Olympic Crowds Congregate in Downtown Vancouver

Vancouverites are quick say that our city is among the most beautiful in the world. We're equally eager to make sure you know that the Economist Intelligence Unit repeatedly rates us at the World's Most Livable City. We think everyone should add a Vancouver visit to their "Bucket List."

Remember the saying, "Be careful what you ask for. You might get it"?

We got what we asked for.

Lineups Everywhere

It seems that everybody in the world has converged on Vancouver, and they're all standing in a line somewhere. I've never seen so many people here before. I've never seen so many people anywhere before. Our unseasonable sunshine is drawing people into the city who would otherwise stay home and watch events on television.

On Saturday night, more than 50,000 people milled around Robson Square in downtown Vancouver. 50,000 in one small area! I lived most of my life in a city that had 38,000 people! On Sunday, it got worse. The crowds were so heavy that the media dubbed it Super Sunday.

Visiting Atlantic Canada House

Personally, I got my fill of Olympic crowds on Friday, the weekend's slowest day. On Friday morning, I hopped onto Seabus and ventured across the Burrard Inlet. My plan was to catch the Canada Line Skytrain to the Olympic Village Station then transfer to the Bombadier Streetcar, a free streetcar that transports passengers from the station to Granville Island. Granville Island is currently home to the Atlantic Canada House and the French Quarter attractions.

At first, all went according to plan. I arrived at Olympic Village Station then found that boarding the streetcar meant a short wait in line. Four or five athletes from the Czech Republic created a buzz of excitement by boarding the streetcar with us. When we disembarked at Granville Island, I managed to snap a rear view picture of a couple of the athletes.

I soon encountered my first serious lineup. I wanted to attend the Food Tasting at Atlantic Canada House. Rumor had it they were serving samples of lobster and were selling shots of Newfie Screech. Newfie Screech is a particularly strong liquor for which Newfoundland is famous. Perhaps infamous is a better word.

However, I was to remain Screech-less. I was told that the 11:30 a.m. food tasting was sold out but I could get in line to attend the Atlantic Canada House Revue. The wait was about an hour, but the friendly workers invited us to slip inside and sample an Atlantic oyster while we stood in line. The outstanding production made it worth the wait. A small troupe of performers from the Atlantic Provinces entertained with music, song, stories and dance. The half hour revue was over all too quickly.

Next, back to the food tasting lineup. I gave up upon discovering that people were now lining up for the 5:30 p.m. food tasting. It was a little past noon.

Similarly, I gave up trying to get in the House of Switzerland. Finding lunch of any sort was a challenge on Granville Island that day. The ever-popular Public Market and the various restaurants on the Island were all busy, busy, busy. I gave up and decided to head back to downtown Vancouver.

This turned out to be easier said than done. The lineup to the Bombadier Streetcar was long. The line moved surprisingly quickly, however, and I was in the vehicle after only a 10- or 15-minute wait. Once back at Olympic Station, I was amazed to see a huge lineup of people waiting to buy a ticket for the Skytrain. And that was just to buy a ticket; getting on the train would mean a second wait in line.

After considering my options, I decided to walk across the Cambie Street Bridge, which would take me to the outer edges of downtown Vancouver. From there, I would find my way to the Olympic attractions in Yaletown.

It meant walking quite a distance, but to me, walking for an hour is more interesting than standing in one spot for an hour and a half.

Lineups at LiveCity Yaletown

Eventually, I maneuvered my way through ever-increasing crowds of people until I came to Yaletown. Somewhat sheepishly, I asked a tourist where the attractions were. I have discovered that when it comes to Olympic attractions, the tourists are more knowledgeable than the locals.

En route, I passed the Roundhouse Community Center, host to the Casa Italia pavilion. No lineups, surprisingly, so I went in. Casa Italia was selling high-end sportswear, sporting equipment and objects d'art. It was all beautiful, but not in my price range.

After leaving Casa Italia, I worked my way to LiveCity Yaletown, which is touted as "the place to be." It may be the place to be, but I wouldn't know. The lineup snaked around for blocks and blocks. Until that day, the longest lineup I had ever seen was in Paris when art lovers queued for blocks to see a Monet art exhibit. That lineup paled in comparison to this one.

Deciding this was no place for me, I wandered down a side street where I encountered a group of costumed Aboriginals entering a side door specifically for entertainers, employees, volunteers and special guests. The costumes were cool. I took pictures. I figure that's the closest I'm going to get to the inside of LiveCity Yaletown.

That was Friday, the quietest day of the weekend. On Saturday, a young women reported on television that she had waited in line for over 10 hours to take a picture of the Olympic Cauldron.

I'm glad I visited the cauldron on a rainy day when the lines were short. I hear the rains are returning later in this week. We don't call our city "Raincouver" for nothing.