About May Globus
Vancouver City Editor May Globus is obsessed with the sartorial and all that surrounds it: art, design, culture, music and film. Oh, and she really likes writing about it, too. A left coast girl at heart, her Sweetspot finds just might show why the westside really is the best side.
Thank You, Vancouver. Thank You, Canada. Thank You, World.
the view from vancity Vancouver
(Mar.03.10)
A mere two days after the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics handed the flame over to Sochi, Russia, for 2014, it's all quiet on the western front once again.
Gone are the athletes, gone are the international visitors, gone are the crowds and gone are the pavilions and houses that drew thousands of raucous -- but good-natured -- revelers into the downtown core every day of the week.
To tell you the honest truth, before the Olympics officially set up in town, I was on the "no" bandwagon for the Games, which I thought were going to be a huge personal inconvenience. Now that the Games have bid us adieu, I'll be the first to admit I was wrong.
Never have I felt more patriotic and proud to be Canadian. So this is my (mini) love letter and thank you note to my city, my country and the world.
Thank you to the IOC and VANOC for putting on such an amazing event. Your hard work and dedication is appreciated by millions of people around the globe, who were drawn together for an experience we will never, ever forget.
Thank you to CTV and NBC for your constant and (mostly) positive Olympic coverage. How exciting that Brian Williams and Steve Colbert were in our city! And yes, I have a huge crush on Brian Williams.
Thank you to Joannie Rochette, a beacon of strength amidst immense personal tragedy. Your mother would be so proud.
Thank you to Sidney Crosby, who is now officially our nation's hero. How fitting that it was you that scored the winning overtime goal during an Olympics run that put our country down in the history books for the most gold medals ever won at the Games. Go Canada go!
Thank you to all the volunteers who toiled for hours upon hours without pay to ensure those two weeks ran smoothly. I'll miss seeing your bright blue jackets on every street corner.
Thank you to Nikki Yanofsky for being the beautiful voice of the 2010 Winter Games.
Thank you to Michael J. Fox, Sarah McLachlan, Ryan Reynolds, Kim Cattrall, Steve Nash and Eric McCormack for coming back home to participate in that gorgeous Super Natural British Columbia "You Gotta Be Here" commercial for Tourism BC.
Thank you to Wayne Gretzky. We couldn't have asked for a better person to light our Olympic cauldron.
Thank you TransLink, who didn't end up ticketing any of the thousands of people using the Canada Line that didn't buy train tickets to travel to, from and within the city. You sure saved us a lot of money.
Thank you to the 7-11 at Homer and Helmcken for always being stocked with kimchee instant noodle bowls when I was coming home late at night, hungry from Olympic reveling.
Thank you to my home -- the city of Vancouver -- for being the perfect host. Your natural beauty and charm were almost overshadowed by the graciousness and hospitality of your inhabitants, all of which made me fiercely proud to be a Vancouverite.
Thank you to Canada for your unfailing patriotism and willingness to break out singing the national anthem at random moments. We really showed everyone what a damn great country we are, eh? I. Am. Canadian.
Thank you to the world for letting us into your houses and homes and for sharing this unforgettable few weeks with us. We'd love for you to come back and visit us again sometime soon.
O Canada, I believe.