A day after 14 million Canadians watched the Closing Ceremony and 22 million tuned in to the thrilling gold medal hockey game, there was no denying that Vancouver was still basking in a post-Olympic glow.
"Instead of fights breaking out, patriotism did. I thought that was absolutely inspiring as a Vancouverite, and I was very proud of everybody," singer Michael Buble told CTV News at the airport.
Many Vancouver visitors said they were leaving the city with very favourable impressions.
"Three weeks here, I didn't meet a rude Canadian. Not one. Even the drunken hockey fans were nice," said Denver Post sports writer John Henderson.
When the Olympics started, some international media weren't so kind to Vancouver.
But by the end of the Games, it appeared attitudes had changed.
The New York Times ran a headline proclaiming "Olympic flame burns brighter on last day."
The Times Online in London said, "Triumph overcomes tragedy after host nation takes Games to its heart."
Even though crowds reached an estimated 150,000 people Sunday, most people remained well-behaved.
Some fans used newspaper boxes to block one street for an impromptu hockey game, and a pre-dawn dance party broke out in the middle of another intersection.
But all good things must come to an end.
Just hours after the Olympic flag was handed from Vancouver to Sochi, Russia, signs of the 2010 Games were already being removed from Vancouver's streets.
Construction crews worked through the night dismantling the huge celebration sites that were the focus of public gatherings for the past 17 days.
All over Metro Vancouver, workers scooped up litter and reopened some of the routes shut down for Games security, while Vancouver International Airport dealt with a sea of crowds on what was expected to be its busiest day in history.
Olympic fever isn't entirely over though.
The Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games get underway on March 12.
With files from CTV British Columbia's Mike Killeen and Peter Grainger
