by Judy Bishop - The Travelling Eye

Vancouver Fashion Week's Fall preview shows were last week (April 7-11), with many local houses (Jacqueline Conoir/JC Studios, Wear Else) following up with shows this week, too.  Local designers rolled out some hot offerings with reps from a larger market reach than you might think.  From my front-row seat, I shot the "Fever London" show... and snapped a few of my fellow fashion photographers hard at work, too ...

Judy Bishop – The Travelling Eye’ is a Vancouver-based photographer specializing in travel and experience photography. Her stock images are sold worldwide by Getty Images,   Judy was a board member of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics bid, and is a keen Whistler skier.   She is a long-time business/marketing columnist for Business in Vancouver newspaper, and sits on corporate boards.

Judy is also a strategic marketing expert, and managing partner of Bishop + Company, a 20-year old management consultancy providing corporate & market strategy for technology and growth companies.  Contact info & story summary available. Follow Judy on Twitter @travellingeye.  EM: judy@judybishop.ca

by Judy Bishop - The Travelling Eye

'Judy Bishop – The Travelling Eye’ is a Vancouver-based photographer specializing in travel and experience photography. Her stock images are sold worldwide by Getty Images,   Judy was a board member of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics bid, and is a keen Whistler skier.   She is a long-time business/marketing columnist for Business in Vancouver newspaper, and sits on corporate boards.

Judy is also a strategic marketing expert, and managing partner of Bishop + Company, a 20-year old management consultancy providing corporate & market strategy for technology and growth companies.  Contact info & story summary available. Follow Judy on Twitter @travellingeye.  EM: judy@judybishop.ca

by Judy Bishop - The Travelling Eye

During the 2+ weeks of the Olympics, I shot alot of photos of people having a blast ... cutting loose ... letting their inner 8-year old out for a romp.

The equation was simple:  take Whistler's general tendency for good times + the mad rush of Olympic revelry + international visitors = a potent mix of fun, frolic and some truly bitchin' attire.

The photos speak for themselves ... what a blast !

'Judy Bishop – The Travelling Eye’ is a Vancouver-based photographer specializing in travel and experience photography. Her stock images are sold worldwide by Getty Images,   Judy was a board member of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics bid, and is a keen Whistler skier.   She is a long-time business/marketing columnist for Business in Vancouver newspaper, and sits on corporate boards.

Judy is also managing partner of Bishop + Company, a 20-year old management consultancy providing corporate & market strategy for technology and growth companies.  Contact info & story summary available. Follow Judy on Twitter @travellingeye.  EM: judy@judybishop.ca

by Judy Bishop - The Travelling Eye

During the Olympics' 17 days, the Robson Square celebration site saw a staggering average of 75,000-100,000 daily visitors for concerts & entertainment, with approx 700 of them riding the zipline, 1,00o people skating, and 4,500 - 5,000 daily guests at the B.C. Pavilion and free admission to the Vancouver Art Gallery - daily.

Urban planners have long griped that Vancouver lacked a central gathering place, in the European style.  I think the new and improved Robson Square may well serve as our downtown heart - especially if you throw in lasers, explosions and flamethrowers !

Given the smash success of this celebration site, the BC Government is wisely re-opening the Robson Square free celebrations - including fireworks, light show and the Zipline - for a second run, during the Paralympics, March 12th through 21st.

I was fortunate to gain access to the BC Pavillion's upper deck to shoot a spectacular collection of images over the 17 days of the Games ...

'Judy Bishop – The Travelling Eye’ is a Vancouver-based photographer specializing in travel and experience photography. Her stock images are sold worldwide by Getty Images,   Judy was a board member of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics bid, and is a keen Whistler skier.   She is a long-time business/marketing columnist for Business in Vancouver newspaper, and sits on corporate boards.

Judy is also managing partner of Bishop + Company, a 20-year old management consultancy providing corporate & market strategy for technology and growth companies.  Contact info & story summary available. Follow Judy on Twitter @travellingeye

by Judy Bishop - The Travelling Eye

"Am I in Vancouver, or Las Vegas?"  That was the question posed on Twitter by Dick Hardt, Vancouver technology entrepreneur and now San Francisco resident.   Who can blame him for wondering?  Our little city by the sea has behaved in a most energetic, sophisticated,. Canadian fashion - showing an ability to party hearty that few would have believed a fortnight ago.  Can we win gold?  You betcha.  Can we rock ?   Here's a few images to show that .... yes, we can !!

'Judy Bishop – The Travelling Eye’ is a Vancouver-based photographer specializing in travel and experience photography. Her stock images are sold worldwide by Getty Images,   Judy was a board member of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics bid, and is a keen Whistler skier.   She is a long-time business/marketing columnist for Business in Vancouver newspaper, and sits on corporate boards.

Judy is also managing partner of Bishop + Company, a 20-year old management consultancy providing corporate & market strategy for technology and growth companies.  Contact info & story summary available. Follow Judy on Twitter @travellingeye

by Judy Bishop - The Travelling Eye

Humans are a predictable lot: we tend to put things off until the last minute.  So, as FOMO ("fear of missing out") takes hold, people are dashing around making plans to cram in as much partying, events, pavilions, events and activity as they can before The Big Hangover takes over next week.

Visitors get lots of help negotiating Vancouver's attractions and finding out what's hot.  Information kiosks abound, maps everywhere ... we've put on a pretty impressive show in terms of helping tourists.   That's doubly important in Whistler, where tight density and pedestrian walkways can turn the Village into a baffling rabbit-warren that can even confuse locals.

Enter the Whistler Village hosts, set up by Tourism Whistler. Standing for long hours in unheated, outdoor kiosks scattered around the busy Village, wearing "Ask Me" buttons, the hosts dispense advice, solve problems and grease the wheels of Olympic visitor experience.  Why do they do it? Sure they receive a few event tickets, but mostly, it's the locals' way of making the 2010 Games special for everyone.

I staked out the central Village's information kiosk and watched a host at work.  George Pitman is an established architect (G. Pitman Designs) from Vancouver, now living and working in Whistler with his wife Joan Pitman.  I watched as he capably fielded enquiries from a steady stream of people, arms waving with directions, drawing on maps, and generally taking care of people.  Here's George at work .....

What's the oddest question George has been asked as a Village host?  Apparently it was when a boy asked him "How much does the mountain weigh?  You know, without snow?"

'Judy Bishop – The Travelling Eye’ is a Vancouver-based photographer specializing in travel and experience photography. Her stock images are sold worldwide by Getty Images,   Judy was a board member of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics bid, and is a keen Whistler skier.   She is a long-time business/marketing columnist for Business in Vancouver newspaper, and sits on corporate boards.

Judy is also managing partner of Bishop + Company, a 20-year old management consultancy providing corporate & market strategy for technology and growth companies.  Contact info & story summary available. Follow Judy on Twitter @travellingeye

by Judy Bishop - the Travelling Eye

Today's big question:  Who can refuse the opportunity to be photographed with that most Canadian of icons -- a Mountie in splendid red serge uniform?

Apparently, no one.  According to RCMP Sergeant-Major Bill Stewart, he has been hugged by thousands of people eager to pose with Stewart and his two officer colleagues on police horses.  The three are present in Whistler Village during the Games.  Skiers & snowboarders, athletes & tourists, media & workers, men & women, young & old - but especially foreigners, who can't believe they've lucked into the real thing.  All grin broadly for a photo with the patrician Stewart and his colleagues, some squealing with delight.

A 35-year veteran of the RCMP, Stewart is attending his 3rd Olympic Games in Canada.  He says there's a "remarkable" festive mood in Whistler's pedestrian-only village, one that has remained happy, peaceful and collegially-international.  The horses are a big draw - beautiful thoroughbreds that are obviously finely-trained to thrive in attentive crowds, while keeping a watchful eye.

Clearly, Whistler Resort is reveling in its moment to shine ... and the RCMP is only too happy to show off all that's Canadian !

'Judy Bishop – The Travelling Eye’ is a Vancouver-based photographer specializing in travel and experience photography. Her stock images are sold worldwide by Getty Images,   Judy was a board member of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics bid, and is a keen Whistler skier.   She is a long-time business/marketing columnist for Business in Vancouver newspaper, and sits on corporate boards.

Judy is also managing partner of Bishop + Company, a 20-year old management consultancy providing corporate & market strategy for technology and growth companies.  Contact info & story summary available. Follow Judy on Twitter @travellingeye

by Judy Bishop - The Travelling Eye

Sunday's Canada-USA Olympic hockey game was epic in its build-up, embodying the mostly-civilized rivalry universal to countries bordering each other.  Whistler was abuzz with the energy.  Watching the game from one of the social epicentres of Whistler resort - the Garibaldi Lift Company (GLC) located at the base of the ski runs - seemed like just the ticket for this one.

That afternoon, I skied around the mountain with photo gear, bagging images to give reader of this blog a 'feel' for Whistler during the Games. (And to clear the effects of the previous night's champagne party.)  I had to tear myself away from the dreamy, uncrowded beauty (see photos) but the Canada-USA game beckoned.  So did the friends who secured a precious table at GLC by 3PM - a lineup had already formed for the 4:30PM faceoff (way to take one for the team, guys).  GLC doubles as MuchMusic TV's base for the Games, with predictable fun and noise - complete with hot tub for the hearty and the well-lubricated.  Much Music TV cameras caught alot of the action, including our bouncy group.

GLC was a wild mix of Canadian and Americans cheering - including a delightful Bostonian engineer, Matt, who had only arrived the night before at Whistler on his first visit.  Through persistence, he found a bed in Pemberton, not knowing he'd also stumbled upon a generous and raucous crew of youngish locals + Vancouver pals who merged him into their happy posse.  Stoked from a day of sunny backcountry skiing, and convinced the USA was going to whack Canada, Matt was stunned by the warm, unconditional welcome he felt from both his hosts and Whistler in general.  Highly recommend mixing up the cheering sections ... great dynamic !

A lovely story: Pemberton's Robert Megeney carefully unpacked a hand-hooked rug (see photo) sent to him by his aunt Phyllis Megeney of Amherst, Nova Scotia.  Phyllis loved the idea of sending a little bit of the East Coast to the West - she wanted Robert and fiance Valerie Butters to have something unique to help celebrate the Olympics.  Judging by how carefully Robert handled and carried this wonderfully-handworked rug, it will surely hold pride of place in their home.....

We all know that the USA trumped Canada in that game.  No matter.. there's still time for us to win gold.  But no question - the GLC was a premium spot to watch the game !

'Judy Bishop – The Travelling Eye’ is a Vancouver-based photographer specializing in travel and experience photography. Her stock images are sold worldwide by Getty Images,   Judy was a board member of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics bid, and is a keen Whistler skier.   She is a long-time business/marketing columnist for Business in Vancouver newspaper, and sits on corporate boards.

Judy is also managing partner of Bishop + Company, a 20-year old management consultancy providing corporate & market strategy for technology and growth companies.  Contact info & story summary available. Follow Judy on Twitter @travellingeye. EM: judy@judybishop.ca

by Judy Bishop - The Travelling Eye

Whether they're helping us park, eat, drink, laugh, be safe or be silly, we wouldn't get far at Whistler during the 2010 Olympics without the people who work long hours in a wide variety of roles.

That's not to say it's all work and no play ... far from it.  From what I've observed, working the 2010 Games might be almost as much fun as being a visitor.  Thanks guys and gals .. you're our unsung heroes !

'Judy Bishop – The Travelling Eye’ is a Vancouver-based photographer specializing in travel and experience photography. Her stock images are sold worldwide by Getty Images,   Judy was a board member of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics bid, and is a keen Whistler skier.   She is a long-time business/marketing columnist for Business in Vancouver newspaper, and sits on corporate boards.

Judy is also managing partner of Bishop + Company, a 20-year old management consultancy providing corporate & market strategy for technology and growth companies.  Contact info & story summary available. Follow Judy on Twitter @travellingeye.  EM: judy@judybishop.ca

by Judy Bishop - The Travelling Eye

Apparently our non-stop, no-holds-barred mountain town cares little about ever-changing weather and simply gets on with the business of partying on a world scale.  A few scenes from a Whistler Village weekend walkabout helps show how very different the celebrations are from the Vancouver crush.  Although only 90 minutes' away, they're worlds apart, partly due to restricted access and accommodation. Less people and geography overall, and a higher percentage of foreign visitors, are giving this town a distinctive patina - and a late-night, passionate energy of a different kind.  Foreign visitors are drooling over what they're seeing.  I thought one German guy's head was going to explode, he was raving about Whistler.  Or maybe it was too many Jagger Bombs. Dunno.  Just saying.

Oh and remember: Whistler is the only magnet known that can attract plastic....

'Judy Bishop – The Travelling Eye’ is a Vancouver-based photographer specializing in travel and experience photography. Her stock images are sold worldwide by Getty Images,   Judy was a board member of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics bid, and is a keen Whistler skier.   She is a long-time business/marketing columnist for Business in Vancouver newspaper, and sits on corporate boards.

Judy is also managing partner of Bishop + Company, a 20-year old management consultancy providing corporate & market strategy for technology and growth companies.  Contact info & story summary available. Follow Judy on Twitter @travellingeye.  email:  judy@judybishop.ca

by Judy Bishop - The Travelling Eye

Take a look at the wild, wonderful spirit that infused everyone waiting for the torch as they enjoyed the first, exciting night of the Yaletown LiveSite.  A lot of proud, excited people waiting in line, passed thru security and made a LOT of noise as Ken Lyottier ran the torch home, Gordon Campbell and John Furlong spoke to the crowd ... the cauldron was lit and the fireworks and water cannons fired up.

The eyes of the world are on Vancouver ... and let there be no doubt, we are ready to party !

‘Judy Bishop – The Travelling Eye’ is a Vancouver-based photographer specializing in travel and experience photography. Her stock images are sold worldwide by Getty Images,   Judy was a board member of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics bid, and is a keen Whistler skier.   She is a long-time business/marketing columnist for Business in Vancouver newspaper, and sits on corporate boards.

Judy is also managing partner of Bishop + Company, a 20-year old management consultancy providing corporate & market strategy for technology and growth companies.  Contact info & story summary available. Follow Judy on Twitter @travellingeye

words & photo by “Judy Bishop – The Travelling Eye”

Given the approach of Valentine's day and Vancouver 2010, this story resonates perfectly.

Tuesday evening marked 3 days before 2010 Opening Ceremonies and, alas, the last clear evening for a while.  I was seated just before dusk at Sandbar Restaurant on Granville Island, on the upper deck, with the city spread out before me.   Wonderful afternoon light reflected on the buildings and water .. a sense of renewed civic love filled me.  Besides aiming for a glass of wine, I was awaiting darkness to fall so I could see the fabulous Vectorial Illumination show from this perfect vantage point.   (see older posts below for full description & photos)

afternoon light on False Creek buildings, from the upper deck at Sandbar restaurant beneath the Granville Street bridge

Once the show started, I stared quietly at its beauty, delighted at how perfect our city setting was.  Sandbar was jumping with lots of loud, happy diners and people enjoying drinks and stories, all casually dressed and having a good time.  So I nearly missed the entrance by two fifty-ish gentlemen who stood out by their dress and manners.

French, I thought, or possibly Swiss because Swiss House is nearby at Bridges' Restaurant.  Beautifully dressed, understated, fabulous shoes, superb grooming.... they quietly sat down and began speaking in low tones to each other, in the way I've so often observed in France.  A serious consultation of the wine list nailed them as French, as did questioning the server about the spices used in the sauce.

They looked a little dazed and intent, in the way of people who've just flown in from afar with timely business at hand.  Heads down, they talked and discussed, and finally as the meal finished, they seemed to relax and sit back a little.

Then, the older man's head started turning sl-o-o-o-wly a full 180 degrees as he became present and finally, fully took in his surroundings.  A blank expression of wonder came over him, his mouth fell slack.  He fell silent, which his colleague noticed.

Then the colleague did the same thing, only his blank look became a wide, toothy grin - also stunned silent.

This continued for a full 3 minutes.  Then, suddenly, they glanced at each other, started laughing uproariously and babbling simultaneously in French ... "can you BELIEVE this place?"  "Did you know it was so beautiful?"  "Maybe we can arrange more meetings?"  "I must return here for a vacation."   Both were besotted by what they were experiencing.

As I left, I approached their table, and being Francophone, gently addressed them in French:.  "Welcome to Vancouver, messieurs.  How do you like our city so far?".   The younger man glanced to the older in deference, who slowly smiled at and said, "Frankly, I have no words to describe what I think of Vancouver.  Such poetry may take me days to compose."

Ahhh, more hearts stolen by our fair city, more Frenchmen being thoroughly French.  All is well with the world on the eve of the 2010 Olympics.  And Valentine's day.....

'Judy Bishop - The Travelling Eye' is a Vancouver-based photographer specializing in travel and experience photography. Her stock images are sold worldwide by Getty Images,   Judy was a board member of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics bid, and is a keen Whistler skier.   She is a long-time business/marketing columnist for Business in Vancouver newspaper, and sits on corporate boards.

Judy is also managing partner of Bishop + Company, a 20-year old management consultancy providing corporate & market strategy for technology and growth companies.

Contact info & story summary available. Follow on Twitter @travellingeye. email:  judy@judybishop.ca

2010 Olympic downhill skiing events to be held at Whistler Creekside, on left run in this photo, the Dave Murray downhill. Creekside is closed to the public until March.

by “Judy Bishop – The Travelling Eye”

Vancouver and Whistler are 90 minutes apart by car, and twins in hosting the 2010 Games.  Being a keen Whistler skier, I took the opportunity to capture Whistler Village scenes just before the 2010 Games start.... and tear up the mountain a little before returning to Vancouver.

Whistler Village teemed with people milling about, workers feverishly prepping, foreign-speakers shooting photos of things unremarkable to locals.  And yet .... you got a sense that locals have deserted Whistler... that they've faced the Olympics event horizon and have surrendered their beloved mountain town to the all-consuming whirlwind of the Games and the steely hand of VANOC.  There were eerily few recreational skiers; most skiers flew downhill without poles and at Mach One speeds without a wavering - suggesting former/current racer training.  The Sea-to-Sky highway was so quiet in the afternoon drive back I kept wondering if I'd somehow entered a closed road.

(almost) everything a Whistlerite really needs

Unlike Cypress Mountain, Whistler has boatloads of snow on its enormous terrain.  Those willing to brave travel and parking hassles will keep enjoying superb skiing/riding during the Games, with little competition for the fabulous snow that's forecast in the coming days.  And, given the all-out Whistler party atmosphere that kicks up in a nanosecond, its unlikely that the action will be limited to the mountain....

‘Judy Bishop – The Travelling Eye’ is a Vancouver-based photographer specializing in travel and experience photography. Her stock images are sold worldwide by Getty Images,   Judy was a board member of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics bid, and is a keen Whistler skier.   She is a long-time business/marketing columnist for Business in Vancouver newspaper, and sits on corporate boards.

Judy is also managing partner of Bishop + Company, a 20-year old management consultancy providing corporate & market strategy for technology and growth companies.  Contact info & story summary available. Follow on Twitter @travellingeye. email:  judy@judybishop.ca

Locals and visitors hanging in Whistler Village

No parking means getting creative about hauling ski gear around

Garibaldi Lift Company = the epicentre of Whistler socializing during the Games

Whistler skiers are very welcoming

by Judy Bishop - The Travelling Eye

Talk about style AND substance ... the sexy new Richmond Olympic Oval is one of the coolest new buildings around.  As well as venue for long-track speed skating  during the 2010 Winter Olympics (12 medal events, 36 medals total), it houses the official Olympic anti-doping lab.  And, as if our (mostly) snow-capped mountains weren't enough, the Richmond Oval packs a visual punch as the first Olympic venue that visitors clearly see when flying into Vancouver.

The drop-dead gorgeous building was designed by Glotman-Simpson Structural Engineers.  Built for $178 million by the City of Richmond, the Oval sits on the Fraser River waterfront a few blocks away from Canada Line's Lansdowne Station.  The roof is shaped as a stylized heron's wing, a tribute to the Salish First Nation and the Great Blue Heron that lives along the riverbank today.  It really must be experienced, both for engineering and aesthetic reasons.

A distinctive feature of the Oval is the awesome ceiling span of its unique "wood wave" roof - one of the longest clear spans in North America. It uses one million board feet of B.C. pine-beetle killed wood linked together in undulating sections to create a beautifully rippled effect.  (This damaged, blue-streaked wood is a byproduct of the Mountain Pine Beetle devastation that's left a swath of destruction across B.C.'s forests, thanks to mild winters caused by climate change.)

Structural engineers Fast + Epp designed the Oval's base structure,  chief architect Bob Johnson and his team from Cannon Design get credit for overall project design, with contributions from Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden Architects.  The one-of-a-kind wood panels were bilt by Delta BC design build/firm StructureCraft Builders Inc.

The 512,000-square foot facility includes a 400-meter refrigerated track, and can accommodate 8,000 spectators.  Along with the world-record setting ice surface, the facility is environmentally-friendly (eg: rainwater cisterns help the toilets flush).  The Oval qualifies for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Scale (LEED) Silver certification; for example, the Oval's refrigeration plant can heat other areas of the building by using what would otherwise be waste heat from cooling the ice surface.  (more factoids here: http://richmondoval.ca/venue_facts.htm)

Architects and engineers drool over the Richmond Oval; it continues to haul in awards for design, construction and integration of sustainable building practices.  The list includes an excellence award for architectural innovation from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada specifically for the innovative use of pine beetle-killed wood in its ceiling.  From Architectural Innovations.com "In total, the roof system uses about one million board feet of Douglas-fir lam-stock lumber in the glulam beams, another one million board feet of 2x4 spruce-pine-fir commodity dimension lumber – primarily lumber affected by the mountain pine beetle infestation in B.C.’s Interior – and about 19,000 sheets of four-foot-by-eight-foot Douglas-fir plywood in the roof panels. The roof is believed to be the largest surface ever-covered in beetle-affected wood – showing that the wood remains structurally sound and attractive."  see blog post by Douglas Farmer Photography, who reported the previous paragraph on his blog /photos.

Post-games, the City of Richmond will convert the Oval into a multi-use sports facility with two ice rinks, racquet courts, a 200-m track, rubberized turf area and a high-performance workout area.

Word in speed skating circles is that this may already be the world's top facility - boasting mega-fast ice, drop-dead gorgeous location and ridiculously easy access to the airport - esp given the Canada Line.  We'll see heavy international usage of this Oval for training speed skaters for decades to come.  Now that's what I call a legacy !

‘Judy Bishop – The Travelling Eye’ is a Vancouver-based photographer specializing in travel and experience photography. Her stock images are sold worldwide by Getty Images,   Judy was a board member of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics bid, and is a keen Whistler skier.   She is a long-time business/marketing columnist for Business in Vancouver newspaper, and sits on corporate boards.

Judy is also managing partner of Bishop + Company, a 20-year old management consultancy providing corporate & market strategy for technology and growth companies.  Contact info & story summary available. Follow Judy on Twitter @travellingeye

by Judy Bishop - The Travelling Eye

Your correspondant walks you through visuals of the amazing transformation taking place at Canada Place and the waterfront.  Only a week to go before this corner of Vancouver will be nearly inaccessible,  jammed with over 14,000 international media telling the world about the Games, and ... given the spectacular location .. about our city and province.  Watch this space for more ...

‘Judy Bishop – The Travelling Eye’ is a Vancouver-based photographer specializing in travel and experience photography. Her stock images are sold worldwide by Getty Images,   Judy was a board member of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics bid, and is a keen Whistler skier.   She is a long-time business/marketing columnist for Business in Vancouver newspaper, and sits on corporate boards.

Judy is also managing partner of Bishop + Company, a 20-year old management consultancy providing corporate & market strategy for technology and growth companies.  Contact info & story summary available. Follow Judy on Twitter @travellingeye