Saturday in the Olympic City

On Friday I was getting excited about sharing some photos from the Olympic Torch Relay but now that the weekend has come and gone, those seem like a lifetime ago and are eclipsed by a weekend of activity.

We headed out on a rainy Saturday to check out some of the events around town. We started off on an early morning trip to see the torch at the International Media Centre (located at the New Convention Centre). The flame is behind a fence but they have removed the colorful mesh in one area so that folks can both see and snap photos of the flame.

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We then made our way up to Robson Square to check out the festivities there and it was a madhouse. We saw some video footage of the crowds on the much nicer Sunday and I have to admit, it was better to head out in a little rain and avoid the crazy crowds.

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A short walk away, we headed over to the Royal Canadian Mint where we waited for over an hour to see (and touch) actual medals. It was an amazing experience and one I'd highly recommend.

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The highlight of that visit was easily the spotting of the Men's Ice Hockey Gold Medal which was on display in one of the cabinets and apparently missed by many an individual. It was pretty awesome!

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We continued onto the area around Science World (currently better known as Sochi House) where we checked out a couple of pavilions and had lunch around the Edgewater Casino, an area that is now a pretty huge food court.

We decided on a little trip to Granville Island aboard the Olympic Line which runs from the Olympic Village to Granville Island. It was a pretty cool experience (and a very quiet one). I'm hoping we get to keep this streetcar and that we get expanded service, especially through areas that have, until now, complained that skytrain is too noisy (I'm looking at you West Vancouver).

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While at Granville Island we had a little dessert and discovered that Swiss House is actually a restaurant (which we're planning on visiting). We planned on checking out Atlantic House but decided to leave it for another day. Instead, we weaved our way back to transit and the Richmond O-Zone.

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It's a fabulous facility (also home to the much talked about Heineken House) with big screens and a massive stage area. We caught the Women's Moguls before finally deciding that we were much too tired to stick around for Bedouin Soundclash who were scheduled to go on stage at 10PM. Instead, we headed home for a well earned dinner and much needed rest.

It was a fabulous day and I'm looking forward to checking our more of the action. For now, you can see the rest of the photos from the event in my Flickr set for the Olympics.

 
 
 
 

Post a Comment 2 comments:

Artistic Soul said...

SO Jealous! This looks like it was so much fun! I got to go to the winter games a few years ago, and it was an amazing experience. If it wasn't in the middle of the semester, I might have tried to talk you into letting me come pal around with you! :o)

February 15, 2010 3:50 p.m.

Unknown said...

ANY time! :) We're at it for another 2 weeks! At this rate, I'm going to need new feet before then!

February 15, 2010 4:01 p.m.

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