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

Last night was Manitoba night at the Victory Ceremonies. Every night at BC Place for the Victory Ceremonies there is a similar format that is followed which is:

7:00pm until 8:00pm. The medals are given out to the winners of each event.

8:00pm until 8:30pm-8:45pm. There is a performance by a band.

Last night, in the spirit of Manitoba night, Burton Cummings performed. For those of you who don’t know who Cummings is he was in the Canadian rock band, The Guess Who. He is a Manitoban staple and a nationwide musical hero.

Cummings took the stage around 8:00pm and the crowd went wild! Some of the songs that rocked the house were American Woman, These Eyes, Albert Flasher, Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon and many more.

Something magical happened at around 8:45pm (when the show was supposed to end)-Cummings kept on rocking! As staff kept an eye on the clock as he played another song and another song and another song.

Around 9:25pm Cummings played his last song, so we thought. The lights came on, the cameras came off and there was another strum to the guitar. ENCORE! It didn’t matter that the florescent stadium lights were on and that people we beginning to file out of their seats…CUMMINGS KEPT ON ROCKING!

The show ended at 9:35pm.

It was truly a rock show where you felt the music, you sang along becuase you knew the words and you had the chance to spend 75 minutes with one of Canada’s musical legends.

The lights are on but the encore keeps going!

For those people who bought a $25 ticket to last night’s show, they got the best bang for their buck and will be talking about that show for the rest of their lives.

Follow Cummings on Twitter: @burtoncummings

Blair Kaplan wrote this post  from her humble abode looking over Robson Square. Blair Kaplan is the owner and CEO of Living Free Canada, who is Canada's unbeatable, online elite coupon community partnered with companies that reflect a fun and healthy lifestyle.

You can follow Living Free Canada on twitter: @LivingFreeCND and have an active mind, happy heart and loving soul.

By @MoniKanada

On my way through the city on Thursday night I was able to capture national pride – artfully presented on people’s faces. Not too many words are necessary here:

Australian Fans

Alison and Brook from Australia showed their national pride for Lydia Lassila, who won gold in the Ladies‘ Aerials on Wednesday. Brook and Alison were on their way to the victory ceremonies to cheer for their compatriot receiving Olympic Gold.

National Pride for the US

Four young women from the US (to the right) smiling despite their growing hunger. They were looking for a good place for dinner – I happily shared my recommendations with them.

And then some rap dancers proudly representing Japan spotted on Granville Street. There was quite a number of young people dancing away – they looked great and seemed to have fun.

Canada "Fan Dog"

Last but not least I also found some particular Canadian patriotism – I guess these days any living thing serves as a canvas for patriotic pride. Tough times for cute dogs – they don’t have a choice in the matter!

Go Canada Go!

Monika Becker is the owner of Clear Directions – Consulting & Life Coaching in Vancouver BC, where she assists her clients in articulating and achieving important life goals with caring clarity, passion for possibility and soul-infused service. For more information please visit www.ClearDirections.tel

By Jessica Evans

I hear explosions behind me and instinctively start running.

It’s really nothing to be concerned about – just the False Creek fireworks resonating out to Kits.  It’s an instinctive feel though, like being out after the streetlights come on when you were a kid:  “run – you’re in trouble if you don’t get home.”

As part of the Olympic celebrations, we’ve been treated to fireworks every night.  For me, this has been the Olympics tucking me in.  I’d be in bed reading and hear the fireworks and sigh with relief:  I’m in bed on time.  Time to tuck in; tomorrow I’ll be well rested.  Other times, I’ve been out and heard the fireworks… like a reasonable curfew calling to me.  Once, when I was spinning down the Burrard Street Bridge on the bike ride home, I found myself really pushing it when the fireworks started up.  On nights where I didn't even hear the fireworks, that signaled that I got to bed early and good for me.

Not many people identify fireworks with sleeping, but I’m curious if the Vancouver Olympics have conditioned me with Pavlovian-esque response – I hear fireworks and race to bed from now on?

Jessica Evans loves life in Vancouver - especially the parts that involve volunteering, riding bikes, or any combination thereof.  Follow her on Twitter as @jessicers.

By Kassandra Linklater - @Klinked on Twitter

I write this post under time pressure because a) ‘I have places to go, things to do and awesome people to meet tonight’, and b) there are four minutes on the clock in the third period. If you aren’t aware of my time crunch, then you clearing aren't watching the soon to be shut out that our amazing Canadian Hockey team is throwing down at Canada Hockey Place (GM, post March 1^st).

The women have played a flawless game. Period. With the Great One in the audience, it is amazing to see how far women’s hockey has come. But let us not forget, the women’s team has been rocking it in the shadows of the men’s games for years. 98 – Silver, 2002 – Gold, 2006 – Gold, 2010 – and as the buzzer has just sounded – GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLD.

At the Vancouver Peace Summit in 2009, the Dalai Lama announced, "The world will be saved by the western woman." As much as enjoy the sound of that sentiment, I think the word 'western' should have been omitted. Given the chance, the possibilities for women just seem endless.

And tonight, I’m sure the Canadian women's team feels On. Top. Of. The. World.

Good job.

Signing off for now,

Kassandra

Check me out @Klinked or walking around the city, looking for your story.

Kassandra is currently the News Editor of Kwantlen’s independent student newspaper – The Runner, a member of Kwantlen’s President’s Ambassadorial Team (PAT) and the Vancouver Board of Trade’s Mentor program - Leaders of Tomorrow

It's hard to believe that these marvelous Games are close to ending.  I should have spent the last several days braving the lineups at the Olympic Houses and the zipline, wandering up and down Robson and Granville Streets and generally drinking in the atmosphere.  But I didn't.  Because of Molly.

Molly is our soon-to-be-17-year-old cat.  She's a petite tuxedo, black with white chest, tummy and paws.  She's always been small, but age has her shrinking down to just over five pounds.  She's the love of my life.  She's my baby. And last Saturday we almost lost her.

Without warning, a nasty infection and high fever rendered my sweet girl from lively and inquisitive into an almost lifeless state in mere hours.  If not for the Emergency Animal Hospital, I'm pretty certain Molly would have left us.  She's on heavy doses of antibiotics and subQ fluids, but she's with us, thank God.

So this week I've curtailed some of my Olympic activities in favour of sitting at home in front of the TV holding my Molly close.  And it's been just heavenly.

Here's to you, Mollykins, and to all the pets we love and have loved.  I'll treasure you forever.

Cathy Browne is a PR and social media professional in Vancouver BC.  She is @CathyBrowne on Twitter and blogs at Cathy's Clean Slate.

By David Hutchison  email david@transitionsadvertising.com

I just finished watching the flying fins of women's hockey defeat Sweden to win the bronze medal in overtime. I love women's hockey, sorry boys, but the girls can play. They play an exciting, fast paced game.

They can move the puck, they drive to the net, they throw themselves in front of blistering shots and make every sacrifice the men make. There are those who say, yeah but it's not as intense. Yes it is, it just hasn't worked it's way to the top of the pole yet.

If Canada had lost last night, we would all be on our knee's praying for the girls to salvage our dignity. In a couple of hours they will do battle with those ladies from south of the line and you had better believe this is going to be one "hell of game."

They know each other very well, both were expected to be here and have given it all to make those expectations come true. They will lay everything on the line. There will no sacrifice to great, no price to high to pay. When it is over, they will have given everything they have in the most demanding of team sports, hockey.

This will be a golden game, don't miss it.

See you tomorrow,

David Hutchison

David Hutchison is President of Transitions Advertising www.transitionsadvertising.com Canada’s creative voice of seniors advertising. David is Board President of Promoting a Culture of Peace for Children Society of BC www.wartoystopeaceart.com

by Marc Smith

One of the biggest attractions at the Olympics this year has been the Zip Line over Robson Square. As part of the Province of BC's Olympic entertainment site Zip Trek EcoTours has  offered up a truly once in a lifetime experience for locals and tourists alike.

A friend and Twitter colleague Stephanie  Cameron and I decided that we needed to experience it and bring some other Twitter folks along with us. Actually we thought that misery loves company and if we have to line up better to make it a party.

So at 7am Friday morning I was joined by J Holtslander, PurpleLara and co-conspirator Smuttysteff. We all arrived with coffees in hand and Smuttysteff treated us to some good old Tim Horton's. We hoped a 7am line up time would guarantee us  prime placement in the first few runs of the Zip Line. Wrong! The first crazies in line had arrived at 6am with thermal blankets and a thermos of coffee.

Lara Jay Steff and Marc

So there we were 7am and approx 50+ ppl in front of us. Over the next couple of hours we made a few trips to the Blenz at Burrard and Robson to refill coffee supplies + bathroom breaks. As well we started to get to know some of our neighbors all were local Vancouverites that had been enjoying the Games  and the excitement but had yet to Zip across Robson Square. Just behind us was a father and daughter that had tried twice before but unfortunately had tried to line up later in the day.

After 4+ hours in line we are now at the front and are up next. Smuttysteff gets interviewed by the CBC on what' it is like to wait in the lineup both for radio and for their web platform. Way to go Steff! With only minutes to go before we proceed up to sign releases and get into our harnesses we get a message from a Twitter colleague Mat Wilcox that she is at Robson Square and wants to photograph us as we continue our journey.

It was at this time that Steff decided to tell us that she was deathly afraid of heights. EEK! Here's Steff's personal recount of the journey about overcoming her fear http://www.smutandsteff.com/2010/02/did-it.html

So as they say a picture tells a thousand words so here is the remaining story of our Zip Line experience. All pics are courtesy of Mat Wilcox. See you on the other side

Was the lineup worth it? YES! I’ve heard thanks to the Province of BC that they are seriously considering extending the Zip Line during the March 12th to 21st Paralympic Games as well. Go BC!

Marc Smith is Vancouver based event planner and will be reporting daily on various events happening around Vancouver. http://twitter.com/amuseconsulting

by @bsainsbury

I'm Canadian, but I wasn't a hockey fan until tonight. My friend Barbara came in from White Rock and we'd originally agreed to go to Heineken House in Richmond. She arrived at Waterfront Station a little later than she'd planned. It's 45 minutes before the Canada-Russia hockey game - we made the decision to head into Gastown. My twitter buddies has let everyone know the bars and restaurants in that area are almost empty.

Not a half a block away there's no line-up at German House. How can that be? Inside the place is busy, but we're able to find two seats right up front of the two-story screen with a sound system that rattles windows two blocks away. Everyone is happy, there's a table of Aussies whooping it up at the next table - we're all becoming fast friends.

The hockey game starts and the room errupts ..

HE SHOOTS - HE SCORES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Two tables over, a hockey fan has his Sasquatch costume from last Halloween under a red hockey jersey. Girls keep pestering him for photos with him .. Who knew a hairy Halloween costume would be a chick magnet?

HE SHOOTS - HE SCORES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everyone around me is an expert .. they know what icing, offsite are .. they can referee the game better than the officials ..

HE SHOOTS - HE SCORES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Russians did score a couple of times .. three actually .. we all boo'd. As I became a more experienced fan I realized this happens when the players allow the puck to stay in front of their net.  Canadian players got control of the puck again.

HE SHOOTS - HE SCORES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is fun! The Canadian players can do no wrong .. I notice there's no fighting in this level of play .. stopping the clock is frustrating to a new fan like me. Let's get this over with .. isn't it obvious Canada is going to win?

HE SHOOTS - HE SCORES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The intermission is awfully long .. I guess the players need some time to rest and get a pep talk from the coach. We're in the third period now and the Canadian players seem to have forgotten the thing about not letting the puck stay in front of their goal for any length of time. Luongo is a good goalie .. everyone at the table says it was a good decision to start him. I agree.

HE SHOOTS - HE SCORES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know whether we scored in the third period or not. It's all a blur to this new hockey fan. Fans are getting frustrated that the Russians seem to have the upper hand. No-one is moving around .. we're all glued to our seats ..

HE SHOOTS - HE SCORES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10 .. 9 .. 8.. 7.. 6.. 5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1.. The place goes crazy!! We sing O Canada .. there's much hugging and high fiving .. there's a run on the bar .. I think I have the hang of being a hockey fan.

Bonnie Sainsbury is a Social Media Strategist and co-founder of Duet Media .. and an avid hockey fan!

I was invited to the Men's Curling event between Great Britain and Sweden at Nat Bailey Stadium. I learned a lot about the subtleties of the game from the Brit sitting next to me. By the 7th round, it appeared to be a Swede sweep at 5 - 3. But the Brits came back to tie the game by the 9th end. It took a tie breaker final round to finally declare the Swedes a winner by one point.

The Brits are a rambunctious group, in an English sort of way. It didn't take me long to feel part of the flock of Brits who chanted British ditties to cheer their team on. Before long, I was chanting the same songs, and was stamping my feet and clapping my hands and thighs with them to cheer the team on. Let's Go, GB, let's Go... choo, choo! My friend and I were sitting beside the "heart" of the team -  the moms and the dads and the wives and the kids of the team players - The Smiths, The MacDonalds, The Byers and The Murdochs -  who came a long way to be here to support their own.

Submitted by:

Laurie Kingdon, graphic designer | Outside-the-Box Graphics | Print + Web Media | 778.839.3755
"Use my creative spark to ignite your business vision."
www.outsidetheboxgraphics.net

My Twitter profile
My LinkedIn profile

Everyone has a story. These are some of the people that stood out during my visits to various Olympic venues. Taking their picture has been a great way to capture some of their story. And to capture glimpses of true Olympic spirit.

Submitted by:

Laurie Kingdon

Laurie Kingdon, graphic designer | Outside-the-Box Graphics | Print + Web Media | 778.839.3755
"Use my creative spark to ignite your business vision."
www.outsidetheboxgraphics.net

My Twitter profile
My LinkedIn profile

http://ignitethespark.wordpress.com/

by Marilyn Anderson, Duet Media

Well, that's what Canadian hockey fans are going to be asking themselves come Thursday morning.....if they watched and/or celebrated their Men's  Team make history with a 7:3 victory over Team Russia. This is the first time  in Olympic play  in 50 years that Canada has won this match-up!  Maybe the real question will be "Isn't this a headache?', but one thing is for sure - it will be Olympic in proportion, no matter what it is!

On the eve of the Canadian Women's Gold Medal game against the U.S. on Thursday, we have to pinch ourselves and think back to Salt Lake City, where both finals featured Canada vs the U.S.A., with Canada coming home with both Gold Medals.

Are we setting ourselves up for a repeat? Only time will tell.  For now, we can celebrate a great effort by our Men, who worked so very hard tonight to take and hold the lead in a game where no one ever stopped.  The Russian team did not go gently....it was a battle for every play.....and there was a lot of heart and pride at stake.

Raise a glass, sing Oh Canada! at the top of your lungs.  Celebrate advancements, and be sure to cheer hard tomorrow.............tonight just feels like gold!

Marilyn Anderson is a Communications Specialist, Co-Founder of Duet Media, and possibly a closet hockey fan!

By Jessica Evans

I, like many of you, was a bit timid at the traffic woes forecast to be featured at the Olympic games.

I get around the city by bicycle as much as possible, but am glad to have a car - so convenient.  I ended up driving more the first weekend of the Olympics than I did the two weeks leading up to the games.  No delays, no traffic worth mentioning.

I'm always happy for sunshine - the vitamin D combined with the opportunity to cycle without spray from puddles makes for One Happy Jessica.  The only detour on my cycle commute is the blocked access to Burrard northbound from the Burrard Bridge.  Due to this detour, I discovered the joy that is riding on Hornby.  There's a dedicated bike lane and it's only one block out of my way.  I don't have to share my lane with buses, and the lights cascade happily towards Georgia.

I've set some serious speed records on my cycle commute during the Olympics, not that I'd like to admit that I pay attention to these sorts of things.  No one was harmed, traffic laws were observed, and I didn't need that second coffee.

It isn't just cycling though.  I balanced my carbon footprint by commuting to the office by Car today. (Shhh) Again, a record getting home - no traffic worth mentioning and lovely cascading lights up Thurlow this time.  When on transit, I've gotten a seat on the bus, which is a rarity in my non Olympic life.

Am I just lucky?  More importantly, did I just jinx my traffic karma?

Jessica Evans loves life in Vancouver - especially the parts that involve volunteering, riding bikes, or any combination thereof.  Follow her on Twitter as @jessicers.

Some people may call themselves sports enthusiasts.  Some may say they are aficionados.  But when it comes to curling, I'm a nut.  Period.

Yes, I adore the sport that has men and women hurling heavy stones down a sheet of ice to knock out their opponents' rocks to see who can get closest to the 'button'.  So I was beyond excited at the prospect of seeing two matches live this week at the beautiful Olympic facility.  I was practically dancing in the lineups.

And the matches couldn't have been more perfect.  The Canadians won, men and women both. We got to see highly competitive teams from everywhere from the UK and Germany to the US and China.  And of course, we saw the men from Team Norway and their um, distinctive pants. (Did you know those pants have a Facebook page?)

We sat with very nice people from Vancouver, White Rock and Saskatchewan. We all had a ball.  Canadian curling fans are full of love for their Olympians.

Then, out of the blue, two very unexpected encounters.

In walked hockey legend Paul Henderson, who won the heart of every Canadian in 1972 when he scored the winning goal in game eight to propel Canada to a hard-fought victory over the USSR in 1972.  I got to shake hands and exchange a few pleasantries with Paul before he settled down to watch the match.

And then, much to our surprise, Vanoc CEO John Furlong entered and sat down directly in front of our row.  He was gracious, shook hands with us all and asked us how we were enjoying the Games.  But when he was not 'on' and engaging with anyone I caught a glimpse of the burden of the job on his face.  After he left, all of us shook our heads and said we wouldn't want his job.

I gave him one of my Metro-Blenz News Squad cards and told him about our project and invited him to take a look.  I hope he does.  I have a feeling he'd be pleased and proud of our efforts.

I know I am.

Cathy Browne is a PR and social media professional in Vancouver BC.  She is @CathyBrowne on Twitter and blogs at Cathy's Clean Slate.

We should all welcome back Mother Nature from the vacation she took last week while Vancouver was hosting the Winter Games with a Spring ambiance. The rain is here and the remaining 4 days are looking wet. The weather has not damped any spirits or diluted any crowds.

Canadian Poncho Pride

Tips for staying dry for the remainder of the week:

• Ponchos are an affordable way to stay dry and don’t take up much space. These are most beneficial when watching the big game on the big screens in Robson Square. They are mildly unfashionable but that is alright because everyone is doing it! Don’t worry if you are not sure where to buy a poncho because they are usually given out free on the streets.

• Umbrellas are a key way to stay dry. They are very hard to use in large groups and crowds unless you are 7 feet tall. Make sure you know the up/down rule when walking with one open. Make eye contact with oncoming umbrella users and one of you will move your umbrella up and the other down.

• Finding the covered and indoor events. Sure, you may want to celebrate on the street but why not pop into one of the sheltered venues like Home on Howe or LiveCity Vancouver.

• Embrace the rain. Everyone in the picture above is sporting their ponchos while cheering on Team Canada during the Canada vs. Russia in the quarterfinal. Rain or shine we bleed maple syrup.

For most of us this is  a once in a life time event so don't be scared to get a little wet and GO CANADA GO!

Blair Kaplan wrote this post  from her humble abode looking over Robson Square. Blair Kaplan is the owner and CEO of Living Free Canada, who is Canada's unbeatable, online elite coupon community partnered with companies that reflect a fun and healthy lifestyle.

You can follow Living Free Canada on twitter: @LivingFreeCND and have an active mind, happy heart and loving soul.