Comments on: Welcome to Vancouver, World

By: From Make & Meaning: Fostering Community | Kim Werker

From Make & Meaning: Fostering Community | Kim Werker — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 06:15:47 +0000

[...] spent much of this week wanting to write about the Olympics. I’m not an athlete and I shudder at the thought of competing athletically (heck, I had to be [...]

By: Raining Cats and Dogs - Kim Werker's Blog - Crochet Me

Raining Cats and Dogs - Kim Werker's Blog - Crochet Me — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 17:59:41 +0000

[...] begin here in Vancouver. I was pretty down on the whole thing for a while, but I've managed to let my bitterness go and feel the excitement as our small city gets ready for about the hugest event any city could [...]

By: A Cleo fan

A Cleo fan — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 10:45:09 +0000

That all makes sense! I love the video clip – hadn't seen it before. And how great to have a list of all the free events in Vancouver. Amazing! We'll be up here at Whistler for much of the Olympics. There aren't as many free events here, but there are some, in proportion to its size (http://www.straight.com/vancouver/winter-olympi…). Whistler isn't Vancouver – that's for sure. But we love it for what it is. It came into existence to be a ski resort – and has remained true to that goal – even when, to us. the decisions were sometimes hard to understand (why NOT let a university come here?). But Whistlerites feel their authenticity is in being a ski resort – as completely as they can – and not watering down that identity. They've been trying to get the Olympics for a very long time. Indeed, did you know that Whistler Village was first created in an attempt to get the Olympics? And except for that old fishing lodge run by Myrtle and Alex Phillips, the other genuine presence in this area – and for a much longer time – are the Lil'wat and Squamish First Nations. To its credit, VANOC has acknowledged and embraced this important set of partners. We're looking forward to enjoying the Olympics up here, to using the quadrupled transit (buses every 7 1/2 minutes!), and to congratulating Whistler for finally achieving (or at least partnering in achieving) the goal that led to its creation.

By: sophiefair

sophiefair — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 04:08:13 +0000

thanks kim, for articulating so much of how i feel about these games. i've lived in the lower mainland since i was 3, and i cannot imagine living anywhere else. and i am so proud to welcome the world here. but. i am infuriated with vanoc and the ioc — most particularly, the banning of right to play from the olympic village and the failure to include women's ski-jumping. i am really unclear as to why the ioc can simply ignore our charter of rights and freedoms (on canadian soil! — and for non-canadians, the charter is part of our constitution. it's our foundational national document).

my only quibble with your post would be about transit. i live in surrey (cloverdale — near the langley border). and transit sucks. things are not so bad if you never have to leave the general downtown area, or if you are heading to town from one of the suburbs, since you can skytrain it. but try getting to a skytrain station by bus, if you are in the burbs. or getting from one part of greater vancouver to another, if neither is “downtown”. and don't even talk to me about the road traffic. it is rush-hour all the freaking time on the port mann bridge. and some of us can't use transit — my husband is a plumber. he carpools, but they have to drive, with all their equipment. we need commuter rail in the worst way.

By: Kim Werker

Kim Werker — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 02:05:08 +0000

Thanks, Lisa! I've started a list of links at the end of the post. Yeah, I'm definitely getting excited.

By: LisaBurrito

LisaBurrito — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 01:28:01 +0000

I agree - we've been bombarded with the messages about the burdens of the olympics and none of the fun, which is silly. I've decided to just be excited about them and hope that everyone else joins me!

Here's a great resource listing all the FREE stuff going on during the olympics (there's tons): http://www.citycaucus.com/2010free

And if you want to be a really helpful local, consider picking up an "Ask Me, Happy to Help" button from the library/community centre (esp. if you speak a foreign language): http://olympichostcity.vancouver.ca/events/ask-...

I think once things get going, people will realize this is an incredible, once in a lifetime event that will be AWESOME. I, for one, plan to enjoy it!

By: Timelapse photos of Vancouver — Original Fotografie

Timelapse photos of Vancouver — Original Fotografie — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 00:20:32 +0000

[...] Welcome to Vancouver, World (kimwerker.com) [...]