Day 9 - Meeting Friends, Old and New

February 20, 2010

Obviously I’m still on Toronto time because I woke up at 4:30 am Vancouver time which is 7:30 in Toronto. After lying in bed for a few more hours it was time to get up and start the day. I am so happy to be back in Vancouver, I swear even walking the streets here is such a treat. Never in my life have I seen so many Canada flags, Canada apparel and tattoos of Canada flags and maple leafs on people's faces. It feels like I’m in another world here sometimes.
It was a stunning day in Vancouver. It was sunshine and blue sky, it felt like a Spring day in Toronto, like April or May. Really didn’t feel like February and winter. My brother and I walked my Mom up to the grocery store and then she headed back to the condo to cook which she insisted on doing, I tried to get her to come out with us. After we left my Mom, I took Mark up to Robson Square and we walked around for a bit. The crowds were insane, even more so on this particular day. I guess with it being the weekend, a lot of people came into the city to spend a few days in the Olympic fever. We caught a few glimpses of the Vancouver Mascots ice show at the rink at Robson Square. The little kids were going crazy for Sumi, Miga and Quatchi, chanting their names over and over. Every parent had a kid on their shoulders, so even though the crowd was about 3 or 4 deep we couldn’t see very much. It looked like a cute show. I’d like to see what other times it is playing and take my mom to see it. She would love it, and I wouldn’t mind getting to see it properly either.

We were supposed to meet one of my Twitter friends who is here from England covering the Olympics for a blog. She was going to give us a tour of the International Media Centre at UBC. Unfortunately she was running late and I couldn’t wait around because my good friend Jen from university was coming to meet me in the afternoon.

Jen, Mark and I headed to Yaletown to visit Tomarra at the Pink Million booth, a charity to help raise money for Breast Cancer. We walked around Yaletown, visited the Yahoo Fancouver site and had a photo taken, walked down to the Seawall, to the back of the LiveCity Yaletown site. As we walked up the street we saw a line up that was blocks and blocks long. It was people waiting to get into the LiveCity site. Honestly with the amount of people it had to be at least a 3 hour wait if not more. Like I said earlier there seemed to be an extraordinary amount of people in the city today so line ups would have seemed much longer than usual. I actually felt sorry for people in line. I’m hoping to check out that site on Monday morning, maybe some people will have gone home and it won’t be too bad, fingers crossed.

If you find yourself in Yaletown, go visit yahoo Fancouver and  have some fun. They even give out hot chocolate.

Mark headed back to the condo, Jen and I headed for dinner to a Greek place on Robson that she raved about. We were told there was about an hour wait but were seated within 15 minutes. That happened to us at Moxie’s the first night as well. Even weirder, it wasn’t even full at the Greek restaurant.  Food was mediocre which was disappointing. The restaurant did break out in cheers while watching the medal ceremony for our newest Gold Medallist Jon Montgomery.

For me the evening ended at the False Creek Yacht Club where fellow blogger, 2010VanFan, had a get together for all of her blogger friends and loyal readers. The club looks out over the Granville bridge and marina and has really beautiful views. Usually only open to members, it is open to the public during the duration of the Olympics and I encourage you to stop by if you are in the area. I would like to say that I’ll be back there but honestly I don’t think I will have time.

Tomorrow I think I’ll take my Mom and brother down to see the Olympic Cauldron and maybe try to get into another pavilion. Monday is our first event, Ice Dancing Finals, so I will need to spend some time watching the Original Dance tomorrow night to get some info on the competition.

Canada Trinkets and Treats

As a self proclaimed Ambassador of Canada for the Vancouver Olympic Games, I feel a special kind of duty to show people from other countries some Canadian hospitality. For those I meet at Vancouver 2010, I want to have something to give them to remember me by as well as Canada. People visiting from other countries are going to judge Canada on what they see as well as by those they interact with. I want everyone to see that we live up to our international reputation of nice, polite people and show them Canada is a great place to live.

So this poses the question, what to give people I meet as a token of Canadianism? And where am I to buy such items since I am funding a trip that is the most expensive I have ever been on and need to save money not spend it. I got the brilliant idea to check out my friendly neighbourhood dollar store. I knew they had Canada branded products and really, where was I going to find anything cheaper than a dollar store? I’ve found stickers, pens, pencils, key chains, hats and socks. Now I didn’t buy all of that but I did buy some stuff that I will be bringing to Vancouver with me. I also found a few of small Canada flag pins at a gift shop. I also wanted to bring Toronto pins, if I could find them.

I found out that Flag Walk buttons (not pins) are being sold and my contact has graciously allowed me to put an order in for these. They were reasonably priced and I’ve ordered a bunch of Canada ones, as well as a few other countries for my family. I actually like these better than pins because they are bigger and it is easier to see the Canadian flag. Hopefully my new international friends won’t mind that they are buttons and not pins.

I was started to get very frustrated over locating Canada flag lapel pins to buy. In a year where an event as huge as the Olympics is taking place in Canada, you wouldn’t think they would be so hard to find. I was about to give up when a very smart person, genius actually, left a comment on my blog. They told me they had emailed their City Hall and government officials and were getting pins from them. I looked up all the contact information for my area and sent off emails to see what would happen. I am happy to report that they have provided me with a small supply of Canada flag lapel pins that I can give away in Vancouver. The City of Toronto is also sending me pins so I have something to represent my hometown which makes me very happy. Today my MPP’s office confirmed they have Ontario pins they can give me so I’ll have those too! I’ll probably be heading back to the dollar stores to stock up on stickers. I wouldn’t think children from other countries would be too impressed with pins so I’m going to give them Canada stickers.

Pictured above are the Canada flag lapel pins, Toronto pins and Canada stickers I will be giving out in Vancouver.

Here is the inventory of what I have to give away to visitors or even my fellow Canadians: 60 Canada flag lapel pins, 50 City of Toronto pins, 20 Canada stickers, 30 Ontario pins, 22 Flag Walk buttons – Canada, and my business card with my blog addresses and email. Hey, I want people to be able to stay in touch! Do you think that is enough stuff? If there is anything you think I am missing, let me know.

Are you bringing anything to the Olympics to give out to people you meet, maybe to trade as you wait for your event to begin? If you do I would love to hear about it. Leave a comment to share with all of us.

"FlagWalk is the creation of a unique walking route connecting Yaletown and South Granville, two of Vancouver's truly unique neighbourhoods. The FlagWalk pathway spans a total distance of 3.74 kms and features the flags of countries participating in the 2010 Winter Games." Taken from flagwalk.ca. Please visit their site for more information on this unique tribute to the countries of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games.

Booked & Ready To Go; Next Steps

As baseball season ends and curling season begins, I'm struck by how fast and yet also how slow time seems to be moving. My condo has been confirmed, the first payment has been made. All I have to do now is wait for 2010 to arrive.
I've also booked our flights. This is a part that I thought would be as difficult as the hotel. I was even preparing to have to fly into Seattle and drive to Vancouver. Thankfully that won't be necessary as I've managed to book us on West Jet. Both West Jet and Air Canada have several flights a day from Toronto to Vancouver. If you're willing to do a connecting flight you give yourself even more choices.
When I booked availability was still good but I wouldn't wait for too long. I was actually surprised there weren't more flights that were full.
Now that all the the big stuff has been taken care of, we are focused on the smaller, more fun items. I'm trying to fill the extra days that we are in Vancouver. Shopping is a must! I hear Yaletown has great boutiques. I've also been told there is an area of stores that features Vancouver designers. I definitely need to go there!
I'm also hoping to meet up with old friends and acquaintances I know in the Vancouver area. I'm really looking forward to that, being able to combine my trip of a lifetime with catching up with old friends. Don't worry, I'm also leaving some time open to meet up with the new friends I will be making!
My mom is occupying herself with studying a map of downtown Vancouver. And yes I mean the old fashioned street map. None of this GPS crap for her. I have no doubt her hard work will pay off. She hasn't gotten us lost yet. She is also strangely occupied with locating a grocery store in our area. I'm not sure why this is such a priority for her but I hope she finds ones soon. I'm willing to check out some cool restaurants a few nights so a grocery store is not as high on my priority list.
As for my younger brother, he is watching all of this in amusement. He thinks I am nuts and wonders how he gets pulled into all my crazy ideas. The answer? I've got no one else to drag to this thing other than my family members. If someone wanted to pay my way to the Olympics I wouldn't put up a fight. My brother, he's along for the ride and sooner or later he will start enjoying it. If for no other reason than on some days he will have an entire condo to himself with all the cable channels he could possibly want.
I have to say I am really enjoying my Olympic planning days. I never thought this time leading up to Vancouver 2010 would be this much fun. From contributing to Inside Vancouver to being interviewed for a "How to" column on finding accommodations in Vancouver, it's so funny to me that people are interested in hearing my story. After all, I'm just a girl who has loved the Olympics all her life. I knew the only way I would ever get there was as a spectator. The fact that I will probably need to get a second job to afford all of this is a small price to pay (corporate sponsorship anyone?).
These experiences are adding a dimension to my journey that I never anticipated. It makes the ride up to February 2010 that much more fun!
Go Canada Go!

Mode Suites to the Rescue

It looks like I'm going forward with booking a unit from Mode Rental Suites. They are a company that does long term rentals in the Vancouver area. They are making some of their units available to people like me who need a place to stay during the Olympics. We'll be in a very cool part of Downtown Vancouver and walking distance to some of our events! What could be better?
Flight will be booked soon. Looks like everything is a wrap. Just need to start paying for it all!
Now that is all done, I'm on the lookout for Canadian Olympic gear. Stay tuned. That post coming up shortly.