Foto21

I've been obsessed

with the Olympics since 2000. 9-11 made SLC 2002 a scary prospect, but I regretted not going to Greece 2004. Vancouver was too close to pretend I didn't care, so I threw together a last minute trip, despite the ominous challenge of getting tickets (they cost money), accomodation (a bit nervewracking but got lucky), and transportation (a breeze). The crowds were large enough to destroy any claustrophobic, but the atmosphere was unique, and the mellow warmth of Canadians infectious. Vancouver itself impressed endlessly with its pedestrian zoning, event venues, fireworks shows, and an efficient, shiny new Canada line subway. This was a city that had moved thoughtfully into the future, and they revelled in showing it off. We were also lucky to get three solid days of sun. We hit most of the sights and went to a hockey game, in which Latvia lost to Slovakia. After coming home to Seattle, I started looking for tickets, and got into the bobsled preliminaries at Whistler. I wish I could've been there the entire time, but I got a taste. It was the biggest street party I've ever seen: imagine a concert with a city as the venue instead of just a stadium, without the scary angry dudes stomping around. It was fantastic.