It is surprising how a wet and chilly day in any city anywhere in the world tends to make all cities the same. People scamper by seeking shelter wherever they can, wrapped and muffled against the elements with little hint of the personality that lies beneath. Yet enough remains to know that though this is North America it is Canada rather than the USA. People walk the streets, a sight rarely seen south of the border, and the pace is more Australian than American.
With only 2-days to go the Olympics are unexpectedly low key. Though banners abound every lamppost and skim-covered fencing hides every Olympic site there is as yet no “buzz”. Sydney 2000 was in many ways similar, a slow burning fuse until the torch came to town and set the place alight with energy and enthusiasm. That said there is no sense of the cynicism that was so apparent until the last moment in Sydney, though maybe that’s just a question of not yet having mingled enough with the locals. The staff in the Olympic shop were polite and helpful, as were the nice people at Urban Fare, the neighbourhood grocers. The folks at the Playhouse Theatre box office were very friendly, despite a complicated attempt to buy tickets on-line before leaving Australia. Indeed they said it was their fault and provided comps to Laurie Anderson’s “Delusion” in addition to the pre-ordered tickets for Robert Lepage’s “The Blue Dragon”; a most generous and unexpected gesture.
Let’s hope that in another world-unifying similarity the Vancouver weather-forecasters are wrong more often than right. That the rain they predict is replaced with snow at night and winter sun by day.
With only 2-days to go the Olympics are unexpectedly low key. Though banners abound every lamppost and skim-covered fencing hides every Olympic site there is as yet no “buzz”. Sydney 2000 was in many ways similar, a slow burning fuse until the torch came to town and set the place alight with energy and enthusiasm. That said there is no sense of the cynicism that was so apparent until the last moment in Sydney, though maybe that’s just a question of not yet having mingled enough with the locals. The staff in the Olympic shop were polite and helpful, as were the nice people at Urban Fare, the neighbourhood grocers. The folks at the Playhouse Theatre box office were very friendly, despite a complicated attempt to buy tickets on-line before leaving Australia. Indeed they said it was their fault and provided comps to Laurie Anderson’s “Delusion” in addition to the pre-ordered tickets for Robert Lepage’s “The Blue Dragon”; a most generous and unexpected gesture.
Let’s hope that in another world-unifying similarity the Vancouver weather-forecasters are wrong more often than right. That the rain they predict is replaced with snow at night and winter sun by day.
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