稱美國國會大廈是一個喬治·華盛頓的紀念館）

The thrills may ebb once you try to exit the airport.

一旦你試圖走出機場，這些興奮感就可能隨之退去。

A lack of proper signage, the absence of left-turn lanes, terrifying traffic circles for which the right of way seems to go to the fastest driver and an unpredictable public transit system can vex the visitor.

缺乏恰當的引導標識，沒有左轉道，似乎只有反應最敏捷的司機才能搞定的環形交叉路口，和一個讓外地人頭痛的公共交通系統。

As such, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, for which there is a Twitter handle devoted to its daily bad deeds, needs to step up the maintenance right quick if we are to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. Congress, fond of meddling in the district’s business, should help.

鑑於如此，如果我們要主辦2024年的夏季奧運會的話，華盛頓都會區交通局（這裏有一個Twitter賬號，致力於發佈有關它的日常壞事）需要快點加強交通系統的維護。喜歡插手特區事務的國會也應該來幫忙。

But, hey, you’re here to watch sports. The city recently approved the construction of a new soccer stadium, which would keep company with our lovely home to baseball’s Nationals, right in the heart of the city, as well as FedEx Field, Verizon Center, the Armory and various University of Maryland venues. At last, R.F.K. Stadium, which is, politely, an embarrassingly decrepit pit, would almost certainly be renovated, or, better yet, demolished, with a glorious new Olympic stadium in its place. So stadiums: We’ve got it more or less covered.

不過，嘿，你是來這裏看體育比賽的。該城最近批准了建設一個新的足球場，它就在城市的中心，會和我們華盛頓國民棒球隊的可愛主場，以及聯邦快遞球場、凡澤中心、軍械庫運動場和馬里蘭大學的各種場館未伴。最後，羅伯特·F·肯尼迪紀念體育場這個即使禮貌地說也算是一個令人尷尬的破坑，基本上一定會被翻新，或者更爲理想的是被拆除，並在原址上建一個輝煌、嶄新的奧運館。所以從體育場館來說：我們或多或少夠用了。

The Potomac River is a world-class kayaking venue and a possible host for rowing, and the Anacostia is well on its way. Our topography is good for cycling, and we have a strong — even White House-centered — history with equestrian sports. The area has produced champions in swimming, running and triathlon. We host a pro tennis tournament every year, as well as pro golf tournaments. In short, the hypercompetitive neurosis that fuels our political culture has been good for athleticism.

波托馬克河是一個世界級的皮划艇場地，也可作爲賽艇項目的主場，而阿納科斯蒂亞河也已準備好了。我們的地勢很適合自行車賽事，並且我們在馬術比賽方面——可以說以白宮爲中心——有很強的歷史背景。這個地區孕育了游泳、賽跑及鐵人三項的冠軍。我們每年都舉辦職業網球賽和高爾夫球賽。總之，刺激我們政治文化的超強度競爭神經症對運動競賽同樣有益。

You will hear bad things about our summer weather. It’s true. But there is an upside: In late summer, locals empty the place out, which means plenty of housing will be available. (Anyone want first dibs on a well-situated house in the northwest quadrant? It currently comes with an 11-year-old who can walk you through the cable system and a teenager who will block you on Twitter.)

你會聽到關於我們這裏夏日天氣的壞話。那些說法也沒錯。不過從另一面看，在夏末，本地人會走空，意味着大量房屋可用。（誰想優先要一個西北區域位置很好房子嗎？現在，這裏附贈一個能手把手教你使用有線電視系統的11歲孩子和一個會在Twitter上拉黑你的青少年。）

Amid the obligatory debates of what will become of an Olympic village in a town in desperate need of affordable housing once revelers hit the road, we tend to keep the focus on tourists. The two-for-one thrills of monuments, free Smithsonian museums and the maligned but majestic center of government rival all the other cities for non-Olympic recreation.

一個亟需負擔得起的房屋的城市一旦成爲奧運村，當狂歡的人羣涌上街頭，會變成什麼樣？在這不可避免的辯論中，我們還是傾向於以遊客爲重。除了看奧運會，這裏還有各種紀念場所，免費的史密森尼博物館和邪惡卻壯觀的政府中心，使華盛頓在奧運以外的娛樂休閒方面勝過所有其他城市。

There is plenty to eat here now, and our crab cakes can edge out Los Angeles sushi any day. We have better pizza now, too. No, seriously, we do. JENNIFER STEINHAUER

現在這裏好吃的也很多， 我們的蟹餅隨時都可以擊敗洛杉磯的壽司。我們現在還有更好吃的披薩。不，真的，我們確實有。JENNIFER STEINHAUER

San Francisco

舊金山

Secretly, and somewhat smugly, San Franciscans love that so many other people love their city. They see their home as one of the most beautiful and interesting cities in the world, too. Validation is nice.

很多外地人都喜歡舊金山，舊金山人暗地裏帶着點沾沾自喜。他們覺得自己的家是世界上最美麗、最有意思的城市之一。這樣的信心是好事。

But with all due respect, many in San Francisco would rather you do your fawning from a distance. Traffic is bad enough without the double-decker tourist buses blocking the view atop Lombard Street or clogging the Golden Gate Bridge.

但是恕我直言，舊金山也有很多東西讓外人忍不住皺眉。交通已經夠糟的了，更何況還有雙層旅遊巴士總在九曲花街擋住人們視線，或是在金門大橋上阻塞交通。

So it is with some reluctance that the following suggestion is made: San Francisco would be quite a sensible place to hold the Summer Olympics.

所以下面的建議帶一點勉強：舊金山或許是夏季奧林匹克運動會主辦城市的明智之選。

The Bay Area’s bid can promise cool summer weather (with virtually no rain), a decent mass-transit system (not cable cars) and a collection of well-suited venues spread (but not too far) across the landscape.

灣區的有利條件包括涼爽的夏日氣候（而且幾乎不下雨）、還不錯的公共交通系統（沒有有軌電車），以及遍佈全城的一系列便利的場館（相距不算遠）。

San Francisco has its cultural critics, but it would show the world a United States that is environmentally friendly, diverse in many ways and technologically advanced. And if we in the Bay Area were the type to brag, we would add that the scenery is incredible.

舊金山文化有其批評者，但它可以向整個世界展示美國是多麼環保、在各個方面都是如此多樣化，擁有先進的技術。反正我們灣區的人有點喜歡自誇，那不妨再加一句，這兒的風景美極了。

But the key lies in the venues. In these post-Athens and Beijing days, no one wants to spend money on new ones, and San Francisco is not looking to use the Olympics as a means to a bigger, urban-renewal end.

但最重要的還是場館。經歷了雅典與北京奧運會，沒有人會再想花大錢蓋新場館，而舊金山也不打算把奧運會當做城市大規模翻修的機會。

There are lots of colleges and two major universities (Stanford and the University of California, Berkeley) with huge stadiums, arenas and dormitories. There are plenty of places to house athletes and hold smaller events.

這裏有很多學院，還有兩所大型綜合性大學（斯坦福大學和加利福尼亞大學伯克利分校），它們都擁有大型體育場館和宿舍。有很多地方可以供運動員居住並舉辦小型賽事。

Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara is hosting the Super Bowl in 2016. A planned waterfront basketball arena for the Warriors should open in a few years. A Major League Soccer stadium is being built in San Jose. If baseball and softball return to the Olympic docket, well, there are plenty of places to play those, too, including two Major League Baseball stadiums.

聖塔克拉拉的李維斯體育場將舉辦2016年的超級碗賽事。一座海濱籃球場將在幾年內開放，作爲金州勇士隊的主場。聖何塞正在修建美國足球大聯盟球場。如果棒球和壘球迴歸奧林匹克賽事，這兒也有不少場地，包括兩座棒球大聯盟體育場。

San Francisco organizers are not quite sure where to put track and field and the opening and closing ceremonies. One idea is to build a temporary stadium south of shuttered Candlestick Park. That sounds like something Athens would do.

舊金山的組織者們還沒決定在什麼地方舉辦田徑賽事和開閉幕式。有人建議在目前已關閉的燭臺公園以南建一座臨時場館。這聽上去有點像雅典乾的事。

Until that is figured out, imagine sailing between the Golden Gate and Bay bridges in San Francisco Bay; the same course that was perfect for the summer-long America’s Cup in 2013 is good enough for a couple weeks of Olympics.

在這個問題解決之前，讓我們還是先想想在金門大橋與舊金山海灣的各個橋樑之間揚帆航行的感覺吧，2013年的整個夏天，這裏都在舉辦美國杯帆船比賽，過程相當完美，爲時兩週的奧運賽事放到這裏肯定也不錯。

Picture a hilly marathon tracing up the crooked block of Lombard Street. Or mountain biking in Marin County, the birthplace of the sport. Or the triathlon off Alcatraz, beach volleyball at City Hall, rowing in McCovey Cove. And if the Olympics still insist on golf, there is the Olympic Club or Pebble Beach.

試想在九曲花街蜿蜒起伏的道路上舉行的馬拉松賽事，或者在馬林郡山間舉行的山地自行車賽事——這項運動就是在那裏誕生的。還有在阿爾卡特拉斯島周邊舉辦的鐵人三項賽事、在市政廳附近舉辦的沙灘排球賽事、在麥考維灣舉辦的划艇賽事。另外，如果高爾夫球仍然留在奧運賽事之中，這裏有奧林匹克俱樂部高爾夫球場和卵石灘高爾夫球場。

Supporters of Boston, Washington, Los Angeles might combat their disadvantages with snarky comparisons about summers in San Francisco and the coldest winters. Summer is fog season, and daytime temperatures in patches of the city can get stuck in the 50s. That is why armies of entrepreneurs sell cheap San Francisco jackets and sweatshirts to tourists who expected a July trip to Fisherman’s Wharf would include sunshine and warmth.

波士頓、華盛頓和洛杉磯的支持者們爲了掩飾自己的缺點，會惡聲惡氣地說舊金山的夏天和最冷的冬天差不多（傳說這句話出自馬克·吐溫之口——譯註）。這裏的夏天是多霧的季節，在有些地方，白天的溫度讓人感覺好像是在50年代。所以舊金山的大批商家可以把便宜的外套和運動衫賣給在7月拜訪漁人碼頭，還指望能享受到陽光和溫暖的遊客。

But thanks to the Bay Area’s uniquely micro microclimates, temperatures predictably fluctuate 20 degrees or more in 20 miles or less. So while the sailing competition off Crissy Field could be shrouded by chilly fog, a soccer game at Stanford Stadium might be played in 80-degree sunshine. Athletes will love that they are not in the heat and humidity of, say, Boston.

但是由於灣區獨特的小氣候，方圓20英里內，溫度差不多總會有20華氏度上下的波動。所以如果克里希菲爾德公園舉行的帆船競賽被籠罩在寒冷的霧靄之中，斯坦福體育場的足球賽就可能會在80華氏度（約合26攝氏度——譯註）的豔陽下進行。運動員可不喜歡炎熱潮溼的氣候，波士頓的氣候就是那樣的。

And you know what almost never happens in the summer in the Bay Area? Rain.

還有，你知道灣區的夏天永遠不會發生的一件事是什麼嗎？那就是下雨。

So, go ahead: Choose San Francisco. We know you want to. JOHN BRANCH

快點吧：快選舊金山吧。我們知道你們肯定願意。JOHN BRANCH