London and the Olympics

[Serena1977]

This week I visited London for the first time since the pandemic. Took the kids to the Olympic park and they had a go on the Orbit slide which they loved. But I noticed that on the tube to it, it got quieter and quieter and then when we arrived it was a ghost town, no cars on the roads, no pedestrians around, no atmosphere, nothing.

I remember the games with immense pride and really enjoyed watching it so why was it deserted?

Judged by the other thread that some people didn't know that Paris are hosting next year, is the Olympics finished in its current form? all the money and upheaval to create it in London and now its left unloved and unused(except, I imagine, West Ham match days)

I believe the legacy of the Games in Atlanta 1996 and Athens 2004 is next to nothing and derelict.

I thought this when we visited last year.
I thought the Olympic park and surrounding area was beautiful- but like a ghost town!

It was clearly designed with crowds in mind- which are no more.

Having 2 swimming children- we loved the aquatics centre- but to use that on a daily basis would drive me mad- there was no quick and easy way of getting into the building!
In fact none of it seemed particularly everyday user friendly as the entrances seemed so far away from a feasible drop off point so I'd be really interested to hear from people who do use the facilities regularly and how they manage it.
Maybe they just factor the extra time in?

I work with one of the organisations on the park. There's still a lot of work in progress with buildings yet to open, that organisations have been working towards for 10 years. Once East Bank is fully open it will be more buzzy: new V&A museum, BBC music, Sadlers Wells new dance theatre and hip hop academy.

London College of Fashion has just opened there with 6000 students. UCL has just opened next to the Orbit and will have public facing activities, and another 4000 students.

A lot of things happening are for local communities so less obvious for visitors I guess. But a hell of a lot of work has gone and is going into making it a good place.

The north of the park has loads of organisations, lots of satellite university places and start ups.

So maybe all this isn't obvious to a visitor but it's a great place to be part of.

Also, I find there are always crowds in Stratford tube station no matter the time of day. There are a zillion people in Westfield which says more about our consumer society than anything.

But the whole regeneration of the area - as part of the Olympics - has been absolutely massive. I've never not been in the Westfield when it's been anything other than heaving and so many organisations are relocating there from the city or Canary Wharf.

I used to work there, a lot of large businesses are moving into the business park, I think it will get much busier.

I regularly attend for sporting events- it is a beautiful place, and much enjoyed

I think it's a bit inevitable.
I traipsed out to the Olympic Park in Montreal which was a ghost town apart from buildings that had been turned into indoor ice hockey rinks, and went up the hill in Barcelona where you cross vast expanses of empty public spaces where crowds for the Olympic events would have been.

Isn't Stratford now he busiest rail station in London? Certainly feels like it sometimes.

I used to work on Stratford. Hated the place, and if I wanted somewhere to sit and eat my lunch in peace I had to walk all the way up to the Olympic park. There used to be a lovely area of grass in font of the stadium - size of 2 football pitches I'd say. But now that's been built on. Flats everywhere. So if it's so quiet maybe they are unoccupied?