There is an attitude in Vancouver that the only real fun must, absolutely must, cost you something. Free entertainment is only found when you go to certain areas and listen to some of the buskers.
I lived in Calgary when the Olympics were there, and finding free entertainment was far too easy. Go to most areas and someone was there, busking, playing for free, or just playing with others, jamming jazz, country, rock, you name it. Painters, writers, film makers, virtually any art form was on display and easy to find. I have yet to hear of any kind of artistic shows, displays or even events during the 2010 Winter Olympics yet. Ummm hey! Where are the venues for the designers, film makers, writers, painters, sculptors and others? Vancouver is NOT going to be that kind of place next year. Unless there is money, and lots of it, to be made, the entertainment will not show up. This is a city with huge musical roots, artistic roots that have produced some remarkable artists, written and otherwise.
If anyone wants to come for the Olympics and does not already have rooms booked, well….. you may find that you are travelling on roads packed with daily commuters because you will have to find accommodations in the nearby cities. Money talks here, which is why the rest of the country calls this place “Bring Cash”. The sponsors have booked rooms in virtually every hotel in Vancouver, the teams that are competing have also rooms, which is good, and the media have all booked rooms.
Back to Calgary for a second here. The media were housed in the media village, a complex built to house them for the Olympics, with access to virtually all venues easy and relatively fast. After the Olympics, that complex became housing for other people. No hotel hogging from the media, and no over-priced room costs either.
So, if you are looking for more of an experience in Vancouver next year, you may just be out of luck. There is talk of shutting down more sites for entertainment because the MONEY is not appearing as quickly to “sponsor” the sites.
Personally, I am not likely to get out much to the Olympic celebrations, mostly because I WANT to enjoy myself without going broke. Unless there is a change in thinking here, then if you are coming. BRING CASH! Lots of it.
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