Short Track (and more shopping)

First of all, I forgot to include Friday's step count: 13, 383.
Saturday was cooler and cloudier and a light rain fell most of the day. We weren't in such a hurry to get out there, but we really should have, as we got caught by the crowds that hampered our ability to get around quickly.

We took the Aquabus from David Lam Park on the north side of False Creek, about a 10 minute walk from our condo. It was $5.00 for a return ticket to Granville Island, just across the Creek. The ferries have plastic windows, so we stayed dry. After the quick trip down the creek and under the bridge, we landed at the Granville Island docks. We walked up the ramps to the Public Market.
There is a huge set of buildings with food shops and restaurant stalls of all kinds. We walked around overwhelmed by the beautiful displays. We weren't hungry yet, so we left the food market and walked across the street to the shopping area. More Olympic merchandise, as well as local art, crafts, and souvenirs.

We came back to the food hall to get lunch, but by then the crowds had arrived and we couldn't find a table. Since it was raining, everyone wanted to eat lunch inside.... We walked around for a while and finally decided to eat standing up. We all got something different (hot dog! lasagna! dumplings! fish and chips!) and were able to watch the crowds while holding up a wall. I tried the grape bread from Terra Breads. Interestingly sweet and savory at the same time.

Back across the creek via Aquabus and time to get ready for the next event.

We drove to East Vancouver and the Pacific Coliseum, home to the short track skating events. But there was no parking. Anywhere. We had been led to believe that people in the neighborhoods near the coliseum would be selling parking in their driveways, but this was not the case. Public parking lots were for permitted cars only, and there were multiple spaces in them, but we couldn't get in.
After about 30 minutes of driving around, we happened on a Holiday Inn Express that had a sign out that said $20 Event Parking. Bingo! And only a 15 min. walk to the venue. Of course, once in the gates, there was the security line, but as we were entering right as the event started, the lines were short. My gum was confiscated (no outside food allowed), but they didn't find my other pack of gum or my Kashi bar. Or Doug's trail mix. Then another 10 minute walk to the doors of the coliseum. Getting to the venues requires one to be in shape! Or have an access pass.


Short Track Speed Skating is an exciting event to watch. They run the races in heats, with four to seven racers in each heat. The track is a short oval, so laps add up quickly. We saw qualifying heats for Women's 3000M relay, Women's 500M Individual, and Qualifying and Finals for Men's 1500M. (1500 M is 14.5 laps).
The racers change position quickly and it can be dangerous. Several people were wiped out in different heats. The best Canadian racer, Charles Hamelin, was upended in his semifinal heat and was forced to race in the consolation final round, not in medal contention.

The best part is the 1500M is Apolo Anton Ohno's first race, so we were thrilled to be in the audience with the other Americans rooting for him and the rest of the team. The final heat was very exciting, with him being forced to the front and then being boxed out by three Koreans.

Two Koreans bumped into each other just before the finish line and fell down, so Ohno and the other American, Celski got silver and bronze, the remaining Korean getting gold.

The next 2 photos are copyrighted by PW, so please don't copy without credit.Apolo in the lead; Flower Ceremony

They have a "Flower Ceremony" to acknowledge the winners at the venues, but medals are awarded in downtown "Medal Ceremonies", which are in a large arena and a ticketed event.

After hitting up some more souvenir shops at the venue, we joined the crowd for the long walk back to the car.
Finding dinner was another adventure, as the perfect storm of Saturday night, Chinese New Year, and Olympic crowds made all the restaurants we tried full to overflowing. We finally ended up at a street tent near our condo and got hamburgers and hot dogs to go. Back in the condo we ate al fresco (always wanted to say that!) and watched reruns of the day's events. We got to see the nightly fireworks show on False Creek from our windows.

Step count: 11, 475. Not sure if the ped. was counting the whole time, as I noticed it hanging from my belt several times, due to jostling under several layers of clothes.
Hoping for better weather!