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

Posted by:George Moen

Below is a section of an E-Mail that I wrote the day after Maëlle Ricker won her Gold Medal for the SBX on Feb 16th 2010. As one of her sponsors, we at Blenz Coffee were under very specific VANOC guidelines regarding any discussions and promotions regarding an Olympian, so we felt it was in Maëlle's best interest to wait to post this for the world to see. Now that we have passed that date, we can share some of our thoughts and excitement around Maëlle's great accomplishment.

March is Maëlle Ricker Month around the Blenz World. We have re-introduced the Maëlle Ricker Cup and we want to share with you a really cool online Map we have posted with comments about Maëlle and well about being Canadian. Check out:

http://www.blenzevents.com/canada/

Here is a piece of an E-Mail I wrote to the Blogging Team I am working withat Metro Blenz News Squad. (I will post about this great group of folks later).

My Personal Thoughts About Maëlle Ricker and Winning Gold:

"Yesterday started very early, and we worked our way to Cypress thru the pouring rain to watch the Ladies' Snowboard Cross event - we were one of Maëlle Ricker's main corporate sponsors. Imagine 4000 people huddling under cover made for 100, but we did and we were able to fight off the contenders until the rain stopped. At one point we called it Survivor Cypress! But we were a tough group and we made the cut. Between the rain and the fog, there were many delays, but we sure learned how Snowboard Cross really works.

We were up on the mountain with Adam & Kev, Maëlle's official photogra- phers, and they did get some amazing shots, but I had to keep an eye on them - they were so hyped, I thought they were going to stroke out.

What you don't get from TV is the drama. Maëlle fell on her first quali- fication run. You don't just get the one shot, though! Her second quail- fication run did the trick. Then she had to go thru heats after she made the cut. So we came down to the final race, and Maëlle grabbed the early lead. It was funny - time just stopped and I had a 1 min 25 second "Zen moment". (That's the length of a fast race.) I was glued to the big screen following Maëlle, and I kept repeating "Don't Fall - you have the Gold." She crossed first, then we all lost it, celebrating with High-5's and Oh, Canada, and then came the realization that Maëlle had become the first Canadian woman to win gold on Canadian soil, and she will always have that.

When you sponsor an athlete, particularly one with Olympic aspirations, you first consider the business aspects - how is it good for the Brand?
Then you work thru the rationalization of the investment. Then you really learn what it is all about. Alexandre Bilodeau, when interviewed after his gold medal win, said "no Olympian gets there on their own". It takes a team to do great things.

At that point it became clear to me. We participate because we should when it comes to this type of program. Great things take great teams - like what we are doing on Metro Blenz News. This project is off to an amazing start.
We have the Gold when it comes to Social Media. We at the MBNS are really capturing and telling the story in a way the world has never seen before. Real People, Raw and Relevant. (Thanks, Ms B.)

Thank you, Maëlle, for taking us on your Golden journey. It is one memory that I will never forget..."Whatta Ride!"

George!

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

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 Rich Patterson (@pattersonbrands)

Even before the Olympics began I think most riders agreed the Canada Line was an unqualified success.  One Vancouverite decided that the new transit line deserved its own Pocket Guide to describe the rich experiences available on and around the Canada Line.  I sat down recently to ask author Noam Dolgin about his new book.

RP: Thanks for talking to me about your new transit pocket guide, Canada Line Adventures.  Tell me, why a pocket transit guide?

ND: The Canada Line Project has proven to be one of Vancouver’s most controversial Olympic related projects, yet it is immensely popular moving more than 100,000 residents and tourists daily.  This guide will provide people the resources to more fully access the many offerings of Vancouver and Richmond in an eco-friendly manner.  No matter where one fell in the debate, the line is now complete and provides immense opportunity for personal use and recreation.  Why not take advantage of all it has to offer?

RP: Explain to me how the guide works?

ND: For each station, readers will discover unique neighbourhood highlights, and a self-guided off-the-beaten-track adventure.  At each station, readers will find a restaurant, cafe, bar, entertainment venue, special point of interest, children’s activity, walking tour, heritage buildings, and a suggested picnic spot.  A beautifully designed map of each neighbourhood, directs users through the walking tour and neighbourhood offerings.

RP: Where is the guide available?

ND: The guide can be purchased at 3 Vets at 2200 Yukon Stand various convenience stores and cafes across the line.

RP: What was the highlight of researching this book?  What new things did you discover?

ND: Minoru Park blew my mind, the Chapel, waterfall, bunnies, and so much more in the centre of Richmond, I had no idea.  In my own neighbourhood, I discovered schoolhouse #472, an originally one room school now serving as someone’s backyard shed.  The guide is full of hidden treasures.

RP: What station is a must visit?

ND: Everyone should take the opportunity to explore the airport now that it’s so cheap and easy to get there.  Take in the art, the parks, the observation area, and the general hustle and bustle.  It’s wonderful being there when you don’t have a flight to run off to.

RP: Why you? Why now?

ND: Growing up along Cambie Street, near what is now King Edward Station, I spent a considerable part of my childhood walking, cycling and riding the bus through the neighbourhoods now served by Canada Line.

Author Noam Dolgin onboard Canada Line

My first haircut was on Cambie Street, as well as my first sleepover and first job.

As an environmental educator and advocate, the opening of the Canada Line provided a great opportunity to encourage eco-friendly travel and I was delighted to help promote everything my neighbourhood and the city had to offer.

Rich Patterson, has a twenty years experience in Public Relations, Marketing & Sales. Rich owns a successful Licensing, Apparel & Promotional Product company and is part owner of a social media consultancy based in Vancouver. Contact Rich at rich[at]pattersonbrands.com or follow twitter @pattersonbrands

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 Nicholas Pavlich

The excitement started to build at least an hour before the Olympic flame made its way down Williams Road. People lined the street hoping to get a glimpse of the symbolic fire and, perhaps, snap a photo or two for posterity.

              The residents of Richmond, who lined the roadway near South Arm Community Centre, were all smiles as they breathed in the cold night air and warmly cheered the forerunners, a fleet of RBC, Coca Cola and other trucks. As the convoy of branded trucks passed through, the crowd’s anticipation of what was to come grew noticeably. The wait for the onlookers was much longer than their witness of the torch. No matter, the excitement made it all worthwhile.
             

As a solo plane happened to be flying overhead, the flame with its torchbearer passed by the South Arm Community Centre en route to its final destination of the night, Minoru Park, home to our Olympic Ozone.

Written By: Nicholas Pavlich
Photos By: Nicholas Pavlich
Nicholas Pavlich is a public relations and marketing professional and freelance writer. Nicholas is @NicholasPR on Twitter and can be reached professionally through www.FuelledCommunications.com

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