NorthGeek

Vancouver in Tilt Shift

With just 8 days until the Olympics, we are still obsessed with all things beautiful about Vancouver. Here’s a cute video of this gorgeous city, shot as tilt-shift, so everything looks miniature like a kid’s game.

Vancouver is Starting to Look Olympic

With only 9 days until the Olympics, Vancouver is starting to look very “Olympic.” Check out this great video — just try to ignore the choice of music. Neither the NorthGeek authors nor Shazam now the source of this tune.

NorthGeek to attend the Panasonic Pavilion Opening in Vancouver!

We’re very excited to have been included on a list of invitees to experience first-hand, a day before the public, the future of home entertainment. Panasonic is putting together a full-3D home theatre experience for select media and industry experts to taste a day before the public, this February 11th (public opening February 12th) at LiveCity Yaletown in David Lam Park (Vancouver).

We’re super stoked to be there, and look forward to giving you all a sneak peak of the event, although we strongly encourage you to check out the pavilion – it is sure to blow your minds – from February 12th – 28th. This is going to be the FIRST time this technology will be on display to the public!

I’m too excited – message us if you have any special requests for us on the 11th…

Club Bud – coming to Vancouver

Hey NorthGeek readers, what do you think of this? Is this going to be THE series of parties for Olympic-goers from around the world? We certainly hope to make it to at least one of these events. I hope the nice people at the PR agency who emailed us about this can hook us up (hint, hint…)

[Copied from a press release sent to NorthGeek]

Budweiser to Host Five Nights of Exclusive Parties in February

VANCOUVER, (January 19, 2010) – Club Bud, host of the hottest parties in Beijing and Torino, will claim its place on top of the party podium in Vancouver. Budweiser will be the center of Vancouver’s social scene for five nights in February.

In Torino, Budweiser introduced the world to Club Bud with a six-story pyramid-shaped nightclub.

Club Bud kept the party going in Beijing with 360° video screens, an electrifying dance floor and an outdoor pool. In February 2010, Club Bud will transform the famed Commodore Ballroom into the place for athletes, celebrities and some lucky fans to celebrate in style.

Club Bud will be located on pedestrian-friendly Granville Street in the heart of Vancouver’s entertainment district. The 19,000-square foot, 1,000-person capacity, multi-level venue will feature a concert stage, elevated seating, several bar and lounge areas and the legendary 2,646-square foot sprung dance floor. Partygoers will enjoy live DJs and music throughout the night and three separate bar areas will offer distinct atmospheres to enjoy a cold Budweiser with friends.

Club Bud party co-hosts Burton, the National Hockey League (NHL), Under Armour and lululemon athletica will present themed evenings, with doors opening at 9 p.m. Athlete and celebrity arrival times on the red carpet will vary by party. More information will be available via media advisories prior to each event.

• Friday, February 19; Burton Party
• Saturday, February 20; NHL® Party
• Thursday, February 25; Budweiser Party
• Friday, February 26; Under Armour Party
• Saturday, February 27; lululemon athletica Party

“Budweiser is renowned for its exclusive parties and guests,” said Richard Musson, Vice President of Marketing, Labatt Breweries of Canada. “Club Bud is bringing Vancouver five epic parties and will be the place to be for competitors to come together to celebrate their achievements and enjoy the camaraderie shared among world-class athletes.”

In addition to drawing top name athletes and celebrities to Club Bud, Budweiser is searching for two lucky people to crash the parties in Vancouver. The Club Bud Party Crasher job search offers applicants the chance to attend one of the Club Bud weekends and will require the winner to use social media tools to capture and share the Club Bud experience online. Details can be found at www.facebook.com/budweisercanada

NorthGeek at the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games

Don’t get too excited… We’re not competing in anything. We’re just taking in the sights and sounds of this awesome atmosphere. Couldn’t be more excited for the world to get together in our backyard!

Among the many attractions that are some old, some fairly new to the city for the Olympics, is the Bombarider “experiment” – the Olympic Line Streetcar. This is the fanciest public tram I’ve ever been on. Leather, wood, and sharp, sharp flat screens. Too bad the city loses it after the games… Maybe if we all make enough noise, the Olympic Line will join Vancouver’s public transit system, for good.

Here are just a couple short clips of our experience on the line:

“With Glowing Hearts”: True North Media House and the 2010 Olympics

“With Glowing Hearts” is a documentary by Andrew Lavigne about social media and its part in the upcoming 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. In the following episode, Kris Krug, Dave Olson, and Rebecca Bollwitt talk about their story and the emergence of the True North Media House, an independent media project to cover the Games.

According to Dave, “What you see on TV is very different from what happens on the ground… We’ve reached the point where grassroots has boiled up and leveled with mainstream media.” Watch the video below:

How to Experience the Vancouver 2010 Olympics like a Local

Vancouver is hosting the big ‘ole Olympics this February 12-28. It is actually the biggest city to ever host the Winter Olympics, so you can be sure there’s going to be a lot going on. Here’s a taste of what to do while you’re visiting Vancouver and how to connect with and discover local secrets. If you’re not coming to Vancouver, this could be the magical ways you can experience a very intimate and local Olympics experience through the eyes of a bunch of dedicated and internet-vocal Vancouver locals.

You need to be prepared for a few things:

• Vancouver is going to be a 24/7 party
• It can rain (a whole lot) in February
• You really have no idea what to expect, and neither do the locals

Not everyone in Vancouver is so excited to have the Olympics, mainly because of the IOC’s and VANOC’s shenanigans. However, you can’t resist the remarkable stories to come from athletic inspired achievements. You also won’t be able to resist seeing a stunning and photogenic Vancouver — hopefully you will give back, with your time and money, to the people and businesses that make this world-class city thrive.

ABOUT VANCOUVER
Pick up some local newspapers and weeklies and have a look at Georgia Straight (one of the best weeklies in Vancouver) Best of Vancouver for ideas where to eat, hang, and do. Check out some Google Maps of certain celebrities’ favourite spots in the city. Drink Vancouver’s delicious tap water, and find fountains around the city using this map. Read Vancouver authors, subscribe to some Vancouver bloggers, Twitterers, photographers, videographers, and designers. Vancouver is a social media savvy city, and they are beautifully eloquent. Read about what’s going directly from the people (contact me if I’ve missed you!).

• Miss604
• Doug Copeland
• Kris Krug
• Techvibes
• Vancity Buzz
• John Biehler
• Ecstaticist

FOOD
Vancouver doesn’t just have top sushi, ramen, and pho. Try elsewhere on Yelp etc. for other local favourites, including ‘Gourmand’ Gastown. Or crowd source some ideas, Mitch Joel style. And please try to avoid McDonald’s, unless you’re trying to track down athletes at the McDonald’s next to the athlete’s village, bound to be full of athletes seeking familiar (though likely performance un-enhancing) fares. For available water fountains around town, check out this great mashup map.

FOLLOW TNMH
True North Media House, or TNMH, @tnmh, or #tnmh, is likely to be an exciting Olympics source to follow. They’ll (we’ll) be organizing many planned and impromptu meetups, photowalks, parties, and events around town. They’re both local, knowledgeable semi-pro journalists, bloggers, photographers, but also an extension to anyone visiting Vancouver who wants to be part of the future of Olympics coverage through citizen journalism.

We at NorthGeek have assembled three key Twitter lists to follow:

• @NorthGeek/van2010: a great collection of Olympics-interested Twitterers worth following
• @NorthGeek/tnmh: True North Media House fellas
• @NorthGeek/olympic-athletes: Olympics athletes

ESCAPE IN THE CITY
Some of the best things to do in Vancouver aren’t in Vancouver. Escape the downtown core for some breathtaking adventures:

• Head up to Grouse Mountain, home of the NBC armchair commentators and 24 hour a day skiing and skating. And it’s just 15 minutes from downtown.
• Will anyone be up skiing on Mt Seymour? It’s beautiful up there and you might have some peace and quiet on the slopes.
• Museum of Anthropology out at University of British Columbia
• Explore Stanley Park, adjacent to the downtown core, by rental bike or foot, along its myriad of trials, hidden gems, and surrounding paved seawall
• Take a day trip to Bowen Island or the Sunshine Coast
• Hop in a seaplane for a tour the mountain-meet-ocean city: Harbour Air, West Coast Air, Saltspring Air

GET THE BLOOD PUMPING
Run the False Creek Seawall, UBC Endowment Lands, Stanley Park Seawall, or any of the many green spaces around the city. Hop in the 50m pool at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre. Enjoy Yoga like pretty much every other Vancouverite. Y Yoga is having a great promo during the Olympics: free yoga classes for all!

CONNECT
There are many ways to avoid data roaming on your cell phone. Consider picking up a prepaid SIM card (if your phone is of the unlocked GSM variety) from a company you don’t see sponsoring the Games: Fido, Rogers, or Telus. Sure, Bell and Virgin Mobile (which they own) are fine, but I think enough people will be drawn by their ‘official carrier’ status.

Vancouver also has tons of free WiFi hotspots. Check out this map for hotpots. Pretty much every coffee shop in Vancouver has it. Also some friendly (or unknowing) residents have unlocked access points, often with the names ‘default,’ ‘netgear,’ ‘linksys,’ etc. so just stick those to auto connect and thank someone! The Vancouver City Libraries also all have free WiFi. Sign up online or in person to get an access code. Or pick up an application for your smartphone that keeps track of WiFi hotspots (JiWire for the iPhone, etc).

GETTING AROUND
Vancouver has an excellent network of public transportation and walkable routes. And the Olympics sure are going to try to keep you from driving. Check out the Skytrain (connecting with East Vancouver and further east), Canada Line (to the airport and Richmond), the temporary Olympic Line light-rail along False Creek South between Granville Island and the Athlete’s Village, and the False Creek ferry tugboats. Here’s a great link with transportation info.

SOUVENIRS
Leave Vancouver with some souvenirs of the city: art, photography, clothes, beer, and wine from locals. Check out small galleries around town and local artists. Pick up some stunning city photographs from Picture Listen. If you can’t find what you want, hire a local photographer and do your own shoot. Buy locally brewed beer and BC wine. Check out all the great clothing lines (in Gastown and small boutiques scattered along Robson). If you’re going with the big retailers, try the big Canadian vendors pushed out of the Olympics like Roots or Lululemon. Check out the Canamade market, promoting locally produced goods.

HOMELESS IN VANCOUVER
Unfortunately, homelessness is a major problem in Vancouver and has been at the center of many arguments against hosting the Olympics here and spending the dollars required for the Games. If you’re visiting Vancouver this February, do consider helping someone out, with some change or some food.

BEST WAY TO SPEND YOUR MONEY ON OLYMPICS
Even better than supporting the Olympics through merchandise and tickets, considering supporting your countries’ athletes. In Canada, you can donate directly to CAN Fund, or have your eye on independent funds like B2ten which will be on the rise as long as Canadian athletes continue not receiving the support they need from the government (or as provided in other countries).

CULTURAL EVENTS
The Cultural Olympiad is organizing many free concerts and cultural events. Find more information from Miss604 and this guide for music.

YOUR COMMENTS
Hope you found some useful info here. Stay tuned by subscribing to NorthGeek blog or Twitter. Feel free to @reply NorthGeek or comment below with your thoughts!

Winter Olympics buzz all over!

This was among my favourite commercials while living down unda. And not only because I’m Canadian…

Sneak peak at Vancouver Olympics sites

There is less than 1 month until the Vancouver Winter Games. Here’s a peak through my iPhone lens at some of the sites and pavilions around False Creek in Vancouver. (All photos link to Flickr source.)

Maison Quebec at Concord Pacific site between BC Place & Sochi House (Science World) #poutine #tnmh #van2010 :

Science World Station for Olympic Line streetcar. Just a tease! Line ends @ Athlete Village (for now) #tnmh #van2010 :

Epicenter of #van2010 athletes? Golden arches next to Athletes Village. Closest some will come to gold #BigMac #tnmh :

Olympic Line streetcar "testing" running for free btw Athlete Village & Granville Island Jan21-Mar21 #tnmh #van2010. More from Miss604: www.miss604.com/2010/01/olympic-line-free-public-streetca… :

Molson Canadian 2010 Mural Project. Very very slowly filling out small fan photos. What’s it say? #tnmh #van2010
"Soar in on the Games" ?? More info: blog.molson.com/community/tag/molson-canadian-2010-mural-… :

Horrible Burrard Bridge billboard: Have you signed the petition against it? Lots of #van2010 trucks below #tnmh
It was approved by the federal gov’t and erected by the Squamish First Nation
www.kitsilano.ca/2009/12/22/have-you-signed-the-petition-…

Brown Fizzy Sugar Drink Pavillion at David Lam Park (LiveCity Yaletown) #van2010 #CocaCola #tnmh

False Creek Ferry and Switzerland House #van2010