Right after the hockey game we jumped on the skytrain downtown and what a sight! The crowds, the singing, the cheering, the high fives – it’s a massive street party. I’ve gotta go party some more, but here is a few snaps of what it’s looking like downtown right now!
February 28 2010 | Vancouver | 1 Comment »
To show my support for Canada in the gold medal hockey today, I made my dog a sweater out of a red Olympic mitten. He gets the other one as a toy. He’s happier than he looks in the photos. Go Canada Go!
February 28 2010 | Vancouver | 4 Comments »
Canada won 3 gold medals today tying for the most number of gold medals won by any country during the Olympics. If we win gold in hockey tomorrow, we will set a new record. Our friends to the South also broke records today winning the most medals by any country in any Olympics, with 37 medals (including hockey) for the US. Way to go North America! The beautiful Vancouver skyline as seen from Stanley Park shows the Olympic rings in gold to celebrate our success today.
Also, on a much less cheery note, the rocky waves in the ocean tonight were a result of the earthquake in Chile. We are thinking about everyone affected by natural disasters lately and are hoping for safety to those in tumultuous areas as we watch the restless sea.
February 27 2010 | Photography and Vancouver | 3 Comments »
Downtown Vancouver is something to see right now. On Day 11 of the Olympics, I went downtown to do some Olympic sightseeing. I went to visit Robson Square, the Olympic Cauldron, Olympic Village, some Pavilions, and just generally be outside in the bedlam. And bedlam it was. A sea of people everywhere you turned (in many places, especially the Skytrain, turning was impossible) all enjoying the city and air of sport.
At Robson Square the skating rink has enough room for a good skate but the lines are very long. You can pass the time by watching a busker (who were chosen through VANOCs own version of a talent competition: Busker Idol), or watch the people fly above you on the zip line. The line up for the zip trek on a Monday morning was 6 hours long.
The Olympic Cauldron is a beautiful sight and now that I have seen it I’m glad that it is fenced off (with a photo / viewing hole) because the crowds in the area were so massive that you’d be hard pressed to see it at all through the hubbub. Of course, you could wait in line for an hour to see it from the viewing platform above if you want to.
Olympic Village is blocked off to pedestrian traffic so the best place to see it is from the seawall across from Canada Hockey Place & BC Place. It was a beautiful walk from the Skytrain at Terminal past Russia House (nee Science World), Quebec House, Saskatchewan House, Molson Canadian Hockey House, and Ontario House. We went into a few of the provincial houses, but really, if you aren’t at one of the houses to see a band or watch events, it’s just a large room promoting a province and serving expensive draft beer and greasy fried foods.
It’s not just crowds of people you’ll see during the Olympics. Along the seawall people have decided to uproot every rock on the bank to create their own inukshuks. I found a little spot and built my own; I’m still trying to come up with a name.
With all the people, you would think it would be pushy and noisy and impossible to get around. But so far, I haven’t found it that way. With the exception the night street parties on Granville street and Yaletown, people are very polite and respectful and generally here to have a good time. Being a local I’ve been able to navigate away from the busiest skytrain stops, find parking almost everywhere, and get into restaurants without waiting in line. All in all, it’s been an amazing experience, free of hassles as long as you arrive with a good attitude and couple of insider secrets in your back pocket.
February 23 2010 | Photography and Vancouver | 3 Comments »
Granville Island is always a fun place. The market showcases wonderful culinary ingredients for both the pros and the home chef. The artists’ studios produce handmade originals from jewelry to apparel and invite you in to see the process. The buskers in the centre court are top notch entertainers. And Granville Island is also the home of Emily Carr University of Art and Design so it’s no wonder there are so many creative types around.
It’s a treat to walk along the boardwalk to see the houseboats or the parade of mini water ferries marching to take tourists downtown. And when you are ready to settle in for the evening, a wide range of great restaurants and entertainment abound.
The additional events that are scheduled for the Olympics, plus the warm sun and happy buzzing of tourists from around the world, made for a perfect Day 8 (last Friday) at Granville Island. The Island is the Official French Quarter, and the Place de Francophone (French House) served French food and music while broadcasting all of the events in French. The Cultural Olympiad has brought in many forms of art to Granville Island, including works from the Portrait Gallery of Canada, a wide range of concerts and a very cool parade of characters from Big Nazo. CODE Live 2 at Emily Carr University of Art and Design showcased all sorts of interesting projects as well. I particularly liked Electromode and Company Keeper and Emotional Ties which showcased apparel with all sorts of mechanical functions resulting from interaction with the wearer or others. While one outfit barked, another flashed LED messages and yet another molded to the wearer’s body shape when they put it on.
With all of these cultural events and performances going on, one could still not forget why everyone is here in Vancouver. The sea of red Canada hoodies from HBC and Roots were on about a third of every person, and the rest wore Canadian, US, German, Russian, Dutch, Australian, or one of the many other countries’ emblems in support. There were smiles on faces despite the crowds, and delight from many to just bask in the sun by the ocean and mountains while enjoying the “Winter” Olympics.
February 22 2010 | Photography and Vancouver | 1 Comment »
Tonight Alexandre Bilodeau was awarded Canada’s first gold medal for Freestyle Skiing – Men’s Moguls. I was at LiveCity Yaletown to see him accept his medal at the Victory Ceremony (which was held at BC Place and broadcast at on the big screens). There was a great deal of pride in the crowd and Alexandre was clearly overjoyed as can be seen by his body language in this photo. Go Canada!
February 15 2010 | Photography and Vancouver | No Comments »
Here is the official imagine1day video for the Flash Mob in Vancouver Saturday Feb 13, 2010 at 4PM:
And here are a few videos that have been posted so far on various other blogs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QuBge8AQCI&feature=player_embedded
http://johnbishopimages.com/blog/2010/02/dancing-in-the-streets-vancouvers-first-flash-mob/
http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/Olympics2010/2010/02/14/FlashMob/
http://s266.photobucket.com/albums/ii253/rareaaves/?action=view¤t=DSCF0111.flv
February 13 2010 | Vancouver | 4 Comments »
Today thousands of people gathered on the streets of downtown Vancouver for Olympic festivities and I was lucky enough to be part of it by joining a flash mob. A few weeks ago I heard about the flash mob and immediately signed up on Facebook, where I followed the instructional videos and learned the dance. At 3:30PM today I headed down to Robson and Thurlow where the street was so packed we people that I didn’t think we would be able to move much less dance. We were supposed to be incognito until the music started as is customary with a flash mob, but the street was so packed with dancers and energy that there was cheering, a couple of waves and a pre-dance O Canada with red mitts waving in the air.
So low key we were not, but when the music started playing (Dancing in the Streets by Martha and the Vandellas) I found my groove and along with thousands of other excited Canadians, we danced the chorography and sang the words louder than the sound system. I felt an amazing flow of shared energy for Vancouver, Canada, the Olympics and the cause that organized it all, imagine1day: Bringing quality primary education to every child in Ethiopia by 2020.
I’ll upload the video once it is pulled together by the organizers. But in the meantime enjoy the photos and here are some of my favourite flash mob videos:
Oprah was surprised by a flash mob during a Black Eyed Peas performance during her 24th Season Opener: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyLuIY8IyO4
There was the Sound of Music at Antwerp’s Central Station in Belgium: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EYAUazLI9k
Then an incredible mash up at London’s Liverpool Street Station: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ3d3KigPQM
February 13 2010 | Photography and Vancouver | 3 Comments »
Today is officially the first day of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games here in Vancouver and the energy around town is off the charts. There are people here for all over the world buzzing with excitement, waving Canadian flags and ready for an amazing party. The weather has been really warm here, so there has been some concern over the snow levels on the mountains (it is a WINTER games after all) and so while many are braving storms in the East, we are hoping for lots of snow. Organizers are reporting that they have the snow under control so let’s hope so for the athletes’ sake.
I did brave the rain today to see the Torch Relay which went through my neighbourhood yesterday and again today. All the kids came out of school to cheer on the torchbearers and the Olympic Flame. Many wore patriotic red and white, including the famous red mitts which it is altogether too warm for.
Unfortunately some nasty protesters caused the relay to change routes this morning, so I missed it the first time (and so did many of the school kids) but I was able to catch up to it later. I do hope that protesters aren’t going to hamper anymore fun in the city, as most everyone here is ready for a great time. I know I am and I have my red mitts to prove it!
I’m going to try to find garden related Olympics stories for the rest of this month, but since gardening is pretty much on hold so I can zip line through downtown Vancouver and be part of a Flash Mob on Robson Street, Garden Therapy may just become Olympic Therapy for February 2010.
February 12 2010 | Photography and Vancouver | 2 Comments »
Vectorial Elevation is a light sculpture installation over English Bay that runs from dusk until dawn during the 2010 Winter Olympics as part of the Cultural Olympiad.
The pattern of the lights changes every 8 seconds from a set of 20 searchlights located at Vanier Park and Sunset Beach. Vectorial Elevation was created by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer and the many changing patterns in the sky are designed online by people all over the world. We can see the lights from our West window but it looks most striking up close. To create your own light sculpture go to: http://www.vectorialvancouver.net/home.html.
February 06 2010 | Photography and Vancouver | 3 Comments »
