Vancouver is ready for the Olympic spotlight
VANCOUVER, B.C. -- As the Olympic countdown clock outside the Vancouver Art Gallery struck 6 p.m. on Feb. 12, exactly one year before the kickoff of the 2010 Winter Games, air horns blasted from the distinctive white-sails rooftop of Canada Place convention center. A squadron of celebratory torch-bearing skiers hurtled down Grouse Mountain above the city. Diners in restaurants laid down their forks and applauded. And a few hundred street protesters torched an Olympic flag.
Naysayers notwithstanding — after all, any civic bash with a price tag in the billions is bound to attract some critics — Canada's stunning glass city is ready for its close-up as host of the next Olympics.
The sporting venues already are up and running. An expanded road dubbed the Sea to Sky Highway leading 72 miles to Whistler, the host mountain resort, is nearing completion. So is an expanded waterfront convention center. A rapid-transit extension due in November will whisk visitors from the airport to downtown in 25 minutes. And commemorative T-shirts, hockey pucks and stuffed Migas (the odd-looking 2010 mascot) are flying off the shelves at the city's landmark Hudson's Bay Co.
But while Vancouver may be enjoying the spotlight that inevitably shines on host cities even before the Games begin, this town has long been a perennial on top-destinations and livable-city rosters. Readers of Condé Nast Traveler, for instance, awarded it Best City in the Americas for three years running. And no wonder. With its dense forest of gleaming skyscrapers wedged between the Coast Mountains and the Pacific, it is a spectacular sight. In winter, the heart of downtown is just 30 minutes from the ski slopes. In summer, sun seekers crowd its beaches and seaside promenades. And despite a rain-prone climate, it displays a perpetually sunny disposition.
Consider it the supermodel of North American cities. In fact, given Vancouver's already considerable natural assets, can 17 days of Olympic Games really enhance its image?
