Get 'em before they're gone: Free Manitoba polar bear stress balls.

One of the city’s official party zones during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, LiveCity Downtown has been up and running for more than a month now.  Haven’t had a chance to check it out yet?  Now’s the best time.  Lines during the Paralympic Games have been shorter than ever (actually, nearly nonexistent), and Vancouver’s last bastion of Olympic excitement closes its doors forever on Sunday.   To get you motivated, I’ve put together the top five reasons to get out to LiveCity Downtown . . . before it’s too late.

5.  The free Manitoba polar bears.   Centreplace Manitoba, a pavilion dedicated to all things from Canada’s central province, sits just inside the gates of LiveCity Downtown.  Throughout the Games, the nice Manitobans inside have been handing out free stress balls in the shape of tiny white polar bears.  The bears are one of the best free souvenirs you’ll find anywhere, and they’ve got symbolic value, too.  Manitoba is home to the polar bear capital of the world.  Churchill, a town of 923 hardy souls on the shores of Hudson Bay, is swarmed with the snow white beasts during October and November.

Everyone loves Sumi (even Quatchi).

4. The photo-ops. LiveCity Downtown is also home to the Canada Pavilion.  Though maligned as a snoozer by many visitors, the pavilion does have some fascinating exhibits on vintage hockey and ski gear, virtual hockey and snowboarding games and – last but not least – some fantastic photo opportunities.  This afternoon, Sumi – cult favorite among mascot fans – made an appearance.  Crowds were small, meaning pretty much everyone in attendance had a chance to pose with the cuddly bird/bear/whale hybrid.  Other great pictures include a shot with some real Mounties, who have been mugging for the cameras nonstop for a month.  There are also Olympic and Paralympic torches to pose with.  

Just what exactly is Canadiana cuisine?

3. The cuisine. Here in Vancouver, we’re blessed with some of the best food from around the world: Japanese, Indian, Chinese, Thai, Persian and Greek, served up with impeccable authenticity and fused into innovative new creations.  But what about good old Canadian cooking?  At the Canadiana Cookhouse, inside the beer tent at LiveCity Downtown, long-suffering fans of Canuck cuisine will be rewarded (well . . . sort of).  $8 will buy you a heaping plate of poutine.  $7 is good for a bowl of West Coast chowder.  And $10 gets you a big plate of barbecued salmon.

The stars were not aligned for Team Canada today.

2. Sledge hockey on the big screens. This afternoon, I watched Canada fall to Japan in the men’s sledgehockey semis, which was shown on the big outdoor screen at LiveCity Downtown.  Although the place wasn’t nearly as packed as during Olympic hockey matches, every set of eyes was glued to the action.  Canada faces off in the bronze medal match on Friday, and LiveCity might be the best place outside of Thunderbird Arena to watch it live.

Able-bodied kids learn the basics of wheelchair rugby from Team Canada star Say Luangkhamdeng (rear, in black).

1.  The Paralympic stories. Each day Paralympians and disabled athletes and artists are on hand, speaking with fans, performing and challenging stereotypes about disabled people.  Today, I spoke with wheelchair rugby star Say Luangkhamdeng, who hails from Surrey and played for Team Canada in the Beijing Games.  Say spent a few hours teaching curious fans the basics of his sport (invented in Canada in 1977, by the way) with hands-on demonstrations.  Able-bodied volunteers from the audience jumped into specially designed rugby wheelchairs, which look like a cross between a normal wheelchair and a bumper car.  Say gave a quick primer on the rules – the objective is to carry the ball across the opponent’s goal line, rough physical contact between chairs is permitted and encouraged – and the game began.  Every few seconds a thunderous clang of metal marked the violent collision of two speeding chairs as teams raced toward the goal (It’s no wonder the game is called Murderball in the U.S.).

Along the sidelines, I saw that a big group of able-bodied kids had queued up for a chance to try next.   If you ever needed proof of the value of the Paralympics and the power of sport to destigmatize disability, I think that’s it.

Remy Scalza