Curling-related shouts of “Hurry! Hard!” will replace the more often heard “Play ball!” when the Riley-Hillcrest neighbourhood hosts the 2010 Winter Games’ curling competition in the newly-constructed Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Centre. Famous for its baseball parks and the 130-acre Queen Elizabeth Park, this middle-class neighbourhood is tucked between Cambie Street (where the new Canada Line rapid transit line runs) and Main Street (where shoppers will find a delightful stretch of antique shops, eclectic eateries and independent boutiques). Here is a sampling of what this Olympic neighbourhood has to offer.

Visit: Queen Elizabeth Park is Vancouver's horticultural jewel with an extensive outdoor arboretum and the indoor Bloedel Floral Conservatory. Rarely does a summer day go by when no bridal parties are seen having photographs taken in the beautifully-planted Quarry Gardens. Amidst all this greenery and colour, visitors will find an impressive variety of recreational offerings including par-three golf, tennis, lawn bowling, disc golf and, when the snow falls, tobogganing!

Do: Nat Bailey Stadium is right next door to the curling venue and at the foot of Queen Elizabeth Park. One of the prettiest Minor League baseball parks in North America, “The Nat” is home to the Single A Vancouver Canadians baseball team, an affiliate of the Oakland A’s. A second ballpark, home to Hillcrest Little League, sits in the shadow of the larger stadium, fostering big league dreams in the young players who run its bases. In the neighbouring area of Oakridge, the Norman Rothstein Theatre is a live music and theatre venue housed inside the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver. The theatre is one of the main staging areas for Chutzpah! - the international showcase of Jewish performing arts that brings music, theatre, dance and comedy to Vancouver each February.

Eat: Seasons in the Park sits at the peak of Queen Elizabeth Park and offers Pacific Northwest cuisine and exceptional service in an enchanting garden setting with panoramic views of Vancouver's city skyline and the local mountains. Notable events held at the restaurant include a dinner for Presidents Bill Clinton and Boris Yeltsin during the 1993 Vancouver Summit meetings and a surprise dinner for the International Olympic Committee as part of the 2010 Olympic bid. At the upscale and award-winning Sun Sui Wah Seafood Restaurant on Main Street, signature dishes included roasted squab and Alaskan king crab that are delivered daily to the restaurant’s live seafood tanks. Burgoo Bistro is an upscale neighbourhood soup and stewhouse serving big bowls of comfort made using traditional cooking methods.

Note: During the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games period some of the above attractions, restaurants or hotels may be closed for private events, or have changes to operating hours or programming. Please check with each individual business before visiting.