Keep it under your hat…
February 10, 2010
According to my friend Wikipedia, Vancouver gets nearly 5 inches of rain in February. Hence, my recent obsession with knit caps.
I started collecting them right around the time I found out I was going to the 2010 Olympics.
I know.
It’s impressive. Impressively….frightening. Afterall, I only have one head.
Turns out, I’m not the only one planning ahead for bad hair days.
Saviors
February 10, 2010
Aixa and I would not have made it through the day without the kindness of strangers. People like Bob.
Bob drives a sight seeing trolly in Stanley Park. Bob tells us this is the second largest park in North America.
We went to Stanley Park to find a the best view of Vancouver and on our way some helpful travellers told us about a scenic overlook. But, the overlook was a 45 min, uphill hike from where the bus droped us off. Ten minutes into this scenic, yet painfull, hike Bob drove by. We looked longingly, at the trolley, wishing we could be on it … and then it stopped.
Bob saw we were struggling and told us to hop onboard. He wisked us up the the top of Stanley Park, were we found this…
So, on the way back down we got a little lost. (Which is easy, seeing how the park is bigger than Central Park) Seeing our confusion, a Vancouver native stoped to offer us some assistance before continuing on his way.
We’re off again when up from behind us comes our next saviour, Dave. He was so concerned that his directions were not clear enough that he came back to walk us to our destination.
Stuff like that happens everywhere you go. Cheers to the kindness of strangers.
Medal Worthy Meal!
February 10, 2010
Today, Jamie (you know him by now — my photographer and trusty sidekick) and I went to “Opus Hotel” in Vancouver to shoot a story about Olympic-themed food and drinks, which seem to be a trend at restaurants, bars, and hotels across Vancouver. The chef at Elixir Restaurant at the hotel made us a platter of Olympic inspired appetizers.
Check out our favorite!
-Aixa
Going Underground on the SkyTrain
February 10, 2010
Vancouver's SkyTrain
Each day, I take the SkyTrain from my hotel in Richmond to our workspace in Vancouver. The route I ride is called the Canada Line. It opened in 2009 and was created specifically to support the passenger traffic for the 2010 Winter Olympics.
I am fascinated by the SkyTrain for two reasons: 1) I like mass transit when it makes my life more efficient. If it can get me from A to B with little effort, I’m a fan. 2.) Its name. The SkyTrain I ride spends more time underground than it does above! This just does not jibe.
Headed Underground
With 42.7 miles of track, the SkyTrain is the longest automated rapid-transit system in the world. Most of the trains run on elevated tracks. (Aha! That’s where it gets its name!) But on the Canada Line, only four of the 13 stations are above ground.
The Canada Line consists of 20 trains. Each two-car train can reach a top speed of 50 miles per hour. Each train can seat 88 people, but that number jumps to 334 if everyone is crammed in like sardines.
Onboard the SkyTrain
Government leaders, thinking of how government employees work, determined it was too expensive to install turnstiles or ticket counters. Instead, it’s the honor system, with a few cops randomly checking people to verify they purchased tickets.
Travis
I’ve Got Them!
February 9, 2010
This is my fourth Olympics, and one thing that never changes is my obsession with Olympic souvenirs. I don’t quite know why considering the only time I ever use them is during the Games and possibly the first week after I get home. But I still love the thrill of finding that extra special item that will bring back all the great memories of the Games.
Well, I knew that THE hot item of the Vancouver Olympics was the red mittens. I don’t quite know why because they aren’t the most practical things, but you have to admit they’re cute. And, with rumors of shortages all over the city, I knew I had to act fast. So, I started to craft an elaborate battle plan to get my mittens before the throngs of Olympics fans started to arrive. I had alerted my team members to my quest, and told them to be on the lookout. I thought this was going to be a time consuming mission, and I would need all the help I could get.
Well, I didn’t realize my mission would end so abruptly, one floor up from our workspace. That’s right. It appears the mittens are the hot item, but they are practically selling them on every street corner. So, reporter Brian Hickey and photographer Michael Rhinehart found my little treasure in the gift shop of the International Broadcasting Center. I was so excited when they surprised me with their purchase.
I have to admit I’m kind of bummed I can’t tell you a great story about what I had to do to get the coveted hand wear. But at this point, I’m going home with my mittens, and that’s all that matters, right??
Now, what can I obsess over next?
Oh, to be an Olympian!
February 9, 2010
One of the perks of being an Olympic athlete? Free stuff … lots!Check out some of the Ralph Lauren (official outfitter of Team USA) gear the athletes receive right after they land in Vancouver.
Opening/Closing Ceremony Outfits
This complimentary shopping spree is the athletes’ first stop once they arrive. Not a bad way to kick off the Olympic experience!
Check out Central Florida’s Caydee Denney (Figure Skating Pairs) in one of her many new jackets!
Go Caydee!
It was really neat to see so many first-time Olympic athletes take it all in, as they were outfitted head to toe in designer duds!
More on this story on the news Friday morning! Please tune in!
-Aixa
The Phone That Saved the Day!
February 9, 2010
Figuring out mass transportation in a new city can be challenging. We take the Sky Train every day to and from work, but today my photographer Jamie and I needed to take the train THEN a bus. We were headed to Stanley Park — a beautiful, lush park on the west side of the city. We thought we knew how to get there, but quickly realized, we were lost.
But thanks to some helpful police officers, we learned the train stations have these phones!
You pick up and a helpful operator is on the other end of the line, waiting to answer your questions. All I had to do was tell her where I was, where I wanted to go, and she handled the rest! Told us where to walk to catch the bus we wanted, and alas, she was right!
It also turns out helpful people are everywhere here in Vancouver. Thanks Canada!
-Aixa
Meeting Mr. Olympics
February 9, 2010
I love the Olympics. I really, really love the Olympics.
It’s the first thing I Google when I get up in the morning. And, considering I get up at 1:30am for work, I’m an “early rising, loving the Olympics” kind of girl. As a result, I store a lot of random Olympic-dom in my cranium.
But, there’s a guy who has me beat.
Jeff Lee is a reporter for The Vancouver Sun. He’s covered the Olympics every single day for nearly eight years. That’s a lot of faster, higher, stronger.
We met on Twitter. How 2010 is that? We met today for an interview and a meeting of the Olympic loving mutual admiration society. Thanks Jeff and good luck finding something to do after the Closing Ceremony.
