The Boozecan perspective: Our 2010 Olympics Experience Recap

Yep, it’s another recap of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics. Sick of them yet? We are too; however, as The Boozecan, we’re probably going to say the things you wish the media had said! Read on to find out what everyone is and was, really thinking. If you want, skip to the point-form lower down and we’re sure you won’t be disappointed!

We won’t reiterate the fact that The 2010 Olympics here in Vancouver won over most cynics, pessimists and skeptics like ourselves. We won’t bore you with the outpouring of Canadian pride that radiated from the epicenter of Vancouver and washed over the whole of Canada.  We’re not going to list the medal winners, as you know who they are. You were either lucky enough to attend a live event, and if not, you were glued to some giant LCD screen, in some bar, just like we were. Cheering like raving lunatics with absolute abandon alongside strangers who suddenly became your best friends. It could have been gold medal tidily-winks - if Canada was playing - Canada was cheering! We don’t even want to mention that Canada broke the record for the most gold medals won at a single Winter Games (26 in all, 14 Gold, 7 Silver, and 5 Bronze) because as Canadians we’re far too modest for that.

No. What we do want to tell you about is OUR Boozecan experience. Is this too “touchy-feely” for The Boozecan? Maybe, but the reality is that this event changed us. Don’t go thinking for a second that we’ve become sappy nice-guy pushovers or sentimental jerk-wad metro-sexuals. Hell no; but the Olympics changed Vancouver, it changed the way the World sees us and it changed us as Vancouverites. As The Boozecan we still remain unflinching in our integrity to bring you the truth, good or bad, take it or leave it.

So here go our not-so-obvious observations (or maybe they’re completely obvious and you knew this all along and you’re apparently much cooler than us) of the highs, lows and whatever elses of Vancouver’s 2010 Winter Olympics Games … point form style:

• It was beer o’clock - all the time.
• Twitter was invaluable for passing up-to-the-minute information on happenings and house line-up wait times.
• Transportation was amazingly efficient. (See what happens when you provide good service Translink? People use it.) Translink’s hours of operation still lacked forward thinking though. Late nights and early closures left folks stranded.
• Downtown was packed with people, lively, and crackling with energy. Vancouver was finally behaving like a mature city.
• All kinds of folks from all over the city, province, country and the World from different nationalities were all having a great time. Everyone was extremely friendly. Even douchebags and the Bridge & Tunnel crowd were fairly tolerable.
• “Oh Canada” was sung spontaneously by crowds of strangers. Beautiful. It should happen more often.
• The Olympic Cauldron did look a bit like Superman’s Fortress of Solitude but that made it even cooler.
• Sour grapes #1 - Great Britain: UK we loves ya but “Worst games ever”? Odd, but Munich ‘72 seems to hold that title in our minds. Get a fucking hockey team and then you can bitch about the ‘Slippery Olympics’. Good luck in 2012, we’ll remember this when it’s your turn. By the way … nice logo, you prats.
• Sour grapes #2 - Russia: Just because you lost doesn’t give your media the right to get bitchy and accuse the Canadian Team of doping in the next day’s press.
• Sour grapes #3 – U.S.A.: Team U.S.A. Coach Ron Wilson says (in front of Mike Babcock Team Canada Coach) “Sometimes, the best team in the tournament doesn’t win a gold medal.” Excuse me? That’s not what your GM, Brian Burke was saying – he thought you (Team U.S.A.) were LUCKY to even BE in the finals. He thought the Canadian team was the best - and he was right! Honourable sour grapes mention: Apolo Anton Ohno: “You know, it is the head Canadian referee [Michel Verrault] out there,” said Ohno, with a smirk and a shrug. “And there were two Canadians in the race.” (Regarding his disqualification for pushing a Canadian – also not the first time he’s been looped into controversy.) Classy. Get over it, you lost. Whining is unbecoming of you.
• CTV’s haughty tart Lisa LaFlamme, was condescending and supercilious. It turned us on!
• The Boozecan particularly loved it when the Dutch speed skater Sven Kramer called NBC reporter on her idiocy.
• We also loved it when NBC reporters confused Terry Fox with Michael J. Fox during the speculation of who would light the Olympic cauldron. Nice fact checking.
• Our Canadian Olympians are certainly getting better looking (comparatively to days of yore) – both the chicks and the dudes. (Yeah, we’re secure in stating that.)
• The various Olympic Houses had line-ups for hours to (honestly) drink $9 cups of beers (not even close to a pint) in a fucking tent. (YES, we did this, YES, we had fun, but seriously. If you dig tents just wait for “The Boozecan House” coming to you this summer. We’ll make you stand in line for 5 hours to get into a Canadian Tire “Woods” 6 man tent, then sell you a can of beer for $9 and kick you out the back zipper. Fuckin’ Eh!)
• The free entertainment line-up over the 2 weeks was amazing although unfortunately for us working stiffs we never got close to getting in. (Lining up smacked of effort.)
• We ventured outside the “Olympic zone” to give love to the unofficial “Gastown House” and get some reprieve from Olympic pricing.  Cheers! You know who you are and we’ll be back! #2010niceprices!
• The Sin Bin on West 2nd, became THE 24 hour booze joint to drink with Olympians and the VPD seemed to turn a blind eye. Thanks VPD! Cheers!
• Protestors, pessimists and general nay-saying idiots were drowned out by the pride of a city and of a nation. (Fuck you hipsters and hippies.)
• There were #2010profiteers and #2010niceprices - we shamed the first and promoted the latter. (Shame on clubs & restaurants gouging during the Olympics ‘just because you could’.)
• Hangovers were a daily occurrence and of Olympian proportion! (Canadians “Owned The Podium” on that shit.)
• The Women’s Gold medal, Canada Hockey Team became our heroes for celebrating with a drink on the ice … WAY after everyone left. The scrutiny was bullshit and ridiculous.
• Jon Montgomery, Canadian Skeleton Gold medalist also became a hero of ours as he immediately hoisted a pitcher of beer handed to him and slugged it back to celebrate his Gold medal victory.
• The VPD imposed early closing times on downtown liquor stores. (A point of contention for us. We understand the reasoning but it’s the way they went about it. Vancouver continues to treat responsible adults like children because of the Bridge & Tunnel folks that can’t seem to handle their booze let alone the responsibility.) Boo VPD. We still love you though.
• The Black Bloc mischief was thwarted and it was also a pathetic attempt at ‘anarchy’ – idiots can’t even cause mayhem properly. (Fuck you, you hippy shit heads.) We’ll say it for you because you can’t VPD. It was hippy stomping time! YEAH! We hope you kicked some shaggy ass – off camera of course.
• Canada reigns supreme in hockey, as we should! Congrats to both the Men’s and Women’s teams. You made us PROUD! (Our adversaries did make us work hard for it though!)
• Emergency room visits surged as drunken revelers were treated for intoxication, and injuries from fights or falls. (Honestly we didn’t see any fights but we’re sure they happened.)
• All 181,000 hours of Curling was shown on TV but only 20 minutes of something exciting like Half-Pipe. (WTF CTV?)
• AMAZING Cinderella ending for Canada: we dominate Gold medals, we dominate Hockey, we dominate Olympic spirit – best winter games EVER!
• Litres upon litres of beer, spirits and wine was consumed. (Duh.)
• Over the 17 days of the Games, police did 21,000 liquor “pour-outs,” issued 1,230 tickets for drinking in public and 253 for being drunk in a public place. Another 93 people were arrested for breach of the peace. Good times! Seriously, that’s all? Nice work Vancouver! Gold medal to us as a city!
• Exhaustion was achieved by The Boozecan and our cohorts.
• Finally, two words … inflatable beavers.

We spend a night in the slammer.

Well, not quite. Last week we (along with a group of other local writers and bloggers) were fortunate enough to be invited on a mini tour of the Vancouver Police Museum courtesy of museum Executive Director Chris Mathieson and the good folks at Sumac Ridge wineries. What’s one got to do with the other you ask? Everything, as Chris pointed out. Vancouver’s a city built on a hard-drinkin’, hard-livin’ logging town that was, to put it mildly, heavily involved with Johnny Law from the get go and its history is inextricably linked to booze.

Housed in what was once the old city morgue and crime lab, this best kept Vancouver secret shouldn’t be. This is the kind of gritty history everyone digs, and they’ve got it here in spades - from collections of real gangster-era Tommy guns and a plethora of other confiscated weaponry to historical crime scene photos, actual evidence and gobs of police gear from every era. Hell, they still have the old cadaver drawers and autopsy room in place! Gruesome? Depends on your point of view. We’d say more morbidly fascinating. The prohibition-era history as you might guess is right up our (dark) alley.

Chris’ informative little tour completed, Sumac’s founder Harry McWatters gave us the lowdown on his winery’s story (which is pretty much a history lesson on the BC wine industry in general) and best of all (no offense, Harry) treated us to a sabering demo and a tasting of their “Tribute” sparkling wine made in honour of Canadian Olympic athletes. And all in the tiled comfort of the old autopsy theatre. Now we don’t claim to be wine experts, but “Tribute” is a nice one - dry and crisp - kinda like Harry’s humour. Plus $1.25 from the sale of each bottle goes to the Canadian Olympic team. Imagine, drinking to support people - what a concept…

Folks, we implore you to visit this great little museum. It is, in our opinion, the best in Vancouver. And it’s completely self-funded. No government grants or even funding from the very city it honours. So make a plan to check it out, it’d be a bargain at three times the admission.

Thanks again to Chris Mathieson and Harry McWatters.

Vancouver Police Museum - Details Here

Sumac Ridge Estate Winery - More Here

Connosr - The Whiskey Social Network

Finally, a social network (or should it be wetwork?) that we can get behind. Connosr is the Whiskey Social Network for the whiskey enthusiast.

As the site says:

“This site is independently owned and aims to provide a social space for whiskey lovers to discuss, rate and review their beloved Malts.”

Sounds good to us!

www.connosr.com