Olympic Experience: An Overview

What an amazing two weeks. I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to experience the Olympics, and the atmosphere, liveliness, and having so many people come to enjoy the games really brightened up my February. Everything that happened, all the experiences I've had, were so much more than I expected and I had such a great time. I remember way back in 2004 going to the unveiling of the Olympic logo; getting one of the earliest Vancouver 2010 shirts; seeing the mascots for the first time in 2008. And now, in the blink of an eye, it's all finished, but the memories will last forever.


Olympic Goals

Of my Olympic goals I sadly only accomplished 2 1/2 of them. So far. I saw most of the pavilions and lucky for me, some of the more popular ones are sticking around for the Paralympic Games. Hopefully then the crowds will be thinner, the lines shorter.

Unfortunately, I never did take my picture with the mascots. I saw them a hell of a lot more before the the Games than during. It's funny because when I was a mall elf two Christmases ago, I remember they were dancing around in the mall and we had to compete with them for attention. Now that I think about it, you know what would've been cool? A Mascot Pavilion! Okay, next time, next time.

There's still a chance that the Bay will put all of its Olympic merchandise on sale and I really hope they do. I'm holding out for the 70% off tags because there's a Quatchi, Sumi, Miga, Mukmuk, and three Cheburashkas waitin' for me.


Favorite Pavilions

There were a lot of great pavilions, and some bad ones, some overrated ones. If you went to all or none, doesn't matter because now you can relive the excitement of the Games with this list I compiled of my TOP 5 favorite pavilions, in terms of exhibits and showcasing:

5. Four Hosts First Nations Pavilion

Nine-minute movie that highlighted and reflected on the Native groups of Canada. The message of the film -- "We Are Here" -- was sincere and meaningful.

4. Ontario House

4D Ontario experience, mind-control station, and restaurant and bar. There were also screens that played footage of lavish festivals, plays, events, and celebrations held in Ontario. The pavilion was a great showcase for a very proud and culturally diverse province.


3. Happiness House

Coca Cola really puts on a good show. Music, history, awesome promotional merchandise, enthusiastic staff, and interactive exhibits made this pavilion the absolute place to be.


2. Atlantic Canada House

Food, music, friendliness. Atlantic Canada in three words. Some of Canada's best musicians made themselves available to perform at the Granville Island venue, free to the public; that just shows their love for their Atlantic heritage. And guests to the pavilion could walk away not just with free sea food, but Atlantic clappers, too! A very influential pavilion.


1. Northern House

Northern House represents Canada's three territories, the most underrated and unexplored part of Canada. All the staff are proud residents of the territories and more than eager to share their stories of life in the Great White North with curious guests. Interactive exhibits, live performances, and informational displays allowed people the chance to learn the culture of the Inuit, and understand how rugged life is in the territories.

Northern House will be open until April 17.


The Ouch Victory

Ecck, I had to watch The Patriot just to see the USA win something. I'll be sportsman-like about it and wish y'all congratulations on the ga..ga..*sigh*...gold.


Goodnight and Merry March!

-Bonnie

Free to roam, as long as it's free

In consideration of convenience, I checked out a few of the Granville Island pavilions today, which are probably the least busy Olympic-related venues in Vancouver. And there's a reason for that. Francophone House feels like a job fair: it’s just booths set up in the False Creek Community Centre gymnasium, with lots of pamphlets and brochures. No exhibits or anything interactive. The House of Switzerland was equally as uninteresting: for eight bucks you can get melted cheese on a slice of bread and a sausage. Quite the rip-off, especially since they were giving away the cheese melts for FREE on the opening day.

I didn’t go to Atlantic House because the line-up was practically the length of the Island, but I hear it’s amazing, with live concerts and different Maritime meal samplers every day. One of the highlight performances at Atlantic House a few nights ago was Ashley MacIsaac, and if you’re not familiar with him — and didn’t see him play during the opening ceremony — before you look him up on Wikipedia, watch this video of him on Late Night with Conan O’Brien to really get a sense of why he’s known as Canada’s bad boy:


I also saw the cauldron at Canada Place, which was spectacular, except for the five layers of reinforced fencing separating visitors from it, but I hear that’s going to be removed soon. Oh, rumor has it that a new souvenir of the cauldron has been release, so I'll be sure to check that one out. On the way back, I went to Northern House, which, I have to say, is the best, most interactive pavilion in Vancouver. It’s not that busy, either, because everybody’s so pre-occupied with the parties going on at Irish House and the Coke pavilion. A band was playing at Northern House, and they have this video maker where you can record a message while video footage of the Territories rolls behind you. Be warned, though: if you decide to record a video, you have 20 seconds of talking, which can be quite a long time for somebody who just walked off the street and wasn’t expecting to be filmed on camera. Anyway, it was loads of fun and I have the video I made below to prove it:

Bonnie's Olympic Hello!
But today was not all warm, Olympic memories. I found USA House. Bad news: it's not open to the public. The place is hidden inside a condominium showroom; the windows covered in ornate, full-length privacy stickers. I was able to get through the front door, but three security guards and a secretary blocked the rest of the way. Just over their heads I could see walls and walls of Team USA apparel. I was informed that the store is only for members of Team USA and their family and friends. A moment of silence please.







Since my Olympic goal was such a complete letdown, I’ve decided to compile a new list of goals that hopefully won’t be so disappointing. In no particular order they are:

• Get one of those light-up Coca Cola bottles
  
  
• Get my picture taken with Quatchi, Sumi, Miga, and Mukmuk
  
  
• See the rest of the pavilions
  
  
• Go to Russia House and get at least one Cheburashka
  
  
• Take a ride on the zip line
  
  
• Wait and see if the 2010 merchandise goes on sale after the games, and then BUY MASCOT STUFFIES!!!!
  

See you at the free stuff!

-Bonnie

The search for USA House

On Friday, like some thousand or so other people, I decided to go check out the opening of the pavilions in and around Downtown Vancouver. But unlike everybody else who wanted to see everything, I was on a quest for one thing in particular. I was looking for USA House. I had long ago assumed that there would be one; they have pavilions for all the other countries — even the ones with one or two athletes — and the USA is not only Canada’s neighbour, but it has the second-most participating athletes. My parents said “no chance,” but in my zeal to support Team USA, I decided to embark on a quest to prove the pavilion’s existence and buy a really awesome team jacket.

There had been some rumours about USA House swirling around in the pre-Olympic air regarding its status. Many speculated that it wouldn’t be open to the public or feature any interactive exhibits. Others semi-confirmed that it would feature a team USA store. I really didn’t care, as long as I found it, but then came another problem: where in Vancouver was USA House located? Conflicting venue guides listed it as being on the corner of Seymour and Nelson, mere steps from Irish House; somewhere on Abbott, close to the new Woodwards building; and across from Alberta House. I woke up early on the opening day of the Olympics and raced downtown in my Doc Martin boots, trying out the Seymour/Nelson angle first. The area was practically deserted; Irish House was locked up, hung over from the night of partying before and getting ready for the roaring celebration that would surely follow the opening ceremony. I tried all four corners of that junction and found nothing. Saddened, but not dissuaded, I decided to go up to Robson Square and see if I could find someone with relevant information as to its whereabouts.

Robson Square was teeming with people who had just come from watching the torch pass by on Georgia. Torchbearers were wandering around, taking pictures with ecstatic Canadians. The line-up for the two-second zip-line was four hours long, so I bypassed it and made my way through the crowds to the Hotel Vancouver. Inside, I went immediately to the concierge, whose desk happened to be in the central gathering place for the Olympic Athletes. I mostly saw Team Russia walking around in there ornately-patterned blue and red jackets, but as I was asking the concierge for directions, a woman from Team USA came up beside me. I was too nervous to say anything, but I’m guessing she was on the woman’s hockey team. Anyway, the concierge had no idea, but he did say that the 5th floor of the Bay was selling merchandise for all the teams, so I made that the next stop on my quest.

The Bay is so busy right now that the elevators will not stop on the first floor for shopper asphyxiation and claustrophobia reasons. The fifth floor was less like a mob, so I walked easily through all the different countries. Russia has the best stuff, probably because they have the next Olympic Games. They have these adorable mascot stuffies that look like Ferbies with orange faces and they come in three colors: red, white, and blue. I almost bought two of them but decided against it at the last possible moment. I was a little disappointed with the Team USA apparel, which was quite limited and nothing special, and exorbitantly priced. All the more reason there was for me to find the actual USA House.

Next up was the Alberta House location. The only other venues around that area were the fly-by-night ticket-scalping stores that had opened up quickly in empty lots. By this time, my ankles were throbbing with blisters: Doc boots are not a good idea for long, desperate journeys. Now finally feeling the possibility of defeat, I limped to the Woodwards location, didn’t find anything, and caught a bus home without seeing or doing anything Olympic-related (I missed all the torch relays by mere minutes and I had gotten downtown way before any of the venues opened up). In fact, the only thing I have to show for Friday is the painful blood blister on my right ankle.
I’ve posted a question on Yahoo Answers begging for the location. Someone replied saying USA House is in a basement at Seymour/Nelson. Basement of what? Irish House? It better not be in the Penthouse Strip Club, or I’m gonna be big-time pissed. Another reply mentioned a rumour that USA House is now open to the public.

I don’t know what to believe, except this: USA House must exist. My Olympic goal is to FIND THE VENUE, BUY A JACKET, AND SUPPORT MY TEAM!

And if I don’t find it, I mean it won’t be the end of the world ... I won’t put up missing posters ... or drive around calling out its name ... or stay up all night making phone calls ... or get a search party together ... or walk the streets for the entire two weeks looking in every tent and every shop ... Wondering, always wondering ...