Olympics fans fill the streets of downtown Vancouver
Sunny weather, a thriving party scene and a U.S.-Canada Olympic hockey showdown. It added up to huge crowds converging from both sides of the border onto Vancouver, Canada this weekend. Correspondent Tom Banse reports on whether the glitch-prone Olympic host city could handle it.It was Canada's version of “Super Sunday;” the biggest day of the Olympics so far with the biggest crowds. Vancouver's public transit system strained under more people than it's ever handled before. Strained but did not break. The weekend saw the first noteworthy border backups of the Games. Peak wait times at the Peace Arch crossing reached an hour or more. Vancouver police ordered beer and liquor stores to close hours early to contain rowdiness. Yesterday, hockey fans decked out in face paint and draped in flags thronged outdoor viewing plazas set up throughout the city. The CEO of the Vancouver organizing committee said “The Olympics are going off beautifully.” We should note John Furlong said that before the US beat Canada in hockey 5 to 3. Still, the unmistakable buzz on the streets of Vancouver suggests the second half of the Winter Olympics is starting with fewer problems than the first. At the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, I'm Tom Banse.
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