FIFA , what will Van be like

I’m starting to think the WC is going to be a financial disaster. Maybe 76 Olympics level. Winnipeg’s biggest mall has every store full of WC junk. Mall was full of shoppers because of the holiday. Not a single person wearing any WC branded items.

westwoody said: I’m starting to think the WC is going to be a financial disaster. Maybe 76 Olympics level. Winnipeg’s biggest mall has every store full of WC junk. Mall was full of shoppers because of the holiday. Not a single person wearing any WC branded items. Click to expand... I agree. The amount of shit in stores just waiting to hit the landfill is truly disheartening. And the only people I see in WC jerseys are little kids in 'cute' outfits. I know that WC is planned years in advance and who could have predicted (well maybe not predicted but expected? hoped it wouldn't be this bad etc) the pedo run administration south would fuck up the economies as badly as it has. But talk about poor timing for something like this. Downtown hotels $500 and up if available. Ticket prices maybe, $550 and up. Pretty sure restaurants will have WC "Special" pricing. Inflation now at 2.8%. Buying power dropping. I know of none of my friends bucking up for any of this. Even my kids who are doing fine and are sports fans are just planning on tv viewing. So what has Vancouver gained, if anything, that adds to the city infrastructure? The tent theater at the PNE? A nice lawn in BC Place Stadium? Anything else anyone can think of? An economic boom? Ha! Its all going to come back on the tax payer. And by the way, if you research just what if any economic impact the 2010 Olympics had on Vancouver, it seems the real numbers are all buried. These world events, Olympics, WC, and so on at this scale have had their day. They have not been for the typical citizen for years and the exclusivity and cost is putting these further and further out of touch. If ever countries need to read the room, its now. MPH out

On a separate but related topic, many European cities are limiting or banning cruise ships (Barcelona, Vanice, Nice, Amsterdam, Santorini) for similar reasons no sane country wants to host the Olympics or World Cup. Cruise ships (like Olympics and WC) are parasites that destroy the quality of life of the host countries. A cruise ship will dock then tens of thousands of tourists will walk the half kilometer of trinket shops designed for them then then walk back to the boat and eat because the food is included on the boat but not ashore. They make no real contribution to the economy and are often demanding, entitled, and completely incapable of a deeper cultural experience.

VinVan said: On a separate but related topic, many European cities are limiting or banning cruise ships (Barcelona, Vanice, Nice, Amsterdam, Santorini) for similar reasons no sane country wants to host the Olympics or World Cup. Cruise ships (like Olympics and WC) are parasites that destroy the quality of life of the host countries. A cruise ship will dock then tens of thousands of tourists will walk the half kilometer of trinket shops designed for them then then walk back to the boat and eat because the food is included on the boat but not ashore. They make no real contribution to the economy and are often demanding, entitled, and completely incapable of a deeper cultural experience. Click to expand... I’ve read that their time to get off the ship and look around is also limited , limiting what they can do . Mist cruise ships doc in areas far from where you would like to be , there is usually a time limit on when the ship will leave ( sometimes as little as 5 hrs ) plus apparently when you get back there is a monster line up so people rush back cause they don’t wish to be at the end if that line

masterpoonhunter said: I agree. The amount of shit in stores just waiting to hit the landfill is truly disheartening. And the only people I see in WC jerseys are little kids in 'cute' outfits. I know that WC is planned years in advance and who could have predicted (well maybe not predicted but expected? hoped it wouldn't be this bad etc) the pedo run administration south would fuck up the economies as badly as it has. But talk about poor timing for something like this. Downtown hotels $500 and up if available. Ticket prices maybe, $550 and up. Pretty sure restaurants will have WC "Special" pricing. Inflation now at 2.8%. Buying power dropping. I know of none of my friends bucking up for any of this. Even my kids who are doing fine and are sports fans are just planning on tv viewing. So what has Vancouver gained, if anything, that adds to the city infrastructure? The tent theater at the PNE? A nice lawn in BC Place Stadium? Anything else anyone can think of? An economic boom? Ha! Its all going to come back on the tax payer. And by the way, if you research just what if any economic impact the 2010 Olympics had on Vancouver, it seems the real numbers are all buried. These world events, Olympics, WC, and so on at this scale have had their day. They have not been for the typical citizen for years and the exclusivity and cost is putting these further and further out of touch. If ever countries need to read the room, its now. MPH out Click to expand... I will honestly say this , there are some great things this city got from the Olympic legacy which are the Canada line skytrain to the airport , plus they fixed the road to Whistler ( it used to be a death trap ). Also Olympic village is a nice area that did not exist before , so at least we came out of it w some worthwhile things to show for it . I am happy about the outdoor amphitheatre at the PNE , just of course not looking frwd to the 3 weeks , I hope I am wrong . masterpoonhunter said: Downtown hotels $500 and up if available. Ticket prices maybe, $550 and up Click to expand... The starter rooms at the Parq which are normally $400 are going for $4000 ( same as Taylor swift ) I heard game tickets were $1000 on average but haven’t really checked

Quite honestly looking back with the aid of the long lens of history I would happily give Expo86 and 2010 Olympics a miss in exchange for a sleepy little town where young adults can afford a house (or even a condo), where we’re not overrun by the McLarens of the Scions of Chinese oligarchs, where folks may have been a little more neighborly. For the record, I’m Asian. And that goes for the WC too. And I’m not a killkoy by any stretch of the imagination; back in the day there used to be a thriving artist and alternative scene in the city, but most of those folk have been priced out and left for a saner life - to the great detriment of the city IMHO. I would attribute this to a huge inferiority complex by the folks who felt we needed to become a “world class city” whatever the fack that means. Oh it means those folks down at the Board of Trade wanted to hang out with the cool kids. Thing is, if you’re cool, you’re just cool. You never hear London, or New York, or Paris, of HongKong ever bill themselves as a “world class city.” They just are, and the residents there aren’t obsessed about seeking the approval of others.

masterpoonhunter said: They have not been for the typical citizen for years and the exclusivity and cost is putting these further and further out of touch Click to expand... Tell that to the stupid fucking assholes who want new stadiums for their football/hockey/baseball team built at taxpayer expense. The team owners make millions, corporations get tax write offs for luxury boxes, and construction contractors make billions. Joe Lunchbucket can't afford to take his kids to a hockey game... (Just took an escort to a Winnipeg Jets game and tickets were over $200 each.)

masterpoonhunter said: I agree. The amount of shit in stores just waiting to hit the landfill is truly disheartening. And the only people I see in WC jerseys are little kids in 'cute' outfits. I know that WC is planned years in advance and who could have predicted (well maybe not predicted but expected? hoped it wouldn't be this bad etc) the pedo run administration south would fuck up the economies as badly as it has. But talk about poor timing for something like this. Downtown hotels $500 and up if available. Ticket prices maybe, $550 and up. Pretty sure restaurants will have WC "Special" pricing. Inflation now at 2.8%. Buying power dropping. I know of none of my friends bucking up for any of this. Even my kids who are doing fine and are sports fans are just planning on tv viewing. So what has Vancouver gained, if anything, that adds to the city infrastructure? The tent theater at the PNE? A nice lawn in BC Place Stadium? Anything else anyone can think of? An economic boom? Ha! Its all going to come back on the tax payer. And by the way, if you research just what if any economic impact the 2010 Olympics had on Vancouver, it seems the real numbers are all buried. These world events, Olympics, WC, and so on at this scale have had their day. They have not been for the typical citizen for years and the exclusivity and cost is putting these further and further out of touch. If ever countries need to read the room, its now. Click to expand... When the event is over, I might buy a soccer jersey or two...provided that they're dirt cheap like the Vancouver Olympics merchandise was in March of 2010.

News reports taxpayers are on the hook for $1B for the WC in Canada. Half from fed taxes, the other half to the provinces and municipal taxes. I guess like all the other cost overruns etc, this is just noise as far as the political system is concerned.

Once you go black said: Ditto , but soccer is not my life . Most popular US music festival tickets now go for $500-1200 US , And I see no fault in paying it, Its more the food vendor prices that bug me . Click to expand... so many hotel rooms are still empty and reservations are down year over year by approx 20%. that is quite a bit.

For forcing the BC Sports Hall of Fame to shut down, and move all the exhibits out, the dick heads at FIFA should be castrated.

I just thinking about the amount of foreign pussy that is coming to Vancouver....

80watts said: I just thinking about the amount of foreign pussy that is coming to Vancouver.... Click to expand... A friend told me the amount of LL listings has doubled . I think they’re all arriving for WC

80watts said: I just thinking about the amount of foreign pussy that is coming to Vancouver.... Click to expand... If they do, they will probably be high end, and they need to be high volume to justify the travel.

Once you go black said: A friend told me the amount of LL listings has doubled . I think they’re all arriving for WC Click to expand... I'd suggest they aren't "arriving". You can scam on LL from anywhere on the planet.

I just hope, Vancouver doesn’t become a breeding ground for Ebola since it is a world event

VinVan said: On a separate but related topic, many European cities are limiting or banning cruise ships (Barcelona, Vanice, Nice, Amsterdam, Santorini) for similar reasons no sane country wants to host the Olympics or World Cup. Cruise ships (like Olympics and WC) are parasites that destroy the quality of life of the host countries. A cruise ship will dock then tens of thousands of tourists will walk the half kilometer of trinket shops designed for them then then walk back to the boat and eat because the food is included on the boat but not ashore. They make no real contribution to the economy and are often demanding, entitled, and completely incapable of a deeper cultural experience. Click to expand... As well they are huge environmental nightmares with fuel and garbage.

Big Dick Bob said: When the event is over, I might buy a soccer jersey or two...provided that they're dirt cheap like the Vancouver Olympics merchandise was in March of 2010. Click to expand... Check your closest Value Village or thrift store after its all over.

Once you go black said: I will honestly say this , there are some great things this city got from the Olympic legacy which are the Canada line skytrain to the airport , plus they fixed the road to Whistler ( it used to be a death trap ). Also Olympic village is a nice area that did not exist before , so at least we came out of it w some worthwhile things to show for it . I am happy about the outdoor amphitheatre at the PNE , just of course not looking frwd to the 3 weeks , I hope I am wrong . The starter rooms at the Parq which are normally $400 are going for $4000 ( same as Taylor swift ) I heard game tickets were $1000 on average but haven’t really checked Click to expand... Olympic Village area would have been developed even if the Olympics had not happened. Sea to Sky Highway would have also been widened although that would have taken a few years as well as the rapid transit line to Richmond and the Airport. I would have been fine waiting for that development to happen over time rather than overnight like it did happen.

Took at look at Expedia, the hotels are expensive during the month of the games, but not as stupid as I thought they might be. The road closures and traffic flows on gamedays are stupid and downtown should be avoided at all costs unless you are a fan/going to the games. Hopefully, the natural grass works well and they keep it for Whitecaps games. The prices for the tickets to the games are just absurd, I really hope the building is half empty and FIFA is embarrassed as hell, they have really screwed this up badly.