UPDATE: Congrats to the winner of the contest: Candice Roach!
Writes MARKET at Jean-Georges:
After much debate and consideration, The winner of dinner for 2 at MARKET by Jean-Georges and Game 2 Playoff Tickets is CANDICE ROACH (Twitter: @loveyourcake). We feel that your cupcakes best exemplified your love for food and the Vancouver Canucks. Congratulations Candice! Go Canucks!
MARKET by Jean-Georges congratulating Candice.
See a photo of Candice's amazing Canucks cupcakes here.
The Vancouver Canucks this past December
Are you a foodie and a Canucks fan?
If so, you'll definitely want to enter this contest.
As anyone in Vancouver knows, this has been a landmark year for the Vancouver Canucks; they’ve celebrated their 40th anniversary, the first President’s trophy in franchise history, and Canucks fever is officially taking over the city.
To help you, the fans celebrate, MARKET by Jean-Georges is launching a fun and free Twitter/Facebook contest to give away a Dinner for 2 at MARKET by Jean-Georges and a pair of first round playoff tickets to their fans.
Being that it’s the hottest ticket in town, they're going to make you work just a little bit for your chance to take home the prize!
You’ ll have to do all of the following to enter:
Step 1: Re-Tweet this: I’m in the MARKET for #Vancouver #Canucks playoff tix with @MARKETjg_Van from http://bit.ly/e7cCCQ
Step 2: Go to their Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/MarketbyJeanGeorgesVancouver and tell them why you’re the biggest Canucks fan in Vancouver along with your favourite pre-game meal ritual.
MARKET by Jean-Georges will then look through all of the re-tweets and read all of your responses then select the one that they think best expresses your love for food and the Vancouver Canucks.
Hint: they want you be as creative as possible. They love photos, videos and even the odd haiku... although (and I quote) "those who mention deep dish pizza will immediately be disqualified"... guess they really are trying to seek out the foodie Canucks fans. The winner will be announced on a video that will be posted on their Facebook page.
* Contest runs until: Friday April 15 at 1:00 pm
* Contest open to residents of the Lower Mainland only.
... isn't such a strange combo, as I discovered Wednesday night.
One person on Twitter suggested that it was "too fancy for hockey", but everyone else agreed: there's nothing better than watching hockey from a 500-level executive suite while snacking on an assortment of fine cheeses: applewood smoked cheddar, manchego, stilton, brie, creamy chevre with fresh chives...
I certainly wasn't expecting this!
But cheese wasn't why I was there.
I had been invited as a guest blogger to cover the Canucks vs. Blue Jackets game from the Metropolis Hot Seats - an opportunity I welcomed with open arms. After all, it's not every day you get a chance to experience a hockey game from an executive suite at Rogers Arena.
The view from the Metropolis Hot Seats
What are Metropolis Hot Seats?
Metropolis Hot Seats are exclusive executive suite tickets that you can win from Metropolis at Metrotown.
Every week a handful of lucky winners get the opportunity to experience an event at Rogers Arena in luxury. Even if you're not into hockey, Metropolis at Metrotown has contests for NBA-pre-season games and big name concerts like Lady Gaga, Ozzy Osbourne, and Michael Buble. You can be pretty sure that if there's an event at Rogers Arena, Metropolis at Metrotown will run a contest for you to see it from their executive suite. All you have to do is enter the weekly contest. It's a pretty sweet deal!
How can I win Metropolis Hot Seats?
The next time you're in Burnaby, go to Metropolis at Metrotown and simply ask for a ballot at Customer Service - either the one on the upper level next to Claire's and West 49, or the one on ground level by Forever XXI.
You can follow them on Twitter (www.twitter.com/MetropolisatMet) or "like" them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/MetropolisatMet) to receive contest announcements. Each Canucks game or concert is treated as a separate contest, so you can pick and choose what events you'd like to win.
As for what to expect?
How about a bird's eye view of a Canucks game...
From either the bar above...
Or in the seats with unobstructed views below...
You also have your own deluxe private lounge (with private bathroom!) and a fully-catered spread including gourmet cheese, sliders, chicken wings, veggie and fruit platters...
You can reminisce about your previous experiences at Rogers Arena with fellow Canucks fans...
Or simply soak up the excitement of a live hockey game in comfort and luxury...
Better yet, witness the brotherly love of Canucks fans as Kesler scores the winning goal...
Umm... did I mention the sliders?
How about big chewy cookies delivered at the beginning of third period?
But let's go back to that Canucks game, shall we?
I must admit, I'm what you'd call a casual fan of the Canucks, but I can (and do) love the experience of watching live hockey!
I remember fondly 1994, the year the Canucks were in the playoffs against the New York Rangers, waiting at the airport at some ungodly hour in the morning with my dad and little sister, our faces painted orange in anticipation of our heros - Trevor Linden, Pavel Bure, Kirk McLean, and the Courtnalls.
I also remember being on Robson Street in 2002 when Canada's men's hockey team won gold during the Olympics:
And, well, I think everyone remembers what happened 10 months ago when Vancouver hosted the 2010 winter Olympics. If you forget, this was the atmosphere inside "Canada Hockey Place" when Canada played Russia (I was there!)
While the Wednesday night game wasn't the Olympics, it was no less exciting. The Canucks were in the lead, but the Blue Jackets tied the game... twice! In fact, the game went into sudden death overtime, something I've never experienced before in person.
The game also happened to be a special tribute to Sweden and the great history the Canucks have had with Swedish players, such as Thomas Gradin, Markus Naslund, Matthias Ohlund, and of course, the Sedin twins.
The night, however, clearly belonged to Kesler, who scored the winning goal in overtime, sending fans (and yours truly), into a frenzy.
I can't believe I'm going to be at this evening's Canada vs. Russia men's ice hockey game!!! This is a Big Deal here in Vancouver, and all over Canada. This game will stop traffic. This game will turn a city into a ghost town! And I'll be there, ninth row!
In case you're wondering, I was given this ticket as a gift a week and a half ago, not knowing who'd be playing. All I knew is that that it would be a semifinal. And look at this! It's almost fate! I will definitely be blogging about this and taking many photos!
If they win tonight, expect the streets to look exactly how they did back in 2002 when Canada's men's ice hockey team won gold at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.
Yesterday at 2am local Vancouver time, somewhere in Greece, the 2010 Winter Olympics torch was lit, marking the beginning of the torch relay which will, after 106 days, travel over 1000 communities before arriving in Vancouver.
Although this city has been bombarded with Olympics hype for the past 8-9 years (and therefore we tune this stuff out), this particular event really hits home. It signifies the realization of a myth. This so-called Vancouver Olympics which have been perpetually stuck in the future... it's starting to feel like, no really, it REALLY is happening. It's not just talk!
Since the announcement that Vancouver won the bid to host the 2010 Olympics back on that sleepy 2003 morning, this city has had its major city streets and downtown blocks torn apart. Major downtown intersections and shopping districts literally were ripped apart and turned into 3-4 story open trenches for the construction of the Canada Line rapid transit (subway). For years and years our city has been one big inescapable construction site full of gaping holes in the ground. Entire neighbourhoods like Yaletown, Granville Street and Cambie became one big detour.
I mean, I used to giggle when tourists showed concern about staying in hotels next to construction sites.
Honey? This city is a construction site. Escaping construction in Vancouver is like escaping freeways in LA.
New bridges have been built. New venues have been constructed. Cute fuzzy mascots with First Nations aesthetics are for sale EVERYWHERE.
The twisty Sea to Sky Highway was blown apart and reconstructed so that impatient speed demons could speed their way faster to Whistler. Greater Vancouver lost one of its few campground/RV parks, where they not only demolished the park, they built over the Fraser River and its estuary and built the Richmond Oval on man-made land. How very Dubai of them!
And I'm not even getting into the political protests.
When I worked downtown I used to walk by the Olympics countdown clock outside the Vancouver Art Gallery, and I remember the day when it finally reached 1000 days before the Olympics. Any day now, it'll reach 100 days.
The Olympics are only a few months away, and I live in the middle of it all. I live across the street from where the media will be based. I'll look out of my window and see the world's media. I'll look out my solarium and see BC Place Stadium where they're holding the opening and closing ceremonies. I'll look out my bedroom window and spy on Cypress Mountain. If I looked at it with my telescope, would I be able to see the snowboarders?
It's just weird.
The Olympics have always been on the horizon for 7 years in Vancouver. It's been so long. It's a new sensation - goosebumps - to see that the torch has now been lit and that it's seriously making its way to Vancouver in 4 months.
Many locals here have hockey fever and they go crazy for the Vancouver Canucks. It's all they talk about. It's all their life revolves around. In social situations, it's the only topic. On a Vancouver-related blog, you may expect the occasional Vancouver Canucks reference, but this is about as far as I go as talking about hockey.*
* Unless the Vancouver Canucks get into the Stanley Cup finals.**
** But only maybe.
p.s. I apologize to my friends who, back in August, I mentioned I'd watch the Canucks for them this season. It hasn't happened yet. Sorry.
The Vancouver Canucks (the local professional NHL hockey team) are in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs and they haven't lost a game yet. They're the only Canadian team left now in the playoffs.
This is a big deal here. A big big deal. I don't recall seeing this city so Canuck crazy since 1994.
And perhaps it's rather telling of Vancouver's famed No Fun City moniker, but I can't honestly remember any other time where the vast majority of locals - regardless of race, age, religion, class, sex, neighbourhood, whatnot - come together with such fervent community spirit that the city just exudes a certain infectious joie-de-vivre!
It's like Mardi Gras!
It's like being on Commercial Drive when Italy wins the World Cup...
... except it's everywhere - from the stylish Yaletown bars to the crack houses out in New West. Everyone in this city has Canuck fever, and boy do they ever have it bad.
Back in 1994, the Canucks made it all the way to the game 7 of the final round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. I was in high school then - grade 8. We had organized "Canuck spirit" days where everyone in the school would paint their faces with orange and red and plastered every surface with the team logo. At home my Mom would bring home the Province newspaper's daily Canuck's poster which I'd promptly hang in my bedroom. From our games room window I proudly displayed my handmade GO! CANUCKS GO! posters for our neighbour's enjoyment. For my 14th birthday my girlfriends and I sat around the TV watching the Canucks in the playoffs while I wore my prized Canucks t-shirt. For Halloween of that year I meticulously carved a Canucks logo into jack-o-lantern to the delight of little boys. For Christmas? My parents treated my sister and I to a framed limited edition Canuck's photo where the entire team dressed up in costumes and posed on some wild western set.
Upon the Canucks winning the 3rd round of the finals against the Toronto Maple Leafs, we thought it would be a great idea to go to the airport to greet the Canucks as they arrived home. Dad drove us at some ungodly hour to the airport that night where we waited at the arrivals terminal for hours, camera in hand, for a glimpse of our beloved heroes. The crowds were so massive, the Canucks had to secretly flee through the back door and nobody saw them at all. We drove home, disappointed, as the sun rose over the mountains.
Unfortunately for Vancouver, the Canucks lost the Stanley Cup in Game 7 in 1994 to the New York Rangers. In one moment, Canuck Fever became the Stanley Cup Riot - one of the stupidest displays of group mentality since a Guns N' Roses concert.
For a long time after, police were so paranoid at even the thought of another group gathering turning into a drunken riot, public festivities were under abnormally high police control. No Fun City was alive and well.
The only other time that such a public display of affection for a sports team was seen in Vancouver was when Canada's men's hockey team won gold at the 2002 Winter Olympics. It was the last time that I can remember when the entire city came together and celebrated in unity in the city streets... where you could hear people cheering and cars honking for hours whether you were in some vacant lot on the wrong side of town or in the heart of downtown like on Robson & Thurlow. Oddly enough, Robson & Thurlow was ground zero for the 1994 Stanley Cup riot, but in 2002 it was a completely different scene. The streets were closed to traffic so that spontaneous parties could fester. Everyone was wearing red and white and parties lasted until the night.
Robson & Thurlow an hour after the 2002 Olympic gold medal win
The biggest irony of this whole story is that I don't even follow hockey anymore. But it's hard not to these days. You just have to open your windows on game days and you'll hear people cheering when the Canucks score. You see, when the Canucks are playing in the playoffs, the city becomes uncharacteristically quiet as everyone is inside watching the game. The bars and restaurants - anywhere with a TV really - are packed to capacity with Canuck crazy patrons and that atmosphere spills out into the streets afterward. You don't even have to be a hockey fan to notice the excitement in Vancouver these days. Canuck fever, it appears, is more contagious than I initially thought!
I finished the Sun Run. After a weekend of late nights and many an alcoholic beverage, who'd have thunk that I could essentially "wing" the Sun Run and make it to the finish line at 1:00:59?
Out of curiosity, I looked up my past results on the Vancouver Sun's Sun Run Results website.
Year
Time
2005
1:09:20
2006
1:08:09
2007
1:04:36
2008
1:01:27
So if I continue at this rate, I might be able to run it in under 1 hour... assuming I don't train, of course. Apparently that technique is particularly useful to me!
In all seriousness, the race was great today. It was cloudy and overcast this morning - relatively cool temperatures. Dressed in my Sun Run corporate team t-shirt and a pair of New Balance running shorts and shoes, I was a little cold at the starting line, but once I started moving it was the perfect condition for running 10km amidst 55,000 people. And of course, the cherry blossoms at the peak of their bloom made the run even more picture perfect.
This was also the first time that I ever wore a watch during the Sun Run, so I could accurately guesstimate my time. I think I was averaging 6-7 minutes a kilometer, but I truly think having my mp3 player helped big time. Usually I don't run with music during the Sun Run as every 2km they have local singers and musicians performing along the way. I also like being able to hear the pitter patter of tens of thousands of feet stampeding the pavement. But having my own music (a blend of LCD Soundsystem, Magnus, Ron Sexsmith, Simian, Squarepusher, and Metric) certainly helped motivate me today. The Ron Sexsmith was perfect for those moments I had a cramp and needed to slow to a geriatric crawl, and Simian's La Breeze? The perfect finale for the 9km mark. I truly believe that if it wasn't for the music, I would have finished with a much slower time.
Reminder to self: for the 2010 Sun Run, bring your own music. Wear a watch. Don't train.
For photos and more information on the 2009 Vancouver Sun Run, check out the Sun's coverage here.
The Sun Run starting line on Georgia Street - April 2003
Every year in April since 1985, the Vancouver Sun newspaper has been hosting the Vancouver Sun Run - the largest 10km run in the country and the 9th largest race in the world. Anyone can sign up for the Sun Run whether they want to race it competitively, run it, jog it, walk it, or even wheelchair the 10km.
The route starts downtown on Georgia & Burrard. Colourful balloon arches divide up the different starting groups - racers at the front, runners behind the yellow balloons, joggers behind the green balloons, slowpokes behind the white balloons, etc. Guests staying at the Hyatt and the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver get a rude awakening on the morning of the race as 50,000+ people await on the streets below.
When the run starts, thousands of people - a sea of white Sun Run t-shirts - pour down Georgia Street towards Denman. They take Denman to Robson and then follow along the edge of Stanley Park to Beach Avenue on English Bay. They cross over the Burrard Street bridge (which exhausted runners learn by experience is over 1km across), then take a left at W 2nd Avenue before heading back downtown over the Cambie Street bridge to the finish line outside of BC Place.
I've been running this silly run for almost every year since 1994. Needless to say, for myself, my dad and my sister, it's become a family tradition regardless of how active or fit we are. This time around I'm not nearly as active as I was when I first started at the age of 13! As a result, I decided to join the corporate Sun Run team at work and we had our first training clinic a few weeks ago. But due to unruly weather and other spontaneous events, we skipped the subsequent training sessions.
I admit that I haven't been very good about training, although who am I kidding? I never am! I simply hate to train for the Sun Run. I guess I'll just wing it again this year and see if I can beat my 58 minute record while being a good 15 pounds overweight.
So watch out Vancouver! Just you wait. I'll be one of 50,000 white t-shirts flowing through your downtown streets this Sunday morning wondering what the heck I'm doing, yet again.
