Here is my review of a few Vancouver 2010 highlights:
Richmond Ozone
Hey Ocean!, Bedouin Soundclash and Marianas Trench were just a few bands that I watched graced the stage of this outdoor venue at Minoru Park in Richmond, B.C. The stage displayed two huge screens and if you got there early enough, you were able to get quite close to the performers. Surprisingly, the sound wasn't too bad!
Musical performances aside, the huge venue also featured an impressive selection of foods from around the world, such as asian and greek, wine tasting, and interactive booths. Canadian beer was served in the main tent, however after the first weekend disaster when officials shut down beer sales due to a couple rowdy visitors, you weren't allowed to purchase liquor unless you were seated at a table and had been hand stamped as proof that you had eaten food! The Heineken house was a popular attraction, although nearly impossible to get into when the Dutch won a medal--so almost everyday!
Olympic Superstore
Ahh the coveted HBC Olympic gear. It seemed that every single person downtown had of the red Canada zip-up sweaters or checkered red and black scarves. And although the line-up to get into the only entrance to the superstore was often over a block long, it moved quickly and was jammed pack until closing at midnight. Sadly, after four attempts at finding anything in my size at The Bay on Granville street, I was not able to find any of the merchandise I was looking for. Serves me right for waiting until the world came to Vancouver to decide to purchase something! Perhaps I'll find something during the Paralympics?
Victory Ceremony
This week while my mom was visiting from Montreal, I had the opportunity to attend one of
the Victory ceremonies at BC Place. The experience was surreal, and one of the greatest moments I have experienced. Luckily that evening, we got to witness Ashleigh McIvor win the
first ever medal in women's ski cross--another gold for Canada. The crowd went wild and McIvor took the stage and we all broke out into Oh Canada! Also on the podium was men's speed skating, and broadcasts from the Victory Ceremony in Whistler village. Billy Talent performed afterwards with an explosive set--giving me a good taste of what's to come at their show in Victoria next week.For a slightly elevated price ($40), I'd say it was well worth it and an experience I will not forget.
Place de la Francophonie
Of course, to support my french heritage, I made the trip over to Granville Island to la Place de la Francophonie. After jumping onto the Bombardier street train brought all the way over from Brussels, my mom and I headed down to the main stage area to watch Quebec band Les Trois Accords give a comedic and entertaining performance. The crowd was great; french and english canadians alike jumped and sand along in the rain in a superb display of Canadian culture.It's been an exciting couple of weeks and I am glad that I was able to experience all that I did. Unfortunately some highly-sought after showcases such as the Robson street ZipLine; Canada, B.C. and the Royal Canadian Mint pavilions; shows at LiveCity; and the Irish and Heineken houses were some things I had to skip out on due to extremely long line-ups and bad timing.
Luckily some of these will still be open during the Paralympics and so, I will continue to make the trek downtown to visit all that these Games have to offer. Maybe I'll even get to catch a sporting event or two!
Congrats Canada! You did us proud. Go Canada Go!
