Anyone going to the winter olympics this year?

[jess_g]

This year the winrer olympics are the closest they have ever been to us (I think). I would love to go and see the speed skating and the figure skating and the opening ceremonies. Plus I realy want to go visit Canada again. I was wondering if anyone from these boards is going? And what the ticket prices and hotel prices etc are like?


Jessica.

[bubbaray]

I live in the host area!

Ticket prices are insane. Thousands of dollars. Good luck getting tickets at this late date, you'll likely have to get them from the re-sale site. All events are sold out directly from the games.

I thought all hotels were sold out years ago, but I could be wrong. If you are wanting to see events that are outside of the city (most are), you can NOT drive, you MUST take a bus and those tickets are selling out too.

The whole thing is a big freakin' mess. It is going to be chaos here. I love the Olympics, but not when they are in my backyard.

Vanoc gave out instructions on how the "locals" are to treat visitors. Um, yeah. NOT. Tourism is big business here and tourists are VERY common. Pretty sure we don't need directions on how to be polite.

I think the organizing committee (Vanoc) is a bunch of jacka$$es out to line the pockets of a few people. I hope the games go off well, but there is virtually NO local support for having the games here. All polls show that the locals are very much opposed to hosting the games.

I would have much preferred if Seattle had gotten them.

[bubbaray]

ETA: AFAIK, figure skating was one of the first events to sell out. Tickets are among the most expensive, though you might be able to get tickets to see the athletes practice (I was stunned to hear that they are selling tickets to that, but I guess the demand is there).

Figure skating is downtown I believe, as are the opening ceremonies. Speed skating is in Richmond. Not sure if it is sold out. The venue is new and pretty nice. Near the airport.

I'm pretty sure the opening ceremonies are sold out. My girls' ballet studio is participating in the opening dance sequences (as are many other studios) but its the older girls.

[arivecchi]

Melissa, do you live in Vancouver? I think it is one of the most stunning cities on Earth. I want to quit my job and move to Whistler. :)

[bubbaray]

Melissa, do you live in Vancouver? I think it is one of the most stunning cities on Earth. I want to quit my job and move to Whistler. :)


Used to live right in the heart of Kitsilano in Vancouver, previously in the West End. Now in a suburb.

Trust me, you don't want to be living in Whistler this year!

[bubbaray]

I just did a quick hotel search on Travelocity and for the Olympic dates, the only hotels that are coming up are in Victoria (a 2 hour ferry ride away! -- plus at least an hour in no traffic to get from the ferry to downtown) and Abbotsford/Chilliwack (at best, 1.5 hours away, in the insane traffic expected during the games, probably 2-3 hours away).

The paper today is reporting to expect 2 hour waits for transit during the games. http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/2010wintergames/Expect+waits+hours+transit+during+Olympics/2417652/story.html

[KrisM]

I wish I could. I had friend who went 8 years ago when they were in Salt Lake City and they had a great time. We were in Jamaica then on our honeymoon :).

[BabyMine]

I want to go to see Apollo Ohno.

[mom2binsd]

Friends who lived in Salt Lake during the games had fun, they did get tickets to the games and took public transit...the Olympic Plaza areas etc were a lot of fun and Canada had their own beer gardens and a Canadian passport got you in!

A friend who lives in Vancouver is going to a ladies figure skating practice, I think the cost was 30.00....I would only go if I could stay with friends and expect long long waits to get anywhere.

Tickets are insanely expensive, and from what I've heard and from what Melissa says they're aren't even available. My friend who lives in a downtown apt got a special parking and street closure brochure the other day...it'll be a nightmare!

[alexsmommy]

Melissa,
You are making me happy Chicago did not get the summer Olympic bid. I think the majority of people got caught up in the idea, but we lost site of the reality of giving up your hometown for two weeks. Traffic is already a nightmare here, I cannot imagine what it would have been like.

[bubbaray]

Traffic is insane here too -- even without the Olympics. I call it "combat driving".

It works out to almost 6w. 2w for the Olympics, then the paraolympics and a few extra days on either end.

I'll be certifiable by the end of it. DH is volunteering and I think he is crazy. He loves crowds, though.

[EllasMum]

I'm not personally going to the Olympics, but my sister and her family live in Burnaby (just outside of Vancouver) and they got tickets to a hockey game (something like Lithuania vs Czech Republic or some such thing) and also... um... something else which is escaping me at the moment. My sister said they did a sort of lotto type thing to determine who got what tickets... very confusing, if you ask me!

I live in Calgary, and we hosted the Olympics in 1988. I have to say that it is one of my favorite memories - it sounds cheesy, but the spirit was unbelievable. Even thinking about it now gives me the warm fuzzies. :) I remember being shocked to hear that Vancouver residents did not want the games. Mind you, Calgary is much smaller than Vancouver, especially back in '88. Anyway, I :heartbeat: the Olympics when we hosted them.