It seems like just yesterday that I was heading out to try to catch a glimpse of singer Michael Buble carrying the Olympic torch down the street near my apartment. That was the moment I finally started to get really excited about the Olympics. Then the next day, when I was out at a pub with a bunch of my friends to watch the Opening Ceremonies, and when that snowboarder jumped through the Olympic rings and announced the beginning of the Winter Games, it finally hit me that this biggest event in Vancouver’s history, that we had been waiting and preparing for since 2003, had finally arrived.

The Olympic cauldron on the Waterfront was lit by hockey legend Wayne Gretzky to conclude the Opening Ceremonies

Well, it was definitely an interesting 17 days, and though part of me is a bit sad, I’m also a bit relieved that the Vancouver 2010 Olympics are now over.

We were lucky to get some excellent weather in Vancouver during the Olympics. I was really worried that it might be foggy and rainy every day, as what often happens during the winter months here, but the weather, for the most part, was fantastic. So our Olympic visitors were able to experience the sunny Vancouver that we all love, and the temperatures were so warm, people were labeling the Olympics as the “Spring Olympics” (consequently causing tons of problems with the snow for the events on Cypress Mountain).

I tried my best to head out and see most of the Olympic pavilions, houses, and attractions around the city. To my dismay, however, the lineups were usually way too long. Two of the longest were for the Royal Canadian Mint pavilion, where people could touch the Olympic medals, and the one for the Zip Line, that required a 7+ hour wait at times.

Overlooking Science World (Sochi House during the Olympics)

Overlooking Quebec and Saskatchewan Houses from near Sochi House

In front of Sochi House. Shown here is the beginning of the typical multi-hour lineup to get into anything worth checking out.

I wish I could have checked out more of the pavilions from the inside, but most lineups would have forced me to wait at least an hour to get inside. Quebec and Ontario Houses weren’t too bad, but places like Saskatchewan House, Sochi House, Atlantic Canada House, and Irish House were usually too crazy to get inside.

Inside Ontario House. We were lucky to see a live cooking show, featuring Anna Olson from the Food Network. She was cooking an English Trifle dessert, and we got to try it and a glass of ice wine for free.

Canada Hockey House next to Ontario House -- only for the rich or most devoted hockey fans, with costs starting at $100 (including food) to enter.

It was nice to see Vancouver as the center of the world for a couple of weeks. For those who didn’t know about Vancouver before coming here, I’m certain they will never be forgetting it. I could really feel a new appreciation for this city as I imagined how it must appear to people from other countries who had never been here before. The athletes staying at the Olympic Village were about the luckiest since they got to live in condos overlooking False Creek and downtown during their stay here.

The Olympic Village, where many of the athletes stayed while in Vancouver

One of the worst things about the Olympics was trying to get into my favorite restaurants. During almost any game of interest, especially hockey, they were so packed, and many restaurants were charging a mandatory gratuity for any size group. When I went to Steamworks, for example, I was just with my girlfriend, but they charged us an 18% gratuity on top of our bill. They wouldn’t even serve me their beer tasters, which I usually enjoy ordering there. They said that they weren’t going to be serving them during the Olympics. It wasn’t even busy when I was there in the middle of the afternoon, so I wasn’t too impressed with that.

I thought the Games themselves were very enjoyable. My favorite events this year (as usual) were the hockey, all the figure skating, and curling events. The biggest event of all was the final hockey game between USA and Canada, which is always guaranteed to attract the attention of the masses. But who could afford to go see these events in person? Not very many people, especially the common resident of Vancouver. I was able to attend just one event, which was a qualification round for curling with 8 countries playing simultaneously. At $65 per ticket, it was pretty well the only thing within reach for me.

At the curling rink for the 2010 Winter Games. Canada played against Japan.

The biggest celebration of all, by far, was on the final day of the Olympics before the Closing Ceremonies. That was when Canada played against the USA for the gold medal in hockey. It was the first time in my life that I couldn’t get into a single pub no matter how far I walked or how hard I tried. People were lined up in front of pubs and restaurants before they even opened. It was after Canada won the gold medal, though, that the city really erupted with crowds of cheering fans. I don’t think Downtown Vancouver will ever be that busy again. When I was walking around with some friends afterward, there were times when I literally almost got crushed, especially at the Granville/Robson intersection.

Robson Street after Canada won the gold medal in hockey

All in all, I can say the first-hand Olympic experience was quite an awesome one, and it really was a 17-day party, as so many have described it. As a 7-year resident of this city, I was glad to see Vancouver transformed into the center of world attention for a short time, and I thought all the high quality attractions and wild parties of celebration that went along with it were fabulous. Now that the party is over, though, I’m happy about that, too. It went on just long enough, gave us what we had been craving for, and left us with good memories of being in the middle of the greatest Olympics of all time (so far).

I should mention that the 2010 Paralympics will be taking place in Vancouver from March 12-21. This event only has a fraction of the popularity that the Olympics has, but there should be some exciting things to do during that time. I already have tickets to the Opening Ceremonies, which were just $65 each compared to the $1000 price tag for the Olympics Opening Ceremonies, and the lineups for the Zip Line and the Royal Canadian Mint should be many times shorter. This will be a good opportunity for the residents of Vancouver to make up for all the things we missed during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.