GM Place: A hockey lover's overview.
Written: Feb 25 '06 (Updated Feb 25 '06)
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Pros: Right next to Skytrain, not a bad seat in the house, state-of-the-art.
Cons: Pricey food and beverages, Skytrain wait.
The Bottom Line: GM Place is a very attractive venue with very helpful Guest Services staff. I highly recommend it.
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| kathi's Full Review: General Motors Place |
GM Place, home to the Vancouver Canucks, is an excellent venue for sports and entertainment events. Since its opening in 1995, "the Garage" has welcomed over 10 million visitors. Since I've only visited GM Place during hockey games, I will approach this review from that angle.
Getting to GM Place
If you drive, be prepared to fight traffic, which can be heavy on game days. Parking isn't cheap, but there are lots of parking facilities requiring no more than a 15 minute walk. Be prepared to pay $7-$10 for parking. Disabled parking may or may not be available in the underground parking; it is on a first-come, first-served basis. Disabled visitors should contact the Guests with Disabilities Hotline 604-899-7445 to check for availability and to reserve an underground disabled parking stall.
I'm convinced that the best way to get to GM Place is via skytrain. Park at a skytrain station, ride in. At most, it will cost you $6.75 return for skytrain -- and that's from the furthest station in Surrey; parking will be extra (if I remember correctly, it was $3 at the King George station). Get off at the Stadium station and you will be able to see the stadium from the station. Use the lower street level exit (Pacific Boulevard) to get to Gate 7 if you have plaza level tickets, or the upper street level exit and walk a bit to the gates that lead to the upper levels. It's an easy walk; I usually attend the games with a friend who has limited mobility and he found the walk from the upper level of skytrain to the stadium to be fairly easy. Plan to arrive early, as skytrain can get quite crowded.
The Building
The building is handsome and is clean and well maintained, both inside and out. Public entrances are located at Gate 2, off the Dunsmuir Street Viaduct; Gate 3, up the stairs from Expo Boulevard; Gate 7, up the stairs from Pacific Boulevard; and Gate 8, off the Georgia Street viaduct. State-of-the-art features include an excellent Bose sound system and OrcaVision, an 8-sided video scoreboard with 4 video screens and 4 screens for graphics. There honestly isn't a bad seat in the house; sightlines are excellent, even from the top row of the upper section. The stairs are fairly steep, but they aren't high so they're not difficult to negotiate for those who are a bit out of shape.
Concessions and Washrooms
With 26 permanent and 14 portable concession stands scattered around the Balcony and Plaza levels, there is plenty of food and drink readily available. Prices are hefty, but the food is good and the concession stands appear clean. One word of warning, however: the concessions are plagued with long lineups during game intermissions, so make sure to go early. I am usually able to get in and out quickly by getting to the concessions a couple of minutes before the end of a period. All permanent concessions take Visa and Mastercard, but it's cash only at the portable concessions. Interac cards are only accepted at ATM machines in the building.
There is also a restaurant, The Brew House Grill, which is open only on Canucks game days. There is a $25 per person minimum order, and reservations are strongly recommended for dinner tables. Those with ticketed view seats can enjoy a leisurely dinner and the entire game with an excellent view of the ice. The restaurant is open two hours prior to game time and closes approximately one hour after the end of the game.
Beer is available at various concessions scattered around the building. There are a few beer-only concessions as well. The lineups can be very long, so plan accordingly. Prices are high. Beer can be taken to your seats with the exception of alcohol-free sections.
If it's souvenirs you're looking for, they're readily available. The Authentix store is located at Gate 6 and section 114; a ministore is located at section 121. There is a ministore located on the Balcony level as well, although I don't recall its exact location. There is a good variety of team apparel and memorabilia available; prices are what you'd expect in this type of venue.
Short of cash? Not to worry -- ATM machines are scattered around the building and are conveniently located in the Balcony and Plaza levels and the Brew House Grill as well. Just look for the big overhead signs. Visa, Mastercard, and Interac are accepted.
Washrooms are spacious and were remarkably clean each time I visited. Unfortunately, the lineup can be really long at times, so make sure to plan accordingly. The womens lineup was especially long when I made the mistake of waiting until intermission, but fortunately there are a lot of stalls and the line moves fairly quickly. All washrooms have wheelchair-accessible stalls; family service and disabled washrooms are located at sections 103, 109, and 319. Family service washrooms are equipped with baby change tables and chairs.
Guest Services
The one thing that stands out in my mind about my visits to GM Place is how helpful the Guest Services staff is. When entering the building, staff members were very polite and took the time to make sure I knew how to get to our seats. When accompanied by my disabled companion, the staff was especially accommodating, even offering to get our tickets changed to disabled seating.
Disabled persons will appreciate the helpfulness of the staff and the services available. In addition to the underground parking stalls mentioned earlier, there is special seating available for wheelchair users and their attendants. I was quite surprised when a staff member informed us that my companion and I could get our seats changed to wheelchair access seats, despite the fact that he does not use a wheelchair but does have some difficulty walking. There is a special drop-off zone with curb ramps at Gate 5 on Abbott Street, and there are elevators available at Gates 1,5, and 9. Guest services also provides assistive listening devices free of charge; a credit card or photo ID is required as a deposit.
Guest Services are located at sections 114 and 310; during hockey games they're also located at section 104 as well. Other services provided include lost and found, booster chairs for children (free of charge), wheelchair and stroller storage, reuniting lost people, and emergency assistance.
Helpful Tips
Here are a few of the odds and ends I've learned from attending hockey games at GM Place:
-- The doors open one hour prior to the event. There will be a small lineup waiting if you arrive at 6pm for a 7pm game, but if you come later, you'll wait longer. A surprising number of people wait to arrive until a few minutes before the game.
-- There is a security check at the door. It's best to carry as little with you as possible. Backpacks and other bags are subject to inspection. My companion had a small lunch cooler with him for diabetic supplies; fortunately, once they inspected it, he was allowed to keep it with him.
-- Don't carry anything that could be construed as a weapon. That includes team flags on broomsticks. I've seen small flags on wooden dowels, but personally I would restrict myself to flags on plastic. I leave my flag at home. I've seen some fans with large flags wear them as a cape...not a bad idea if you want to have your large flag with you.
-- I've had absolutely no problem bringing in my digital or 35mm camera. I've heard that cameras with long
telephoto lenses are not allowed and that the general rule of thumb is that lenses shorter than a hand length are ok. I leave my telephoto lens, which is just shorter than the length of my hand, home to be safe. You can go down to ice level prior to the game to take pictures if you so wish. I also avoid using the flash on my camera just as a measure of consideration for other fans. I've seen plenty of camera flashes during the game though. Technically they don't allow videocameras, but I've seen several people taking video at games so I'm not sure what the exact policy is. If in doubt, call Guest Services at 604-899-7440 to check in advance.
-- While GM Place is a non-smoking facility, there are smoking areas outside of Gates 2, 3, 7, and 8. They're quite crowded during intermissions and at the gates I've been at, there's no shelter from the elements.
-- Skytrain is extremely crowded after the game. There is a huge lineup for at least 30 minutes, and trains headed towards Waterfront Station are less likely to be as packed for as long as the trains headed in the other direction. I tend take a few more pictures and chat with fellow fans for awhile after the game to let the crowd thin a bit before heading out.
Conclusion
There is absolutely nothing like experiencing the game in person, nothing like the sound of thousands of fans cheering their team on. The excitement is palpable. I've only been able to get Balcony seats -- usually the last row up -- and while I had misgivings about being able to see the action and enjoy the game that high up, I quickly discovered that the view is great and the fans up in the nosebleeds are generally a lot of fun. I already have a ticket for an upcoming game just 5 rows from the ice, so it will be interesting to see how different it is down there... can't wait! All in all, visiting GM Place is a great experience, not only for the game and the fans, but also because of the staff and facilities. I'm eagerly anticipating my next visit!
Recommended:
Yes
Parking Availability: What A Nightmare
Seat Location: Upper Level
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Epinions.com ID:
kathi
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Member: Kathi O'Shea
Location: 49th Parallel
Reviews written: 53
Trusted by: 94 members
About Me:
Geek girl, hockey nut, and avid boater.
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