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Fresh from Vancouver
December 2009

In This Issue



NOT INTO WATCHING SPORTS? TOP FIVE ACTIVITIES DURING 2010 WINTER GAMES

Grouse Ski

During the 2010 Olympic Winter Games there will be hundreds of opportunities to catch the spirit without tickets to a sporting event. Here are five options to get you started. To see our full list of ten ideas, click here.

1. Explore the Aboriginal Pavilion
Housed in a temporary Coast Salish longhouse and topped by a 65-metre high, air-supported multi-media sphere, the Aboriginal Pavilion welcomes visitors to learn about the arts, crafts, food, stories and culture of Canada's first people. Special theme days will showcase contemporary Aboriginal culture including Inuit throat signing, Métis jigging and First Nations hoop dancing. 
 

2. Ski and board 24/7 on Grouse Mountain
If you've always wanted to hit the slopes at midnight or watch a live broadcast of NBC's Today show, here's your chance. Each Olympic morning (Monday to Friday), beginning at 4 am local time, Today will broadcast from the top of Grouse Mountain. During the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, the mountain and all its snow and dining facilities will remain open 24/7. Can you say party?

3. Enjoy the Vancouver Art Gallery, for free
The Government of British Columbia will house its pavilion on the fourth floor of the Vancouver Art Gallery. Thanks to this arrangement, admission to the Gallery will be free during the Olympic Winter Games. Plan to immerse yourself in three special exhibits. 

   • "Visions of British Columbia: A Landscape Manual" explores the breadth
      and depth of BC's visual art
   • "Leonardo da Vinci: The Mechanics of Man" presents some of the most
      important anatomic drawings in history
   • "Visceral Bodies" in which 18 contemporary artists investigate the human
      form.

4. Write a message at the Bamboo Welcome Gates
Visit Zodiac Square in Vancouver's historic Chinatown during the 2010 Winter Games and write a Welcome World Wish for an athlete or a country. Wishes will be placed in vibrant red, water-resistant envelopes in the Bamboo Welcome Gates and read every day from 9 am to 9 pm.

5. Figure skate in downtown Vancouver
Bust out a few figure skating moves on the outdoor ice skating rink at Robson Square (below street level at the corner of Robson and Howe Streets). Re-opening in time for the 2010 Winter Games, GE Ice Plaza will feature free, fun athletic demonstrations, family events and BC-focused entertainment.


VANCOUVER NAMED "BEST CITY IN THE AMERICAS"

CN Traveler

Readers of Condé Nast Traveler magazine have again voted Vancouver "Best City in the Americas" at their annual Readers' Choice Awards. Vancouver won the top spot over Buenos Aires and Quebec City.

The poll divides cities into six specific geographical divisions including the Americas, which covers Canada, Central America and South America. Cities are scored on ambience, friendliness, culture and sites, restaurants, lodging, and shopping, to give a final ranking. This award is at the top of a long list of accolades that Vancouver has received in recent years. Vancouver was previously named "Best City in the Americas" by Condé Nast Traveler readers in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Click here to read the full news release, and here to see Vancouver's full list of accolades.
   



CULTURAL OLYMPIAD HOT TICKET LIST

Steve Earle

Move over sports; culture will be taking over Vancouver leading up to, and during, the 2010 Winter Games. Cultural Olympiad 2010 is a multidisciplinary festival showcasing the best in Canadian and international arts and pop culture. The 60-day festival (January 22 to March 21) features an extensive program including more than 600 ticketed and free performances with exhibitions in 60 venues across Metro Vancouver and the Sea to Sky corridor. Wondering what the hot tickets are? Here are our top five music, dance and theatre picks. Cultural Olympiad tickets are available through www.vancouver2010.com/culturalolympiad.

Music
1. Feist (Canada) -- February 17, Orpheum Theatre
Canadian singer-songwriter famous for her "One, two, three, four" song.

2. Stars (Canada) -- February 19, Orpheum Theatre
Atmospheric, literary pop music in advance of the release of their new record this spring.

3. Steve Earle and Joel Plaskett (USA, Canada) -- January 23, Orpheum Theatre
Collaboration between the "saviour of country music" Steve Earle and genre-bending showman Joel Plaskett.

4. Kid Koala (Canada) -- February 12, Great Northern Way Campus
Vancouver-born DJ who has opened for the likes of Radiohead and Bjork.

5. Hal Willner's Neil Young Project (Canada) -- February 18, Queen Elizabeth Theatre
All-star band, led by members of Broken Social Scene, celebrate Canadian rock icon Neil Young.

Dance
1. Joni Mitchell's The Fiddle and the Drum (Canada) -- January 22 to 24, Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Alberta Ballet performs to music by Joni Mitchell in a dazzling ballet performance.

2. Cloud Gate Dance Theatre (Taiwan) -- February 5 & 6, Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Innovative and fluid dance performance called "a meditation" by the New York Times.

3. Mascall Dance: White Spider (Canada) -- March 12 & 13, Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre
An innovative blend of dance and mountain climbing athletics.

4. Dance Marathon (Canada) -- February 9 to 13, Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre
A participatory show inspired by the genuine American dance marathons of the 1930s.

5. Poetics: a ballet brut (USA) -- February 27 to 30, Roundhouse Community Arts and Recreation Centre
Performers with a complete lack of formal dance training present do-it-yourself theatre at its most mischievous.

Theatre/Opera
1. Robert Lepage: The Blue Dragon (Canada) -- various dates in February, Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre at SFU Woodward's
Directed by Robert Lepage, the play is set in the paradox that is modern China.

2. Nixon in China (Canada) -- March 13, 16, 18, 20, Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Vancouver Opera tells the story of Nixon's historic visit to China in 1972.

3. BASH'd: A Gay Rap Opera (Canada) -- February 16 to 20, Historic Theatre at The Cultch
Irreverent rapping troubadours skewer stereotypes with swaggering comedic flair.

4. NEVERMORE: The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allen Poe (Canada) -- Various dates between January 21 and February 6, Arts Club - Granville Island Stage
A revealing psychology of the man whose haunting comic writings continue to resonate.

5. Fear of Flight (Canada) -- February 9 to 14, Historic Theatre at The Cultch
A movement and musical spectacle that tracks 14 nervous passengers on a bumpy transcontinental flight.


TWO HOTELS TO OPEN BEFORE 2010 WINTER GAMES

Fairmont PR

Over the past couple of years, Vancouver has seen a number of new hotels pop up around the city, and even more properties that have undergone extensive renovations and upgrades. And there's still more to come! In the 100 days before the start of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, the city will see two new hotels open in the heart of downtown.

• The Fairmont Pacific Rim, located opposite the new West Building of the Vancouver Convention Centre, will officially open in January 2010, with 400 guestrooms. The rooftop swimming pool has a private outdoor terrace with meditation pods, hot tubs, fire pits and cabanas. The "Bucket List" Chairman's Suite, nicknamed the Rock Star suite for its private elevator and elegant entertaining options includes a custom 8'-long Swarovski crystal chandelier that cascades over the two-storey salon, with a private exercise area and outdoor patio with space for 60 people. 

• The
Coast Coal Harbour Hotel, located just blocks from the waterfront between the Vancouver Convention Centre and Stanley Park, is slated to open in winter 2010, prior to the 2010 Winter Games, with 220 rooms. The hotel will feature a landscaped roof deck with an outdoor lap pool and hot tub. 


BC PLACE STADIUM TO GET RETRACTABLE ROOF BY 2011

BC Place Night

Vancouver's BC Place Stadium (venue for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games) will get a new roof by 2011. The roof will be the largest cable-supported, retractable fabric roof in the world, being able to be opened or closed in just 20 minutes. The $458 million project will be completed by the summer of 2011, in time to host the Grey Cup. BC Place Stadium, already home to the Canadian Football League's BC Lions, will also be home to Vancouver's recently announced new Major League Soccer franchise. The stunning design is being applauded by Vancouverites. Click here to see a YouTube video presentation of the new roof.
www.bcplacestadium.com


WIND TURBINE CREATES QUIET REVOLUTION ON GROUSE MOUNTAIN

TS WindRevolution No gears, minimal noise, hypnotic rotation, and independent, wholly sustainable energy. A quiet revolution is underway at Grouse Mountain now that their 65-metre "The Eye of the Wind" energy tower (wind turbine) has been erected on the mountaintop. Though the structure won't be fully operational or guest accessible until January (in time for the 2010 Winter Games), the final result will be an operating generator producing about 20 per cent of Grouse Mountain's total energy requirements and the highest observation deck in the city. The glassed-in observation deck called "viewPOD" will hold 37 people at an elevation of 1,280 metres. Visitors will get to The Eye of the Wind by taking a tram, then chairlift up the mountain, followed by a short walk to the wind turbine. The final step will be an elevator up the 65-metre tower. The wind turbine is visible from most parts of Vancouver and in the few short weeks it has been erected, has already become somewhat of a Vancouver landmark.
www.grousemountain.com

MOLSON CANADIAN HOCKEY HOUSE TO BE HOCKEY HUB

Molson Molson Canadian Hockey House, at Concord Place Exposition and Activity Zone, will be the hockey hub for fans to gather at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The unprecedented venue will feature 80,000 square feet of club, dining and entertainment areas, complete with VIP sections, giant high-def screens, celebrities, hockey legends and heroes from Team Canada past and present, and live music to take you on into the night. Four-day passes to Molson Canadian Hockey House start at $1,700 CAD and include complimentary beverages, gourmet food (provided by Wolfgang Puck Catering) and live nightly entertainment. Multi-day passes are transferable between days and include in/out privileges. Visit the Molson Canadian Hockey House website to see a virtual fly-through of the space and to hear a welcome by Canadian band, the Barenaked Ladies.

VANCOUVER WELCOMES GOOGLE STREET VIEW

Google As Host City for the 2010 Winter Games, Vancouver will welcome over a quarter of a million visitors. To help visitors better plan their trips and locate Olympic venues and popular attractions, the City of Vancouver and Tourism BC partnered with Google to provide a Vancouver Street View mapplet showcasing the city. Street View on Google Maps lets users virtually explore neighbourhoods using panoramic street-level images. For a special feature mini map of Vancouver click here.

2010 WINE FESTIVAL TO SHOWCASE ALTITUDE, LATITUDE, AND ATTITUDE

Wf Home Background The Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival will mark its 32nd year with a celebration of the wines of Argentina and New Zealand and a global focus on rosé wine. The festival, which runs from April 19 to 25, 2010, will bring a record 197 participating wineries to the new Vancouver Convention Centre. Top Vancouver restaurants and hotels will participate in hosting seven days of tastings, seminars, and wine-focused events in the city. More than 1,700 wines will be poured to a projected 25,000 attendees. The Playhouse Wine Festival is one of the biggest and oldest wine festival events in the world. A full list of participating wineries is now available on the Playhouse Wine Festival website.
www.playhousewinefest.com

NEW EXPERIMENTAL THEATRE AT WOODWARD'S

SFU Woodwards The new Woodward's re-development in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside will be home to The Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre -- an intimate black-box theatre with a flexible seating arrangement that can accommodate a myriad of stage configurations and audiences of up to 450. The theatre will be run by Simon Fraser University's School for the Contemporary Arts, which relocates from Burnaby to the new Woodward's development in early 2010. Public programming at the Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre will open with Robert Lepage's The Blue Dragon/Le Dragon Bleu in February 2010 as part of Cultural Olympiad 2010.
www.sfu.ca/woodwards/

VANCOUVER CHARACTER PROFILE

 Las Lenas 2 011 (75) 

Maëlle Ricker, Olympic snowboarder

Maëlle Ricker's parents called her "Mighty Mouse" when she was a child. Now, after eight knee surgeries and a grueling competition schedule leading up to the 2010 Winter Games, this two-time Olympian may be ready for a new nickname. "Bionic Woman" perhaps?

Ricker, a determined and down-to-earth snowboard cross competitor, has lost track of how many times she's been on a World Cup podium ("I think it's 15," she said during the interview for this article, "but you'd have to check"). The count is already rising this season with a first place finish in the first race of the 2009-2010 FIS snowboard cross season in September, in Argentina.

We caught up with Ricker via telephone earlier this year to talk about Vancouver and the upcoming 2010 Olympic Winter Games.

You were born in Whistler and raised in North Vancouver. What were some of your favourite things to do growing up?
Definitely mountain biking and hiking. There are so many great trails on the North Shore mountains.

What do you do with friends who come to visit for a weekend?
We love getting up into the mountains. We also like renting cruiser bikes and going around Stanley Park. That's always fun on a sunny summer day. Or even in the winter - get on your raingear or bundle up and cruise around. You can rent bikes that have the back pedal brake so you can kick it old school like when you were a little kid.

How about restaurants in Vancouver?
I love the food in Vancouver! There's just so much international cuisine. I have a favourite little Thai place in West Vancouver. And another that serves amazing breakfasts. That's me, food and exercise!

Any nightlife recommendations?
I love the Commodore Ballroom with its old floors and really great concerts. I remember seeing Jack Johnson there with a bunch of friends. We had an amazing time! I think that place is pretty neat for a night out.

What are some of the natural places you really enjoy?
Anywhere I can get up into the mountains and get away from the crowds. I still really enjoy mountain biking. I love jogging in the Seymour Demonstration Forest (now called the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve) and Lynn Headwaters Park. There's a suspension bridge in the park and a whole network of trails. You can even go up to Lynn Peak for a nice view over the Fraser Valley.

Any shopping areas you head for?
I do spend a lot of time at Park Royal (in West Vancouver). My bank's there! I like cruising around it, especially the outdoor part that's like a village.

Is there a festival you look forward to each year?
I like the Harmony Arts Festival in West Vancouver. They have live music playing and a whole bunch of different artists featured in three different parks, including the waterfront. 

What's an under-rated tourist draw?
Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver. Depending on where you hike in the park you can get some really nice views to the city, all the way to UBC [the University of British Columbia] and westward toward Passage Island and beyond.

What are you hoping visitors to the 2010 Winter Games experience?
I really hope they get received well by friendly Vancouver residents. 'Cause I think we have such an amazing city with lots of friendly people. I hope they're greeted with the warmth and charisma we've always had in the city. 

When it's all over, what's a great souvenir to take home?
I'd definitely recommend some smoked salmon. It's really yummy. 


                 DSC01656 (200)

To see our full list of Vancouver Character Profiles, click here.

For further information, please contact:
Wendy Underwood
Manager, Travel Media Relations,
Trade + International
Phone: 604.631.2859
wunderwood@tourismvancouver.com

Emily Armstrong
Manager, Travel Media Relations, North America
Phone: 604.631.2873
earmstrong@tourismvancouver.com

Amber Sessions
Travel Media Relations Specialist
Phone: 604.631.2870
asessions@tourismvancouver.com
Tourism Vancouver




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