Olympics-cycling & sleepless in vancouver?

[shootingstar]

Jeepers.
My partner attended a meeting ...on traffic planning and crowds/people movement in downtown Vancouver for 2010 Winter Olympics.

Yes, there will be efforts to encourage still cycling (in February remember) since we don't get much snow down below in our neighbourhood.

But looks like uh..some awfully crowded areas and noisy evenings/nights. The opening and closing ceremonies will be at a stadium holding 50,000..gee, just a block away or so. Then just a further long block away elsewhere another arena that will turn over 30,000 spectators each TIME, 3 times during 1 day for the hockey games.

And oh, in a park nearby they're having a Olympic spectator gathering, I bet there will be a screen Jumbotron set up. And yet just 15 min. north of us...another gathering set up.

So 250,000+ freakin' people downtown per night. :eek::eek::(

We live/will live in the middle of this. yea...yea..sure rent out our place. Are you kiddin'? Quite frankly we only trust family and maybe 1-2 close friends to leave our furniture and all possessions intact.

2010 is now VERY hard to imagine with all these people, street closures, etc. But yea, cycling might be the only non-pedestrian transportation option in certain areas.

[Grog]

When the Expo was in Montreal in 1967, they kept saying that the island would sink because there would be so many people in town. :) They said that again for the Montreal Olympics, that time as a joke.

Actually Montreal is on slightly more solid ground, geologically speaking, than Vancouver. So we should probably worry still... :)

[badger]

hey, we're neighbours!! I live just across the street from the supposed Canada House. I'm renting my place out, and was going to skip out of town for the whole nightmare, but have been told by my employers (City of Van, no less) that nobody can take any time off during that period. I'm still renting my place out, I need to do my kitchen up, and I want them to pay for it!! :D

[Aggie_Ama]

Weird, it is all going to be right in the middle of town? I guess that is how Beijing was but it seems like a lot of times it is outside of town. I am not sure I would be too excited about that myself.

[shootingstar]

Hey badger, uh..this is the open Internet. You might want to change your location today ..;)

Howdy neighbour! What a small world..

Freaky. We could all form a TE cycling coffee club with buddhabellies and Grog. Definitely all of us should get together during the Olympics and join in the crazy buzz at a park nearby. Might as well if we can't sleep. :rolleyes:

Is anyone planning to go to ticketed Olympic sport event? I didn't bother checking out further after freaking out over the prices in initial release.

Aggie: Only certain indoor and non-sport events are in downtown Vancouver. Near the waterfront. After all, you need snow for skiing, etc. And within the city of Vancouver below the mountains, it doesn't snow much. Maybe a couple inches once a year, if that. We can just see the local mountains near us in north Vancouver and see if there's snow. In all honesty, it might be raining instead in February.

Whistler is 100+ kms. north of us. Sea to Sky Highway is a beautiful coastal drive to there, though at that time hwy. will be super busy. There is a train that goes there. Buses run frequently from bus depot downtown and also directly from the airport during ski season every winter and also in summer.

[Grog]

Is anyone planning to go to ticketed Olympic sport event? I didn't bother checking out further after freaking out over the prices in initial release.


Depending on how lucky my sweet partner is with the lottery, there is a significant chance I'll be at some events. Let's say I'm not spontaneously enchanted but this is so important to him. He is one of those kids that spent his whole life dreaming about the Olympics, went to Sydney to volunteer with the Canadian team, etc. This is a BIG DEAL for him. I don't want to be a party pooper. He knows how I stand on these issues so he's also careful...



Whistler is 100+ kms. north of us. Sea to Sky Highway is a beautiful coastal drive to there, though at that time hwy. will be super busy. There is a train that goes there. Buses run frequently from bus depot downtown and also directly from the airport during ski season every winter and also in summer.

Actually I don't think anyone would drive up to Whistler during the Olympics. The price of transportation is included in the price of tickets, and there will be no parking available in Whistler for private cars. So it will be buses for all... as long as the highway walls don't collapse again!

[jobob]

Wow, good luck ladies. The San Francisco area was in the running for the next Summer Olympics for a short period of time, and I have to admit I was relieved when SF didn't make the cut. I suppose it might have helped the local economy (although that's debatable), but I was not at all looking forward to the added congestion.

[crazycanuck]

My aunt lives near shootingstar & I too wonder how she (my aunt) will deal with the dorks who invade the area...

[badger]

Hey badger, uh..this is the open Internet. You might want to change your location today ..;)




not TOO concerned that people can find me, but you're right, one can never be too cautious!! :)

[Serendipity]

Hmmmm, guess I'm one of the dorks that will invade the area. ;)
Why would I do that? Primarily in support of athletes pursuing their dreams (4 of them - one a family member and the others children of friends). Didn't get in on the lottery as all of them have not qualified for their sports yet but the sports they are involved in are not 'high demand tickets', so should be able to do okay.
All of the competitions will be up in Whistler, so at least away from the busiest spots, I hope......

[crazycanuck]

Serendipity-i don't mean you..I mean the real tourists from outside Canuckland who have no clue!!!

[shootingstar]

crazycanuck --those "who don't have a clue" ..you probably are just referring those who will not remember that there are over 10,000 residents living in this particular area of mega party time. :rolleyes:

Bet Whistler will have tons of people ..after all just the reporters and workers at the venues, will be in the thousands in total.

A few years ago, honey and I did go the free event near home for the general public here where they unveiled the 2010 Olympic innukshuk. Cirque du Soleil did a small aerobatic number, there was dancing, etc. We got a free Olympic pin, which of course, now you have to pay. Probably under 5,000 people were there.

Vancouverites might be abit clueless even about the official T-shirts and stuff that are being sold at The Bay (formerly named the Hudson's Bay dept. store chain) who is the official supplier/carrier, but other parts of Canada comparable Bay store branches are only selling a tiny selection of the what Vancouver stores carry. I didn't know this until I bought Olympic gifts for a family of my sister (she could carry all those presents home). I thought I was buying schtik, being a lazy family present-giver. No, it was well-appreciated. Some of these people are young children --nephews and niece.

Grog, hope he will get the coveted ticket or 2.

[buddha_bellies]

I wanted to check out the Richmond Oval speed skating but OMG! they'are so expensive!! DH thinks it would be better to watch it on TV anyway.

Oh well, I guess I'll check out the Open House on the 12 and 13th instead...

[shootingstar]

I wanted to check out the Richmond Oval speed skating but OMG! they'are so expensive!! DH thinks it would be better to watch it on TV anyway.

Oh well, I guess I'll check out the Open House on the 12 and 13th instead...

Yes, I read about the open house. I heard from someone it was originally for cycling.. have I got that right. The source was the mother of a racing cycling son. This was several years ago.

In all honesty, I haven't paid much attention to the past few Winter Olympics. What I end up watch at length is the figure skating.
This summer I didn't even watch the Summer Olympics hardly at all. Working full-time and cycling homeward..and not getting in until 7:30 pm, then making supper..leaves very little rm. for alot of TV. ..after I check my email, TE forums. :)

I just heard one of our cycling friends wants to do a home swap for a few days with someone. He lives near Lynn Valley Regional Park in North Vancouver.

[buddha_bellies]

Here's a link to the Oval Skate ring Public opening...

http://www.richmond.ca/news/city/ovalopeningentertainment.htm

[Serendipity]

crazycanuck - I had to laugh when I read the post because my normal state of mind seems to be wandering around without a clue...:D

We were fortunate enough to get to the 2006 Olympics in Torino. It took a while to figure out how everything worked (security, transportation, etc. etc.) including the train system becasue we stayed in a small town 60 km and 2 hours (!) away from the venue that we were particularly interested in. Add to that the challenge of a language that my DH and I knew only a few words of! Interesting to say the least.

The organization in Torino was certainly well set up to look out for people like us - fabulous volunteers/employees! I would expect Vancouver to have the same level of support for those participating. After being a newbie at Torino, I expect getting around to the venues in Vancouver/Whistler to be a piece of cake - language I understand, in a city I've visited many times - now just have to wait a while to make sure the athletes qualify (!).

[badger]

for those of you who are coming to Vancouver, may I ask where you're staying and how much you're paying? I was just at a site yesterday looking into putting my place up for rent, and some morons are hoping for an idiot to walk into their over-inflated price trap.

A Jr. one bedroom, aka studio apartment, 4 blocks away from my place, is going for $800 A NIGHT!! Ridiculous, and I hope they never find anyone to rent.

I'd be more inclined to rent at $300 a night (which is still ridiculous but miles better than the one above), but I can't think of regular folks being able to afford that.

[Serendipity]

badger - I have a sister & brother-in-law that live south of Vancouver so that is probably where I will stay. Having said that, given the length of time it will undoubtedly take to travel to Whistler, I will definitely look at staying part of the time in that area. Cringe to think how much I will have to pay so we shall see!

[spindizzy]

I say enjoy the chaos and noise....Get out and meet some of the non-locals -you'll have stories to tell forever and they hopefully will be able to tell stories about you!~ It will only happen once in your lifetime (unless you move)...but that's just me :D

[shootingstar]

I say enjoy the chaos and noise....Get out and meet some of the non-locals -you'll have stories to tell forever and they hopefully will be able to tell stories about you!~ It will only happen once in your lifetime (unless you move)...but that's just me :D

Ok, us locals...are just party-poopin' dull. :p:rolleyes:

As for whether or not, Olympics benefits local economy..only a few people hit the true money jackpot and make that stretch for awhile after the Olympics. Did Vancouver need the Olympics to boost tourism? No, tourists still come now..

Truly, am just hoping it doesn't rain much in Feb. 2010.