The torch relay brought a sense of reality to the Olympics. Of course there were posters along many of the lightposts advertising the concurrent cultural festival that was taking place along with the games (Dance, music, visual arts, etc.) but while the advertising was amorphous, the torch relay was here and now.
    The torch was lit and started its journey in Greece, sailed across the Atlantic to the United States and began its long pilgrimage across the continent to Los Angeles. It finally arrived and continued its expedition through the city to its final destination at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Its route took it east on Olympic Boulevard from Santa Monica through West Los Angeles where it passed a half of a block from my house. That was the moment that made the Olympic Games into something real. Before that it was, "the Games are coming." Now it was "the Games are HERE."
   While only a few runners actually carried the torch, people joined them along the way and ran along side of them, or in front of them, some carrying flags and all the while people cheering along the sidelines.