<\/p>\n

I left Whistler on another gorgeous, bright winter morning. Unfortunately, obligations exist. So I headed down to Vancouver in hopes of filling my mom\u2019s order for several pairs of those cheesy mittens and curling tickets. I spun through a mall but, alas, no mittens.<\/p>\n

I spun through the Vancouver Olympic Center\u2019s box office and, realizing I was in Canada still, no tickets (who doesn\u2019t want to experience the world of curling first hand?). I decided, tail between my legs, to get started on my drive home. It must have been somewhere in the midst of Eastern Washington\u2019s barren fields of nothingness that I thought to share some of the knowledge I gained in my ten days in Vancouver and Whistler.<\/p>\n

1.<\/strong> Any and every event, regardless of how lame or amazing you may think it is, will blow any of your preconceived notions out of the water.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> Give any German flag-bearing fan a wide berth. I took a shot upside the head, then had a great chat about Oktoberfest. I guess that\u2019s not so bad, eh?<\/p>\n

3. <\/strong> Best Whistler restaurant — Prime Tapas at the base of the Creekside Gondola. If you have a chance, order the mussels (from Vancouver Island) or the fresh Tuna. If you\u2019re trying to . . . you know, I suggest the oysters.<\/p>\n

4.<\/strong> Lindsey Vonn is gorgeous (yes, believe the hype).<\/p>\n

5.<\/strong> Vancouver\u2019s diverse neighborhoods should be a destination themselves: Granville Island\u2019s maritime and market vibe, chic Yale Town, historic Gas Town, the most authentic and largest Chinatown in North America; with the influx of green space and parks, I can see why the city is a popular destination.<\/p>\n

6.<\/strong> I can\u2019t help but give a shout out to Bryon Wilson, the bronze medalist in the men\u2019s freestyle moguls, and a fellow resident of Butte, Montana. That was an extra special moment for me.<\/p>\n

7.<\/strong> Whistler Resort and Village claims to be the best on the continent. I haven\u2019t seen another place that could dispute that statement either. In fact, not many places force me to founder away in the deep powder, but Whistler\u2019s peak did just that.<\/p>\n

8.<\/strong> Random Olympic sport thoughts:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Snowboarding: What other Olympic sport lets you listen to your iPod as you compete while your pants hang below your butt? Is that part of its draw?<\/p>\n

\u2022Ice Dancing: Trying to make skating as cool as you can, without doing any of the cool things.<\/p>\n

\u2022Luge: Are you people insane?<\/p>\n

\u2022Skeleton: You people are insane.<\/p>\n

\u2022Curling: A beer drinking game turned Olympic sport. What\u2019s the point, and why can\u2019t I help watching hours of it?<\/p>\n

9.<\/strong> Olympic travel isn\u2019t as bad as people thought ahead of time. Buses are numerous and frequent, avoiding the Sea to Sky Highway driving checkpoint is easy with some planning (open 6 a.m. to 6 p .m.), and a pass is easily obtainable in Squamish.<\/p>\n

10.<\/strong> There is so much going on, all the time, you should pick and choose what to do. The daily Olympic events are a must, then grab a bite at one of the outstanding restaurants, then take in some of the festivities: public celebration sites in Vancouver, free afternoon and evening concerts in Whistler, Fire & Ice at skier\u2019s plaza in Whistler Village, or simply just wander around — any of these are completely worth it. Keep in mind, I didn\u2019t have any time to museum- or tourist-site hop around either.<\/p>\n

11.<\/strong> Big props to my friend Louis, his family, and his roommates for putting me up for the trip. I successfully did ten days of the Olympics on an uber-mini budget of around only $1,200. It helps those mittens were all sold out.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

12. <\/strong> The Olympic spirit is something everyone should experience. When you have so many people, with so many different views, supporting so many things, tension is bound to arise. I never felt any thing like that. People from all countries were supporting everyone, although still hoping for their favorites to win.<\/p>\n

There was a peaceful coexistence of all athletes, and people from all over the world. Even I was a monster Norway fan at the cross country race, an American fan at the skiing, and a Canadian fan every other time. I\u2019m not sure if there is a sense of competition of the athletes against the elements — mountains, ice, or clock — or if there is just a sense of being involved in something larger than your personal ideologies. Whatever the reason, it\u2019s special, and I will never forget it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I left Whistler on another gorgeous, bright winter morning. Unfortunately, obligations exist. So I headed down to Vancouver in hopes of filling my mom\u2019s order for several pairs of those cheesy mittens and curling tickets. I spun through a mall but, alas, no mittens. I spun through the Vancouver Olympic Center\u2019s box office and, realizing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":5762,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1,2570],"tags":[1285,1246,1326,197,196],"yoast_head":"\n