Look for the details in this article from cbc.ca.
Posted in Life | Tagged bc, bill vander zalm, canada day, hst, politics, tax | Leave a Comment »
Just a heads-up for those of you who were not aware: there seems to be at least two major sites for free, fun entertainment during the Olympics:
Live City Vancouver (Downtown/Yaletown)
Richmond’s “O Zone”
There is also this great page which contains probably all the links you’ll ever need to plan your free fun. Some sites are already operational in some way, like Granville Island with its Bombardier Street Car and the House of Switzerland.
EDIT: I went to the House of Switzerland hours after writing that original post and I must say I was very disappointed. Although they had officially opened the day before, we were told at the entrance that there was nothing to see or do. They converted part of Bridges restaurant for their own needs and I believe that those seats were not free either. There is supposed to be some music every day, but obviously not throughout the day as there was no performance happening in their area when we went shortly after lunch. Maybe things will pick up as the Olympics officially get under way… The most exciting part was signing up for a chance to win a trip for 2. :s
Aside from Live City and the O Zone, I can add two more recommendations:
1. If you like or are curious about Quebec artists, the Place de la francophonie 2010 is a must! I just looked up the schedule and man, lots of very famous Quebecers on that roster! This one officially starts on February 11th (thanks to Marie-Chaton for the info).
2. Zip-lining in the heart of Downtown Vancouver?! For free?! You’d better believe it! Robson Square will be the site for this amazing idea. I expect huge lineups, so take your patience in stride as it may take hours before your turn comes. I hope the zip-line stays after the Olympics; this is one of the coolest things I’ve seen in Downtown Vancouver. :)
Free activities at the Olympics? Now here’s something to smile about. :D
You don’t have to break the bank to enjoy the Olympics. Have fun while they last; in just a few weeks it will be all over! ;)
Posted in Olympics | Tagged 2010, bombardier, downtown, entertainment, eric lapointe, Events, francophonie, free, fun, garou, granville island, gregory charles, house of switzerland, live city, o zone, olympics, richmond, street car, vancouver, zip-line, zip-lining | 6 Comments »
Only one week to go!
Maybe you hadn’t noticed with some cherry blossoms already blooming ahead of time and the city having just recorded the warmest January on record yet, but the Winter Olympics are just a week away! ;)
* Rest of original article deleted… Too much anger and sarcasm about the cost of the Olympics in it. Mind you, I’m still not looking forward to seeing how much we’ll have to pay in exchange for hosting the Olympic Games, but spreading bad vibes around does not feel right either. I’d rather have happy readers instead of passing along my frustration to others. In the future, there might be some not-so-cheerful things to talk about now and then — such as the HST –, but from now on (2010-02-07, 6pm PST) I’ll try to keep the negativity low and remain as neutral as possible when I do — remind me if I forget! ;)
Posted in Life | Tagged 2010, athletes, bill, budget, canada, canada line, greed, ioc, money, olympics, security, skytrain, sports, taxpayers, transit, vancouver, vanoc | Leave a Comment »
Sorry for the quietness of this blog lately. I was in Thailand and Singapore for 5 weeks and it was just craaaaazy getting ready for the trip (among other things we were getting married again, this time Thai style and I took some Thai classes, too).
A Thai McDonald’s welcoming us with the familiar “wai” posture
Thailand’s famous floating market
Singapore’s Zoo is awesome!!!
Now I’m back and hopefully I will have some time to bring up some new material soon — once I’m done going through the 500+ photos remaining from Asia, looking over my wife’s permanent residency proceedings, work, play, chores, etc. :s
Posted in Life | Tagged away, floating market, home, mcdonalds, singapore, thailand, vacation, wai, wedding, zoo | 1 Comment »
Last Friday night I stumbled upon a trio of musicians playing at the entrance to the Future Shop store at the corner of Robson and Granville. There were two saxophone players — one alto and one baritone — and a drummer with a minimalistic setup. It was a lot of fun! The music was lively and the band members were obviously enjoying themselves very much as they didn’t mind acting a little silly while they were playing.
A crowd of about 25 people gathered around the band and some danced along to the music (you really don’t want to see my “talent” in this department). One guy seemingly just passing through decided to dance “on stage” for a minute or so, the girls shouting in approval. Another passerby left another sort of tip as he balanced the centerfold of an issue of Hustler magazine on the top of the bass drum with two naked lesbians kissing. lol The band members and the audience had a good laugh; and no, the drummer didn’t loose the rhythm despite the distraction. On another song the alto saxophone player asked the audience to repeat the “lyrics”after him (I believe they were made up on the spot — part of the welcome impromptu silliness of the night). The crowd was having such a good time that it wasn’t difficult to get us to participate in the singing.
10-15 minutes later, it was time for me to go (not before leaving my biggest tip ever for a street performance). I hope we get to see more “street bands” like this one in the future. I had seen a few in Victoria a couple of years ago, but in Vancouver it’s a rare sight.
Posted in Life | Tagged band, dancing, downtown, fun, granville, impromptu, laughing, music, performers, robson, street, vancouver | Leave a Comment »
