The closer the Olympics get, the less I want them here. The public transit is going to be a total mess, as the systems are already overloaded between 7-9 AM and 3-7 PM. It's going to be a constant barrage of full skytrains, restaurant queues, and foot traffic.
I'm not opposed to the Vancouver tourism in general; our economy thrives on it. But the Olympics are sold as a competition of international sport, when they're really an opportunity for the city to highlight itself in a series of disturbing ways. The job opportunities will be temporary, though the money that the hospitality industry generates for it's owners will be plentiful. There's also a new bylaw in consideration to ban "unapproved" signs in protest of the games. There's a serious homeless problem in Vancouver, and I anticipate that they'll be cleaning that up as well by scooping the homeless against their will into temporary shelters.
There's no sense in trying to stop the train, because the Olympics are coming. I just hope that the citizens of future cities will be more weary about hosting the Olympics. I personally won't be able to see a game of hockey, either, as the small percentage of publicly available tickets were distributed by lottery, by which to enter you needed to have a Visa card, as they're the official sponsor.
Oh, and for the record? It's GM Place, General Motors Place, or the Garage. Just because they couldn't pay for the Olympic rights doesn't mean that the IOC can embarrass us all with Canada Hockey Place. Sheesh.
I'm not opposed to the Vancouver tourism in general; our economy thrives on it. But the Olympics are sold as a competition of international sport, when they're really an opportunity for the city to highlight itself in a series of disturbing ways. The job opportunities will be temporary, though the money that the hospitality industry generates for it's owners will be plentiful. There's also a new bylaw in consideration to ban "unapproved" signs in protest of the games. There's a serious homeless problem in Vancouver, and I anticipate that they'll be cleaning that up as well by scooping the homeless against their will into temporary shelters.
There's no sense in trying to stop the train, because the Olympics are coming. I just hope that the citizens of future cities will be more weary about hosting the Olympics. I personally won't be able to see a game of hockey, either, as the small percentage of publicly available tickets were distributed by lottery, by which to enter you needed to have a Visa card, as they're the official sponsor.
Oh, and for the record? It's GM Place, General Motors Place, or the Garage. Just because they couldn't pay for the Olympic rights doesn't mean that the IOC can embarrass us all with Canada Hockey Place. Sheesh.
revdrtom:
I appreciate this post ... it's helpful to hear the other side of the Olympic bid. We're led to believe it's euphoria for the locals when, in fact, it sounds like anything but. I'll look forward to your blog during the Games. Hang in there.