For the last two weeks, people all around the world were glued to their television sets watching the 2010 Olympic Games and rooting for their country to bring home the gold. Of course, this all made for a popular topic of conversation amongst many of my friends and associates. While watching the closing of the ceremonies on Sunday, I reflected on my recent trip to Vancouver where I was fortunate enough to experience the Olympics first-hand.
Vancouver is a quick and easy getaway from Marin, with a flight time of just less than two hours out of SFO. Tucked along our same beautiful Pacific coastline, the area shares many things in common with our North Bay home. The vistas offer mountain and water views, there is a very active, outdoorsy lifestyle and the city has a hip, easy, flowing feel to it. There are a number of new and “newer” buildings, but also some really interesting ones that spark the imagination of what they might have been like years ago.
Vancouver is VERY clean, which I found particularly amazing due to the Olympic crowds. After arriving Thursday afternoon, we walked around Kitsilano beach, went to the South African chain Nandos, and then downtown, which was full of people and offered so much to see. We checked out the Olympic Cauldron, enjoyed listening to the volunteers directing traffic, and waited in line at The Bay to get into the Olympic Store. There was an ice skating rink open to the public at GE Plaza and folks walking around sharing their Olympic experiences. There was a cool booth setup where the local newscast was happening. Our local Tour Guide even told us about the daytime Zip Lines over the city at Robson Square. Pretty cool, but his friend waited five hours to go on the ride. In addition to all the things we saw, there were free concerts, fireworks, and even a nightly light show that locals could help program. It was a great experience with a sense of community that seems impossible to achieve in a big city.
We spent the next few days and nights in Horseshoe Bay, which happens to be between Vancouver and Whistler (another one of the Olympic venues). Wow, what a beautiful place with amazing views. We walked around, enjoyed a cup of tea from Starbucks – and of course I couldn’t help but check out the real estate signs and properties. We also did a little shopping for Olympic souvenirs and gifts in Park Royal and enjoyed some lovely family meals.
On Saturday night we headed back into Vancouver to dine at the Top of Vancouver revolving restaurant. What a treat: the company was great, the food was fantastic, and the views were amazing. We could even see the blue Olympic rings floating in the bay! In addition to enjoying the city lights, we were also able to see the lights of the Olympic venues in the distant mountains. What’s cool about this is that it’s just the top of the mountains that are aglow, so it looks like the lights are floating in the sky. In town, everything from buildings to cranes were lit up and decorated in honor of the Olympics.
Walking around after dinner, with the whole town dressed up for the Olympics, there was so much to see. Folks of all ages were very friendly and happy, spontaneously singing “Oh Canada,” and cheering with their red Canadian mittens. And while many of the people we saw were clearly enjoying their night with a little drink, they were still very polite.
While we may not have attended any events, I felt like we were still part of the experience and felt very welcomed into the Vancouver fold. And even though I was sad to leave, it’s probably good I did – as it was just in time for the US to beat Canada in the first round of hockey games.
I know that my first memories of Vancouver will always be of a big, clean, lovely town filled with bright lights and enthusiastic national pride. I wouldn’t live anywhere but the Bay Area, but it was a fantastic place to visit and I hope to go back soon – perhaps next time in hiking weather.
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Jennifer Masterson
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Noreen Smith
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Tom Verkozen
Nigel Faulkner
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