General Motors Place — Park Yourself at "The Garage" For Some Great Entertainment
Written: Jul 12 '09
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Pros: State-of-the-art facility; great selection of food; awesome atmosphere and staff
Cons: Steep prices for everything from food to souvenirs; congestion will always be a problem
The Bottom Line: There are times when General Motors Place is a home away from home. It's a great place for any venue that needs to be experienced at least once.
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| elvisdo's Full Review: General Motors Place |
I remember when General Motors Place was first constructed in Vancouver, British Columbia and opened up in 1995. It was a new era as Arthur Griffiths, Jr, owner of the Vancouver Canucks NHL hockey team, announced the building of a new hockey arena with state-of-the-art amenities. It was also the time when Vancouver participated in the NBA expansion to Canada that saw the birth of the Vancouver Grizzlies. Both of these teams would make General Motors Place (or GM Place) their new home. Of course, the new building didn't come without any controversy as many objected to the idea of having another stadium adjacent to another one—B.C. Place, home of the BC Lions CFL football team—creating a lot of traffic in already congested area. But the idea was a solid one for two reasons: first, the Canucks needed a new facility to replace the aging Pacific Coliseum as the main venue for Vancouver's events; and second, it was located in downtown Vancouver rather than the outskirts.
I have spent many times at GM Place (dubbed as "The Garage" by the locals) taking in both Canucks and Grizzlies games, watching the WWE come into town for their pay-per-view events or Monday Night Raw live shows, and attending many concerts. When they say there isn't a bad seat in the house, they are not kidding at all. The stadium-like seat is very comfortable with nice, cushioned seats, a far cry from the hard, plastic seating from the Coliseum. I also expected it to be very cramped making it hard to get in and out of rows. To my surprise, it's roomier than I imagined. I also don't feel as cramped when sitting next to someone. Keep in mind that these are all the regular seats in the stadium.
GM Place holds 18,630 people for a Canucks hockey game and, when they were still in Vancouver, 19,193 people for a Grizzlies basketball game. There are 88 luxury suites, 12 hospitality suites, and 2,195 club seats. I do have to say that I once had the privilege of sitting in a hospitalty suite and it makes it hard to go backwards once you have experienced something like that. The amazing thing is watching the stadium transform from an ice rink to a basketball court to a concert hall. The eight-sided Mitsubishi Diamond Vision Mark III (dubbed the Orca Vision) video scoreboard is the best in the world and the first one to be installed in North America. It can be seen by every seat in the house. So when I said there wasn't a bad seat in GM Place, I wasn't kidding.
And don't worry about being fed at this place. GM Place offers something to suit all tastes from the traditional hot dogs, burgers, fries, popcorn and pizza to more specialty and healthy options, such as White Spot Triple O's, Boston Pizza, Southside Grill, and Chopsticks, just to name a few. If you ever do manage to visit one of the concession stands, I'm sure you've encountered my sister who is one of the managers behind the frozen treats service. Of course, don't forget the beer garden and restaurants, including the Club Lounge, the five-star B.C. Club and the Spirit Club Tap and Grill.
Merchandising can be found inside this facility. Winning Spirit, part of the Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment family, handles all of GM Place's merchandising. Other fixed merchandising can be found throughout the place as well but The Canucks Team Store does house quite a lot for the fans to purchase. During entertainment events, it's easy to find many concert T's, CD's, programs and other novelty items from your favourite artists at one of the many kiosks located throughout the place.
Since this is the home of the Vancouver Canucks, it's made even more evident with the many banners hanging from the rafters. Of course, respect is given to two former Canucks captains—Stan Smyl and Trevor Linden—whose retired jerseys are hanging for all to see.
There is ample parking surrounding GM Place including the facilities own underground lot. Obviously, these are all paid lots and the further away you are from the place, the less you have to pay. All these lots have a flat rate in the evening and are within a good 10-15 minutes walking distance. If you wish to avoid driving into downtown Vancouver, the other means of transportation is public transit, more specifically the Skytrain service that is located very close to GM Place.
The downside is the congestion, as it is to be expected. My suggestion to avoid the crowd is to arrive a good 30-45 minutes early to the event and hang back it a bit when leaving. There is a lot of walking to do especially when you enter at one end of the building and have to go to the other side for your seats. The Skytrain can become extremely crowded after an event so be wary of that and be patient.
I have attended many events at GM Place and it has always been a different but great experience each and every time. I have had seats all over the place from sitting behind to goalie to the nosebleed section to the hospitality suite. If you ever get a chance to experience a hospitality suite, jump at the opportunity. It's a fun time with great food, service and your own bartender. More importantly, though, the staff is top-notch and very helpful to your needs. It is they who really help make the experience meaningful and memorable. I haven't had a problem with any one of them.
I'm actually happy for Vancouver as it hosts the 2010 Winter Olympics. General Motors Place will be the home for the ice hockey competition. During the Olympics, the place will be temporarily renamed Canada Hockey Place, as corporate sponsors are not allowed to brand sporting venues during the Olympics. I wish I can attend and an event as big as this makes me a bit homesick. But the hockey played during this time will be interesting since it will be using a regulation NHL ice rink instead of the bigger Olympic-size standard. Downtown Vancouver will be buzzing with activity but General Motors Place will be a main focus for hockey aficionados. With a great facility to back it up, GM Place is going to propel itself further into the limelight.
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This is part of my 2009 Canadiana Write-Off.
Recommended:
Yes
Parking Availability: Busy But Manageable
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Epinions.com ID:
elvisdo
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Thank you to everybody who participated in both my write-offs. Until the next one!
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