Have you ever wondered how Ryan Lochte or Gabby Douglas live while at the Olympics? Like the rest of the world, we have been glued to our TVs wondering who will take home gold and who will emerge as the new superstars, but we were also curious about their accommodations.

Olympic Village

Construction on the Olympic Village started in May of 2008 and began welcoming athletes and officials on July 16, with members of the U.S. Olympic Fencing team among the first to move in. The total cost of construction was $1.74 billion.

The village houses 17,000 athletes and officials from 204 nations around the globe. Each country displays their flag or name on the exterior of the buildings. To avoid unnecessary conflict, rival countries are placed on far opposite ends of the village. Each apartment has comfortable accommodations but is far from the Four Seasons.

The shopping list to furnish these apartments would have been massive. UPS transported over 750,000 pieces of furniture from Ramler Furniture; no small feat. Before the games even began, Olympic organizers began selling the beds to those seeking Olympic memorabilia after the event commenced. How you like to purchase a bed slept in by Usain Bolt?

Taking into account the athletes’ need to relax and have fun, the Village has plenty of options. “The Globe” is the main hang out area that includes pool tables, a music studio, video games, movie night, and much more. There is also a hair and nail salon onsite if you are in need of a little pampering.

How do the athletes keep up with what’s going on in other sports? The London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games prints an 8-page magazine called Village Life and distributes it daily exclusively in the village.

Dining

One of the most impressive facilities in the village is the 24-hour dining hall. It seats an astounding 5,000 people and offers cuisine from 5 continents. It’s essential to cater to a wide range of athletes, cultures, ages, and dietary needs. Athletes consume an estimated 260,000 loaves of bread, 232 tons of potatoes, and 21 tons of cheese during their stay. A staff of 27,000 will serve approximately 1.2 million meals over the course of the games.

Gatorade and Coke are the main sponsors, but surprisingly, milk is the drink of choice. Athletes consume an estimated 20,000 gallons. The dining hall is free of charge to the athletes and their food quantities are unlimited. McDonald’s, one of the main sponsors, maintains a large section of the dining hall. A burger and fries may tempt athletes who are on extremely regimented diets. But not surprisingly, the chain always sees an increase in popularity as the athletes finish competing.

After the completion of the games, the apartments will be transformed into 2,818 new affordable homes for sale and rent. It will become known as the East Village.