You can’t plan unexpected moments. And when they occur, they can elevate your life in wondrous ways.
My friend Alison and I reserved Sunday as “play day.” We started the day off early, not wanting to miss a beat. On a whim, we popped onto the Olympic Line streetcar at Granville Island, free during the Olympics, then hopped onto an Aquabus to Yaletown from Monks to further the adventure. We walked the seawall and saw hundreds of Inukshuk lining the entire strip between Edgewater Casino and Creekside Park. They symbolize markers that mean “we were here,” and signify a place in time which is fitting to the Olympic experience of people here for a short time from around the globe. We then walked to Live City Downtown. We arrived at the security gate after a 45 minute lineup, only to stand in another lineup for a half hour to get into the Canada Pavilion. But we were in good spirits and didn’t mind the wait. We then had an unexpected surprise after all that... we had no idea we’d actually get to see the Stanley Cup!

The Stanley Cup

This led us to yet another lineup - for a photo op to hold it - as I pictured myself holding it high above me even though it was almost as big as I was! with two mounties standing beside it. But alas! at exactly 3 pm the wall revolved 180 degrees and we watched it disappear right before our eyes! We missed the photo shot of a lifetime by three minutes. We were told it would be back tomorrow from noon to 3 pm, but three long lineups at that venue was enough.

An outing with a friend allows you to see things you wouldn’t otherwise stop for. We popped into the Vancouver Central Library for a latte at Blenz and lingered in the atrium.

The Wind Tunnel

There were a few interactive art exhibits there. The one that fascinated me was Room to Make Your Peace: 2010 Olympic Truce Project Vancouver 2010, inspired by Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada who challenged all Canadians to respond to the question: In your life or community how do you make your peace? The piece is located on the ground level below the library entrance. After a small lineup, we were given a piece of paper and were instructed to write out what it takes to “make our peace.” The paper is then folded origami-shaped airplane with an LED light placed on the tip, then placed into a plexiglass wind tunnel that whisks the

Entrance to VPL Central Branch

plane high up to the top of the library and out the tunnel, spiralling down onto a net above the library entrance. The pieces blink off and on and become part of the art piece. This was truly an unexpected surprise of the day. It was fun + interactive, with an inspirational message aimed to elevate the human spirit. Indeed it did!

Our second unexpected surprise happened on our way home. After a long day, we hopped onto an Aquabus to Granville Island, then headed back. To our surprise, in an outdoor space near The Net Loft, we caught

Circus West at Granville Island

a circus act of fire jugglers, acrobats, trapeze artists and a unicyclist. We had witnessed the troupe, Circus West in action, a local circus company that teaches aspiring young artists “To Dream Big. Push Limits. Defy Gravity.

Ten Foot Dress at Granville Island

The final unexpected surprise was finding a lit up 10 foot wedding dress house “Buckminster Fuller-style”behind “Kids Only” market. You truly have to see it to believe it. It was another truly unexpected surprise and  added a “magical” finish to an already fabulously fulfilling day.

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Laurie Kingdon, graphic designer | Outside-the-Box Graphics | Print + Web Media

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This post is a part of a photography project we at Nordica Photography are doing throughout the Games. It's called Faces of the Games, and essentially we are taking pictures of various people everyday that have a connection to the Olympics. Everyday we pick a different theme, so there's quite an eclectic collection of faces starting to build! You can read more about the project here.

By Adam and Kev Photography - follow us on Twitter: #adamandkev

Nations unite in their appreciation of Téa's pink amp.

Let's get one thing straight from the start.  It's Téa.  Pronounced Tay-ah.  That said, I might be wrong on the pronounciation.  It just sounds way better coming from the lady herself.

The Serbian-born Kits resident is another star from the Peak Performance Project who put in months of stress, sweat, and song-stuff (I ran out of "s" words - put the Pulitzer on ice) during her journey into the top 20.  She normally performs with a band, but when she strolled into the Blenz on Hastings on a sunny Sunday morning, holding nothing but a small pink battery-power amp, it was up to her and her alone to convince those inside to put down their coffee and enjoy the Téa.  Ouch.

To describe hearing her sing and seeing her play piano is tricky.  It's hypnotic.  Imagine if Amy Winehouse didn't lose her mind, looks, and empathy and your halfway there.  Again, I'm clearly not doing it justice.  Check her out here and save yourself any more of my ramblings:

http://www.teasmusic.com/

More acts to follow in the next couple of days, including a young girl who should go far, and seven girls who recently played to 15,000 people at one of the torch ceromines.  As always, keep an eye on Twtter:

Metro-Blenz News Squad: @metroblenznews

The minds behind the music, Young Executive Music Inc: @YoungExecMusic

And of course, us: @adamandkev

By Adam and Kev Photography – www.adamandkev.com

By Adam and Kev Photography - follow us on Twitter: @adamandkev

Danny Echo

I wasn't entirley sure how this one would go.  When you take a band with a reputation for audacious (read: probably dangerous) show pieces involving pyrotechnics, smoking guitars, and even the odd fire extinguisher, and then strip them of every piece of electrical equipment and put them on a cafe patio at three o'clock on a Saturday afternoon, you have to make sure you insurance is in order.  If they sneak something in, it could all go Backdraft very quickly.

As it turned out, the boys from Danny Echo put on a great accoustic show.  They've had some very recent experience with a very simular idea - as part of their top 20 finish in the Peak Performance Project (if you haven't heard of it, check it out here) they undertook a tour of the GRVD skytrain system.  They made it quite a fair way before security decided it was all a little bit too exciting and sent them on their way.  We did no such thing, as Blenz again played gracious host in Yaletown.

The boys went down very well with the passing crowds - some of whom may have been running from the death metal band playing at one end of the street, or the jazz band playing at the other.  Either way, lots of music and/or coffee lovers found refuge in the heavan created by the boys, though one little kid did seem more interested in his Tonka firetruck.  They left after three songs, and within minutes were putting on another impromtu gig about a block away on the walk back to the car.

Canadians. Good at hockey. Bad at dancing.

Check them out at www.dannyecho.com. We're pretty much doing another show every day next week (two in some cases), so keep an eye on Twitter:

Metro-Blenz News Squad: @metroblenznews

The minds behind the music, Young Executive Music Inc: @YoungExecMusic

And of course, us: @adamandkev

By Adam and Kev Photography – www.adamandkev.com

by @bsainsbury

Even at Myriam Laroche's Eco Fashion Show on Friday night, Olympic red was evident. Red has taken over the city. Today on the 4th Avenue bus there were two very well dressed women wearing their homage to patriotic red. Puffy quilted designer vests, a red silk scarves paired with Rock & Republic jeans and Stiletto boots. I admire anyone who can wander around Granville Island wearing Stiletto boots.

I walked from the Main Street Skytrain station to the Yaletown Skytrain station looking for Olympic Red fashion. The outfits ranged from over the top hockey jersey and matching wigs to the fashionable woman I met near Soich House in her red wool jacket and white Quebec house scarf. The youngest fashionista was out for a walk with her dad in her chic hockey jersey and toque.

Bonnie Sainsbury is a Social Media Strategist and co-founder of Duet Media. She ventured out in non-designer jeans (on sale), a long-sleeved red T-shirt she found in her closet, her favorite black vest with a white fleece scarf (also on sale).

By Jessica Evans

I’m scrambling to finish up work for the day.   I've scored a ticket to the Molson Canadian Hockey House from Molson; they sponsor Timeraiser and donated a few passes for the volunteers.  A text comes in from Jen, the Timeraiser Manager who just arrived at the Hockey House with some of the other volunteers:

“It’s a sea of red here”

Oh no.  I look down.  Purple with grey.  How could I have messed this up?  How can I cheer on Team Canada wearing purple?

My transportation has Canadian colours...

The irony is, Red has played a large part in my life, and many of my friends would identify me with the colour.  I have red glasses, red jackets, red shoes and three red bikes.  One would think that I could put together something a little more Canadian.

I post a self conscious tweet with a picture of my Red and White bike/helmet combo now desperately trying to compensate.

Going to the Molson Canadian Hockey House is a big treat – something I wouldn’t indulge in on my own and I’m grateful for the comp ticket.  It’s actually my first time out in the Olympic mania since the start of the Games; I can see the cauldron from the office, but other than that I'm only out to grab a quick java.  Most of my clients are American, so it's busy-ness as usual.  I seem to have missed the dress code memo.

I navigate my way east, making my way to the Hockey House.  The energy is magnificent;  everyone's smiling and R.E.M's "Shiny Happy People" queues up in my mental playlist.  I bask in the roar of fans while riding by Canada Hockey Place and the VPD officer I approach for directions is very friendly.  He prefaces his instructions with “Well, since you’re on a bike…” , and then directs me through a few pedestrian shortcuts so I can get around the road closures.

Can someone split a piece of that jersey off for me, please?

My comp pass gains me access to the Hockey House and I feel like a little grey grinch treading water in an ocean of red and white.  Someone bumps into me.  It's probably because I'm wearing grey, I think.  This wouldn't happen if I was wearing red.  Or maybe I really should just watch where I'm going.  I seek out one of the employees to get a maple leaf painted on my forehead or something to show I'm Canadian.  I could have brought a prop polar bear, or worn a toque.... what was I thinking?

All in all, the game and the experience was fantastic.  It's "Alberta Night" at the hot dinner buffet so I balance my Molson Canadian with bacon wrapped chicken, a large chunk of beef, and bean salad.  The place is packed, and we're sitting down at the very front watching the game projected above us.  When Team Canada gets a goal,  a gaggle of photographers jump in front to capture shots of the frenzied crowd.   It’s Canada v. Switzerland, which goes through overtime to a shoot out.  I’m biting my nails… sure I’ve been busy at work but an Olympic level hockey shootout?  Now that’s pressure.

Red & White Confetti, FTW

I was expecting the atmosphere of a tied game to be tense, but everyone’s amped up with support.  Chants of CAN-A-DA surge through the crowd.  I’m a bit nervous though.  I turn to Jen – “we have to win this” – she nods.

Crosby gets our winning goal and the crowd … well…. “goes wild” would be a gross understatement.  There’s a popping noise on either side of the stage and we’re showered in confetti.   I thoughtfully cover my drink to protect against digesting one of the papery projectiles and the place turns into a dance party.

I'm part of something Big.  No matter what colour I'm wearing, you can tell who I'm cheering for.

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

Pinballs and Rooms for Rent in Mount Pleasant

By Guacira Naves

I love my neighbourhood - the Mount Pleasant area in Vancouver, on the "other side" of the Cambie and Granville bridges.

It has a character of its own. Shiny, new buildings with endless glass panes have not (as of yet) invaded this area. In fact, my building is probably one of the tallest in the area, and it's only 8 storeys-high. It's an area full of history. According to this page in the City of Vancouver Web site, the area received its name in 1888. Its most important artery is Main Street.

My neighbourhood is strewn with visual jewels everywhere I look. During a recent walk, I captured some images that easily explain Mount Pleasant's charm.

If photographic eye candy is not enough to attract you to my neck of the woods, there are some excellent restaurants on Main Street. Below are my favourites:

- Latitude: when at Latitude, try their lamb shank. I know someone who is used to ordering two portions at once. That's how succulent their rendition of this classic is. Located on 3250 Main Street, between East 16th and East 17th.

Window Detail at Vancouver Architectural Antiques

- The Well: located on 3048 Main Street, this is a spot where I've had several meals - all of them absolutely amazing. Chef Saboor Assadi pours his heart and soul into each dish that he prepares, and it shows. This is a good pick for breakfast, brunch or dinner. On my birthday, he prepared a special platter (with game, beef, vegetables and Israeli couscous), and it was a culinary experience which I will not forget anytime soon.

Special Platter at The Well

Goh Ballet Academy

Continue exploring this side of Vancouver after your meal. For those looking for well-designed, unique and sustainable clothing (that looks stylish without making you look like you're wearing a burlap sack), I highly recommend Body Politic, on East 12th, almost at the corner of Main (208 East 12 Ave, South East corner of 12th & Main). Owner Nicole Ritchie-Oseen is a sweetheart, and will take pleasure in finding a garment that suits your style and body type.

Window at A Baker's Dozen

Afterwards, I recommend walking up to Main and 19th to admire the (sometimes odd) antique findings at A Baker's Dozen (3520 Main Street). Rare have been the occasions when I was able to resist taking photos of their window. More photographic jewels to be had.

Since your stomach might be full, and you might be in need of burning those calories, head to Main and 22nd, where Front & Company is located. If you're looking for an awesome consignment store, this is it. I recently landed a leather jacket at that store for a third of its regular retail price.

Walking now in the opposite direction (North, facing the mountains), cross Broadway and walk one block. On your left-hand side, you'll find one of the most beautiful antique stores that I've ever visited: Vancouver Architectural Antiques (2403 Main Street). Even if you are not planning on making any purchases, it is easy to lose yourself in the beauty of the items.

How to get here: if coming from the downtown core, you have a couple of options:

- Take the new Canada Line SkyTrain heading South (towards Richmond and the Airport), and get off at Broadway-City Hall. Take the 99 B-Line bus, which stops right at the exit of that SkyTrain station. This is an express bus, so you will be getting of at the first stop, which will have you right at the corner of Main and Broadway. From there, just start walking South (on the opposite direction from our snow-capped mountains).

- Take the Expo Line (the older SkyTrain line) from downtown, heading East. Exit at the Main Street - Science World station. When getting off the train, you want to take the stairs that lead you to the side of the street opposite from the Pacific Central Station (which, incidentally, also offers plenty of interesting visuals). Wait for the #3 bus, and get off at the intersection between Main and Broadway.

Welcome to my Mount Pleasant. You'll be tempted to make it yours, too.

Guacira Naves is the founder of The Online Strategy House. She's an online marketing pioneer with 19 years of professional history with the Internet and 13 years of experience as an online marketing strategist.  She serves on the board of the Social Media Club Vancouver. Follow her on Twitter (@OnlineStrategy) or find her at OnlineStrategy.ca

-by Adam and Kev Photography

Besides all the flag waving, all the cheers in the streets, all the hi fives with strangers and foreigners, besides all that fun is the endless stream of musical performances going on while the Olympics continues to build in Vancouver. There are bands performing in the streets, at cafes, at the Live City sites and all the regular favorite venues are packed up with great shows.

On February 16th and 17th East Van's rockers Mongoose opened up for Los Angeles' Steel Panther. Adam and Kev were there on the 17th to catch these guys rocking it like they always do. With stage presence in abundance, RC, Shockk and Johnny Wildkat got the crowd warmed up and ready for the glam rock/heavy metal parody band from LA to do their thing.

Mongoose's next live show is April 8th at the Biltmore (www.biltmorecabaret.com). Check em out. Follow them on the their myspace page http://www.myspace.com/mongooserocks.

Adam and Kev are commercial photographers based out of Vancouver. Among other types of work they also shoot musicians - they love shooting musicians. Check out their work at www.adamandkev.com and follow them on twitter at @adamandkev.

Yesterday I came across a retweet by social media pundit and cartoonist Rob Cottingham, referencing a blog by Seattle-based cartoonist David Horsey.  In the post, David talks about being scammed by an individual who gave him a hard luck story and asked for money for transportation.

I realized with a start that my husband and I were also victims of the same man.  He had stopped us on West Georgia in front of the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, asking if we could give him enough money to get him to the airport.  He said that his money, passport, etc. had been stolen from him and he needed to get back to the US. I think he took us for tourists because I had a camera and my husband was looking at a map - only because we're still new to town and he was double-checking our location.

He was believable enough that we gave him $4 - a small sum, to be sure, but I felt just as shamefaced as if I had given him $20.  How could I be taken like that?

The fact is, it's all too easy.  Our natural inclination to be kind and compassionate can overwhelm our common sense sometimes.  But I've learned a few valuable lessons.

• I will make sure we walk briskly, with confidence as if we know exactly what we're doing and are totally comfortable with our surroundings. Scammers are less likely to hit on locals.
• We won't pull out a map in public. Instead, we'll find a hotel lobby, coffee shop, library, restaurant, etc. where it won't be so obvious.
• If someone assumes I'm a tourist because I have my camera, I'll say I'm 'on assignment' (which, of course, I am!)
• It's unfortunate, but I personally am not going to stop when approached.  The longer you engage with this kind of person, the more likely you'll be to give money.

Hope this experience of ours will help others out there who, like me, would rather trust.  It's disheartening that we can't do that, particularly during major events like the Olympics.

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

I asked a student recently if he used Twitter. His response was that Twitter was useless and he preferred Facebook. I asked the student next to him the same question and she replied that she uses Twitter all the time and connects her Twitter account to her Facebook status updates and enables geo-tagging to update her location to Twitter – she was in the 9th Grade.

This week has been exciting in Vancouver, a number of events shaping this city with thousands of tourists, dignitaries, police and locals bumping into one another.

I bumped into Tony Hawk the legendary skateboarder today; he’s much taller in person than on television.

I used this event to ponder how many people were conversing via social media at that given moment, sending pictures, updating Facebook and Flickr while trying to absorb all the action occurring around the Winter Olympics.

In this moment, I recognised that the world was literally everywhere and their homes were incredibly open and connected to the moments we were all experiencing. I recalled my conversations with those students and feared that their exuberance and connectivity may not be creating the same happy moments in the long term.

Who was following their tweets or status updates?

Who was reviewing the pictures without knowing the person who was uploading the content in person?

I have been delivering a message of online privacy awareness for the past few years and I have seen fantastic results in my work but I reviewed my thoughts today the same way I do every day, in a proactive and protected thought process where I minimize my risk of becoming a victim.

I invite you to take a look at www.pleaserobme.com - A website designed to review content on Twitter and Foursquare that purposely reveals how a person makes their world vulnerable, where they welcome a number of paths to becoming a victim and where our social networking world has taken a disturbing turn.

I have always challenged my audiences to review their habits and comments online and look at the vulnerability they are becoming available to. Although this website is delivering a tongue-in-cheek message, it has shown the world a very scary possibility for the social media we love and at times abuse.

If we lock our doors, cancel newspaper deliveries, let the neighbours know we’re out of town and ask for a mail pick-up, what happens when our children post to Facebook and Twitter that we have left the home and won’t return for a week or a few days, or even a few hours for that matter?

How do we stay safe while staying connected?

I welcome your thoughts.

Jesse Miller

www.millerconsultingservices.ca

(Submitted by Marilyn Anderson, Duet Media)

That was precisely the dilemma faced by two young friends of mine  - here's their adventure tale.

It was a dark and stormy night.....well, OK, maybe not quite...but this saga did begin on Tuesday evening with Donald Sutherland giving two tickets to Wednesday's Mens' Half-Pipe event to the mother of an enthusiastic snowboard fan.  That fan, her teenaged daughter, immediately responded by calling her close friend/fellow boarder....and the plan was hatched.

Parents approved, transport tickets were acquired and the girls were delivered to the Transport bus area, tickets to Cypress Mountain in hand.  That's also where the fun begins, as the bus they board turns out to be headed for Whistler.  Now, these Olympic buses are not on your usual route; they don't make stops to let people off or on, they don't change direction, and they go up to the event location for the beginning of a competition event....and only come back after it is all done.  In other words, the girls were hooped for the Half-Pipe........'prisoners on a bus'.

Believe me, no one can be more emphatic about a 'perilous situation' than a girl on a bus heading AWAY from Shaun White!  Frantic calls to Mom ensue, leading Mom #2 to call Olympic Transport for help.  It was not quite as easy as that, as the 'helpful' volunteers were adamant that the bus was going to Whistler - as scheduled - with no way off, anywhere along the way.

Fortunately, no one is also more persuasive than a girl on a bus heading  AWAY from Shaun Miller, and our two fans were gratefully deposited near the McDonald's in Squamish.  Now a new dilemma (more calls to Mom #2) because they were no longer headed for Whistler....but had no way back right then!  Poor Mom - in the middle of her own busy work day - trying to sort all this out!

Have no fear: an official VANOC car pulls into the Squamish parking lot and the girls ask for help.......leading them to join a family and driver who delivered them right to their Cypress site!  Now that's a great story! but it doesn't end there.

Not only did they wind up on the right mountain - no mean feat, in itself - but they got to see their hero Shaun White win Olympic gold, and had a fantastic time!!  (Happy Ending #2: Mom #2 survived, as well.  I got this call at ~ 11 PM). Cheers!

Marilyn Anderson is a Communications Strategist and Co-Founder of Duet-Media

Last night I went to check out Buck 65 at Live City downtown.  I got there a few hours early and found the line ups a lot faster then I anticipated.

The venue was at capacity but when I got inside there was a group called Fresh I.E. on stage who are Christian rappers from Winnipeg.  I grabbed a spot at the front of the stage and took some shots of these guys, who sang about life changes from what I gathered.

It was clear that people were pumped to see Buck 65 as the area in front of the stage became packed quickly when Fresh IE named their last song.  The audience was ecstatic when Buck 65 finally walked on stage.  He played two amazingly entertaining songs at the start of his set, one about Zombies and the other with reference to Michael Jackson.  Both he mentioned were new but it didn't deter the crowd in the least.  Part way through the show someone handed him a stack of fake money which he proceeded to share with the audience and went into a tune about what a nice guy he is.  This was my first time seeing him play live and I thought he was incredibly charismatic and appreciative of his cheering fans.  He signed autographs and grabbed reaching hands, and played several additional encore songs, even when he lost power to his laptop, he used his finger to tap the mic for a beat and rapped over top.  I thoroughly enjoyed the show and by the force that held me up against the stage wall throughout the concert, I believe that was the general consensus!

I grabbed some footage of a few of his songs and posted one below of the last song before his encore:

Article & imagery by Leigh Righton

Follow on twitter: @madmannequin Website: www.madmannequin.com

By: Nicholas Pavlich

Those of us in the know, or those in attendance lucky enough to stumble upon Jewish Reggae-star Matisyahu, Monday night in concert, at LiveCity Yale Town, revelled in a performance that won’t be forgotten anytime soon. Even the pouring rain couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd that cheered in excitement as Matisyahu, took the stage.  New York City based artist wowed the audience with his unique blend of reggae grooves, Torah-inspired lyrics and hip-hop-beat boxing, all accompanied by a three-piece electric band. The show closed on a high note with the famed star performing his hit, pop-soul song, One Day.

Written By: Nicholas Pavlich
Video By: thekitsguy on Youtube
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

Probably one of the best things to do during the Winter Games 2010 is to just walk around downtown Vancouver. This evening, the first evening of men's hockey, I had the chance to do just that. It is incredible to feel the energy in the air and to hear the shouts of glory from every goal scored.
On this evening we started, a friend and I, from Waterfront Station and headed west. Go west, young man, go west. (Or, in my case, woman.) Our first destination was the Olympic cauldron. The first time I saw the cauldron in person was during the day on Saturday. I must admit that seeing it at dusk is probably the best time. It is magnificent. I am proud that Vancouver gets to keep this symbol because it is a beautiful piece of art and, coming from an art college graduate, that is saying something.

Cauldron by greysquare photographics

Of course a hop skip and jump from the cauldron is the floating Olympics rings in the harbour so we photographed that as well. Maybe not as magnificent as the cauldron but impressive non-the-less because of what it represents.
What I found really fascinating photographing in this area was the way people were trying to all get the 'good' angle yet were very nice about the whole thing; taking turns and helping people out by taking stranger's portraits. It is amazing what can bring the people of the world together.
I just had to take this next shot because in Vancouver all our cranes seem to get in the spirit of any occasion and the Olympics is quite the occasion to celebrate. I wonder if this happens in the rest of the world.

Celebration Crane by greysquare photographics

From here we headed on to Robson Street and found it had a 'few' people there. This is nothing unusual and I am enjoying having the street closed to traffic during the evening. I wonder who I have to talk with to lobby having this a regular thing on the weekends? I noticed the hot dog vendors are doing excellent business and I am happy that they are making good money with their wares. I know we all have our favourites and I am sad when ‘my’ vendor isn’t there.

Robson Street by greysquare photographics

At Robson Square we went down stairs, under the street, to see what was going on. There are performances happening there every night on two stages. We happened to catch the Richmond Academy of Dance and their tap dance performers.
What Robson Square is most popular for is the ice skating which is surprisingly very inexpensive. I think it is $3 for rentals! We had just missed the mascot skate which would have been fun to see. I have always wondered how anyone can skate in one of those costumes. It is quite a large rink and has excellent viewing potential if you want to bring the kiddies but not skate yourself.

Richmond Academy of Dance by greysquare photographics

The Usual Suspects by greysquare photographics

Ice Rink by greysquare photographics

Free Skate by greysquare photographics

Once we were done photographing at the rink I realized I had not yet spent the time to photograph the count down clock donated to Vancouver that is on the other side of the Art Gallery. So we headed over to Georgia and had a great time photographing there. The fountain is all back lit and made for some fun shots and the clock is now counting up from the opening ceremonies. I wonder if it will count down to the paralympic games then count up during those games as well.
By now we were chilly so we headed over to Blenz on Granville just north of Georgia. Mmmmmm, soy chai latté!

Olympic Clock on Georgia by greysquare photographics

Vancouver Art Gallery by greysquare photographics

Backlit by greysquare photographics

Pacific Centre Polar Bears by greysquare photographics

Once we were properly warmed we headed south on Granville to check out the lit art between Georgia and Robson. I am loving those lanterns! Every time I see them I feel joyful. They are so much fun and people love stomping around on the lantern tree base because it makes so much noise. The last time I was at the lanterns I remember it vividly because Alexandre Bilodeau won gold for Men’s Freestyle Skiing. The cheering in the streets was so exciting and filled the street with such energy that it was contagious. So, those lanterns are etched in my memory forever.

Lanterns by greysquare photographics

Odd Signage by greysquare photographics

Lanterns by greysquare photographics

Art by greysquare photographics

Lanterns by greysquare photographics

Lanterns by greysquare photographics

I had a great time tonight and I look forward to doing the walkabout this Saturday up at Whistler.
GO, Canada, GO!

by Lara Hildebrandt

greysquare photographics

This post is a part of a photography project we at Nordica Photography are doing throughout the Games. It's called Faces of the Games, and essentially we are taking pictures of various people everyday that have a connection to the Olympics. Everyday we pick a different theme, so there's quite an eclectic collection of faces starting to build! You can read more about the project here.

Peaceful protesters, peaceful party-goers – It’s all good in our books. So for today’s theme, we’re throwing on our diplomacy hat and giving them equal exposure on our Faces of the Games site.

The masked man on the left was out front of the Vancouver Art Gallery during a anti-Games protest last week. It was a raucous affair indeed! One tip that a little bird whispered in our ear though somewhere along the line is that un-masked protesters are apparently more respected then masked ones. Go figure.

The lovely girl on the right was part of an equally raucous – yet fun-lovin’ – in Yaletown right before opening ceremonies. They were waving the kind of ‘fun flag’ that is blowing over the entire city!