Robson Rules

New Age Sports (Nike Store) on Robson

I love my job. Sometimes I have a bad day and I don’t love it quite as much, but I never hate it. I couldn’t hate it because it’s actually a pretty cool job; a job that, if you knew me well, you would say was tailor-made for me. I manage the Robson Street Business Association.

That means I take care of things that go on on the street. Things like banners and flower baskets. Things like advertising and events. Things like safety and security. I’ve been doing it for almost 4 years, but I feel like it’s always been the job for me… just waiting for me.

In a way, I grew up on Robson Street; it’s where I spent every weekend in high school. We would make plans to “hang out” on Robson, and that’s all we would do. Hang out, (usually on the North West corner), and meet up with friends. In my 20’s I worked at 3 different clothing retailers on the street and now in my 30’s, (after 4 years away in Toronto), it has come full circle and I’m managing the street.
When I was in Toronto, I knew that one day I would move back to Vancouver, and I really hoped it would be before the 2010 Winter Olympics. Little could I have imagined coming back to a job that puts me smack in the middle of all the action. The Olympics are 3 (!) days away and Robson Street is one of the areas that people, (tourists, athletes, coaches, family members and other revelers) will be flocking to to shop, dine and celebrate! The shops on Robson Street have been adorning their windows with everything to Cheer on Canada. It’s a program called Paint the Town Red, and it’s really catching on… not everything is red, but it is all Olympic themed. These are just a few of the displays right now on Robson Street… Enjoy!

London Drugs on Robson Street

Scotiabank - Show your colours

Coco Rico Cafe

Konbiniya Japan Centre celebrates Canada & Japan

Nutrition House - Go for Gold

Robson Optical welcomes the world

New Age Sports (Nike Store) had the best Team Canada display

Nike Store - Go Canada!

Team Canada T-shirts at the Nike Store

B2 on Robson

Aritzia on Robson

Ski lift bust stop on Robson

Boys' Co on Robson

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory on Robson

Kiehl's Since 1851 on Robson

Daniel Le Chocolat Belge

Plenty on Robson - Hello World!

Gap on Robson - Welcomes the World!

Below the Belt on Robson - Oh Canada Go Canada!

Olympic Fun Day

Me with Beckett & Nolan and Chenoa


Yesterday was an Olympic-themed day; My Olympic Fun Day! It started with a walk around the downtown area with my family, some more Olympic decorating, and ended with dinner with not one, but two torch-bearers!
There is nothing as spectacular as when the sun shines in Vancouver. People come out of their hiding spots to feel the rays on their faces and to look at the glistening scenery. Yesterday was no different; it was a gorgeous day and the locals and tourists were all out in droves. I decided to do the same and joined my sister and her husband and sons as they came downtown to explore some of the Olympic revelry. The opening ceremonies are less than a week away and people are excited to see what the City has in store for us. I met up with Chenoa, Jason and Beckett & Nolan at Granville and Robson where I gave them their FlagWalk buttons to start the Olympic Fun Day. We walked down Granville Street with the boys and let them explore the artwork. I think Beckett & Nolan were so excited to see something other than the apartment they spend so much of their day in.


Nolan and I decked out in our Canada gear

Me showing Nolan artwork on Granville Street

Go Canada Go!!!

Jason, Chenoa, Beckett & Nolan on Granville Street

We then walked over to Robson Square to check out the ice rink. The rink was being used by some Timbits teams that were playing hockey. The boys have never seen hockey up close and in person before and they seemed to love it. Beckett was holding on to the railing and making all sorts of funny noises as he watched the kids skate after the puck. Jason “plays” basketball with the boys at home all the time with a Nerf ball, but I wonder if maybe he might need to invest in some hockey sticks instead.

Me with Beckett on the Art Gallery steps

Watching Hockey

The boys showing off their walking skills

After all the walking around we headed for lunch, (thank goodness for White Spot and their highchairs and kid-friendly menu), and then home for a nap.

When I got home, I added another Olympic decorative display to the outside of my place. This time it was a Canadian flag that I attached to the railing and surrounded with lights. You can see it from the ground, and since I‘m in Yaletown, (the center of all the action), I’m sure it will be seen by lots of tourists walking around.

The day finished off with dinner at The Corner Suite Bistro de Luxe; a restaurant that was slated to open months ago but due to building problems, it only opened last week. The executive chef is Anthony Sedlak, the host of Food Network’s The Main and as soon as we sat down, we were greeted with a complimentary bottle of champagne so we knew we were going to like the place. The menu isn’t huge, but everything on it sounded amazing. We all decided on the twenty four seven Prix Fixe menu; appetizer, entrée, and dessert all for $24.07. In the end, with dinner and a couple of bottles of wine, the total for each of us was $55 (tip included)!
My dinner dates were my girlfriend from high school, Robin, her sister, Jessie and friends Martine and Evanka that are in town from Toronto for the next month working on Olympic broadcasts. They were both proud Olympic torch-bearers; Martine ran with Olympic Torch in Quebec back in December, and Evanka got to run it in Whistler on Friday. I was lucky enough to witness the torch relay on day 1 in Victoria, and I never get tired of hearing stories of it.
The Olympic conversation also covered the potential final caldron lighter; we have it narrowed down to 3 possibilities, (and by we, I mean most of the country): Wayne Gretzky, Betty Fox, (mother of my hero, Terry Fox), and Michael J. Fox, (no relation to Betty or Terry). All 3 would be great choices, but VANOC keeps promising that it’s going to be a surprise, and if it’s any of the 3 just mentioned, then it wouldn’t really be a shocker. The Michael J. Fox submission is not quite as popular as the other two, and as much as I like and respect him, I just can’t see it being Michael. Yes, he is local, he is a celebrity, and he is very well respected. But he isn’t an athlete, and although his work with Parkinson’s is immense, most cauldron lighters in the past have been athletes.

Betty fox is also not an athlete, but her son, Terry ran more than a marathon every single day during his Marathon of Hope to raise money and awareness of Cancer. He ran over 5,000 kilometers before he was forced to stop when the Cancer spread to his lungs. Because of him, more than $400 million has been raised worldwide through the Terry Fox Run. Terry is an internationally recognized name which is why I think Betty could possibly be the final torch carrier, plus there is a Facebook group with almost 130,000 members that also want Betty to light the caldron.

But if we’re talking about Canadian Athletes that are internationally known, that also possess an Olympic Gold medal, then Gretzky is the man. Wayne Gretzky is generally regarded as the best player in the history of hockey and has had his number, 99, retired by all the teams in the NHL. The Great One is one of the greatest living athletes in Canadian history which is why I my money’s on him. Of course, VANOC could pull a bait and switch and we could get an unknown or a young child lighting the cauldron; it’s happened before. VANOC has also stated that if the cauldron lighter’s name becomes public before the Opening Ceremony, then there will be a last minute switch. Regardless of who it ends up being, I’m sure it will be spectacular and I will be very emotional watching it.
The countdown has really begun: 5 more days!!!!

Lovely ladies out for dinner at the Corner Suite Bistro

FlagWalk Follower

Canadian FlagWalk buttons

If you’ve been anywhere near Yaletown or South Granville anytime in the past few months, you’ve probably seen the FlagWalk decals on the sidewalks. FlagWalk involves more than 450 flag emblems from approximately 80 countries participating in the Winter Olympics placed on sidewalks between the two neighborhoods.
FlagWalk also has a spinoff project: buttons! The buttons measure 1½” in diameter and are being sold by merchants in Yaletown, South Granville and on Robson Street.
I picked up a few buttons myself and plan on giving them out to friends, (and people that appeal to me), during the games. I decorated my bag with them and wore it around town today and was stopped several times with people asking to take pictures or asking where they could purchase them.
I will continue to use the bag for the next few weeks so if you see me, be friendly and say hi and test your knowledge to see if you can name all of the countries represented!

International FlagWalk Buttons

My FlagWalk bag

Make a Wish. I did.

Sometimes people disappoint me. Sometimes they amaze me. Today I was amazed.

I logged onto my computer this morning to find the following email from my old work colleague and friend from Toronto, Danica, (Krista is her sister):

How are things out West? Gearing up for the games I bet! Listen…favour….Krista works for Make a Wish and if you click on the link below you’ll see why I’m emailing you. These poor kids and families have had things turned upside down. As you know work doesn’t really have connections at hotels in Van….but if there is one person who I know in Van and who might be able to direct/help Krista it’s you. Any direction/advice/help you can offer her would be much appreciated. I’ve cc’d her on this email.
Chat soon babe….and thanks!

I responded with:
Hi D! (Hi Krista!),
I saw this on the news last night and it absolutely broke my heart. I honestly don't have a lot of pull in the hotel business, but that being said, I will spread the word and send the info off to the few people I know. Good luck!

I then sent out this email to my contact list:
Yesterday, the Norwegian Star cruise ship announced that they were cancelling plans to provide accommodations during the games, and because of this 13 terminally ill children and their families who had planned to come to the games with the help of the Make a Wish Foundation, now have nowhere to stay. A friend of mine works for the Make a Wish Foundation in Toronto and she emailed me this morning asking if I had any corporate connections that could assist with this. Unfortunately I really don’t, but I thought the least I could do was help spread the word. If you know anyone that may be able to help, please pass this on to them.

The response was incredible! I got dozens of emails from people offering up their own places for these families, (unfortunately it has to be a hotel due to legal and insurance reasons), and even more from people saying they would pass it on to their contacts at the Hyatt, Fairmont, Ramada, Coast, Westin etc… Plus my g/f (anchor & reporter for a national news show) was going to do a story on it for tonight's news. At the end of the day, after many leads, hotel rooms for all the kids and their families had been found by Jet Set Sports, a firm affiliated with the Games.

I’m not sure how the two companies got connected, and I doubt it was through me, but the point is, I was only one person that sent out an email. I’m sure there were many others, and somehow the forces aligned and we were all able to make this happen. And by “we” I mean everyone that had any part of this, even people that were just sending positive thoughts. This news was amazing and heart warming. It’s so great to see how people can pull together in a time of need. Danica’s final email to me today was: Just goes to prove that when the chips are down the goodness of people really does shine through. At the end of the day most people do care. And Krista followed up with: Certainly a proud day to be Canadian...the support was overwhelmingly awesome! People are so kind!!!! :)

If you’re not familiar with the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Canada, they are an amazing organization that grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. My friend, Angelo was granted a wish several years ago, when he was a teenager stricken with Cancer; he was flown to New York City to meet his basketball idol, Allen Iverson. He ended up beating the Cancer, but the memories of his Make a Wish trip are always with him.
Thanks so much to everyone that took the few minutes needed to forward my email or any other information they may have had.
Today, I really like people.

By the way, the Foundation is always looking for donations and volunteers. Just so you know. ;-)

Geeking over the Games

To people that know me, this will not come as a surprise, but I am a total geek about the Olympics. I am so excited that they are less than 2 weeks away and I am beyond proud that they are going to be held in my home town, my home country, and even in my own neighborhood. I will wear all of my Olympic gear while attending the events, and spending time at the LiveCity sites.

I am not blind to the issues that surround these games; I understand the poverty and homelessness that is front and centre every day in the news. I have lost loved ones to addiction and mental illness and think that there is a lot more we could be doing to help our fellow man. But that’s not what this blog is about today. Instead it’s about the Olympic rings that I made. That’s right peeps, I made a 5ft tall version of the Olympic rings to display on my deck, and my wonderful boyfriend, Chad helped me install it.

Actually, I made the rings a couple of weeks ago from plastic piping from Canadian Tire and some good old fashioned duct tape. I was just going to tie them to the railing on my deck but Chad insisted that if I was going to do it, I was going to do it right, (with his help). So off to Home Depot we went to get some wood to build a frame. We spent the day measuring and cutting and screwing, (I couldn't resist).

Below are some pictures of the process and the final product. If you’re driving around in Yaletown, keeps your eyes open for them… my inner geekness is beaming right now!

Chad hard at work, sawing

Chad hard at work, setting

Me wearing my safety, (ski) goggles drinking a Timmy's

Chad hard at work, measuring

Me hard at work, zap strapping

The finished product!

The finished product, outside!

View from the ground

Feeling the Flags

Below the Belt on Robson Street

I was born in Canada. I was born in Vancouver, even. (That’s something you don’t hear a lot from people that live here.) My Dad was born here too. I like to throw out the, “my Mom was an immigrant” card on occasion, but really… she emigrated from England with her family when she was a kid. It’s not like she had turmoil and hardship; she already knew the language and she wasn’t a visible minority.
My point is…. I AM CANADIAN! I am a very proud Canadian. I wore Canadian flags on my Backpack through Europe and, “A toque is a hat, a chesterfield is a couch, and it IS pronounced Zed, not Zee... ZED!! Canada is the 2nd largest land mass, the 1st nation of hockey, and the best part of North America.” (You know the rest). I will be cheering on the Maple Leaf along with the rest of the country during the 2010 Winter Olympics whilst wearing my official Team Canada gear from The Bay and waiving the flag.
That being said… There are approximately 80 other countries that will be here in Vancouver competing for Gold. And although I want Canada to win every event, I realize that is not going to happen, so it excites me to think that there are other people in this city that are cheering on nations that they are from, or their ancestors are from or have a flag that they think looks cool. Whatever the reason, residents and businesses are putting up flags all over the place. And it’s great to see that they are not just Canadian. On my walk to work today I counted over 25 different flags and it made me so proud to know that I live in a country where everyone has the right to cheer for whichever team they want. So let them cheer… everyone… I just might be cheering louder!

Flags at Roots on Robson Street

Flags at Joe Fortes on Robson Street

Joe Fortes on Robson

Roots on Robson

Street Scene

I walk to and from work every day. From Yaletown to Robson Street and back again. I’ve been doing it for almost 4 years and it’s usually about a 15 minute walk. The highlight of my walks is seeing all of the progress on the streets in preparation for the Winter Games. In the past couple of weeks, the streets have almost come alive with Olympic décor, lighting, banners, signage etc. and the people I’ve seen during my walks seem to have come alive with a huge sense of excitement and anticipation. It just makes it all seem so much more real. Here are some pictures I took to and from my work walks today.

New Welcome signs on Robson Street

Olympic Banners and Welcome sign on Robson

Olympic Banners and Welcome sign on Robson

Video screen at the Art Gallery

GE Ice Plaza at Robson Square

Granville Street facing The Bay

Granville Street facing The Bay

New light installations on Granville Street

Granville Street

New light installation on Hamilton in Yaletown

New Light installation on Mainland in Yaletown