Above: A greenspace at the site of London 2012, which has been covered to Queen Elizabeth II Olympic Park. Athlete’s Village (middle building) has already been coverted to apartments.
Since the 2016 Olympic Games just concluded in Rio, I’ve been a bit nostalgic about my time in London as a volunteer Gamesmaker for London 2012. So during my recent trip to London, I headed to Stratford in East London to relive some memories and see how the the city has re-purposed all that land.
Taking the Central Line Tube ride to Stratford was like a walk down memory lane. During the Olympics, Stratford station and the nearby Westfield Stratford Shopping mall were filled with hundreds of thousands of people. It was a bit claustrophobic. So on my Monday afternoon visit, it was refreshing to see the Tube station relatively quiet.
As I walked out of the Tube station and through the outdoor courtyard of shops (Westfield Stratford also has a three-story indoor shopping centre which is the largest in Europe), I was anxious to see how the area had transformed. I remembered vividly the 30 minute trek I took each day before beginning my shift, first through security, the pat downs I got until I realized to not wear my credentials when I went through the metal detector, and then the bus ride to get to the International Press Centre, where I volunteered.
I’d read that the former athletic sites and many of the open green spaces would be turned into Queen Elizabeth II Olympic Park, to provide a place for world-class venue for sporting competitions within the UK, and also recreation space for Londoners and tourists like me. I’d also heard there was quite a debate surrounding which soccer (I mean, “football”) club would be able to use the former Olympic Stadium as their home field. In the end, local club West Ham got the bid, and I can only imagine what the area looks like on a Saturday during football season!
Four years after the Games, the area probably looks much like it did pre-Olympics, since construction is everywhere you look. Plans are underway to make this section of East London a hub where people work, live and play. Building is underway at QEII Olympic Park to create The London International Quarter, a progressive area that will “be a home for modern business,” with a focus on employee wellbeing, culture, technology learning and connectivity. On the tech front, in a few years the International Quarter might knock out, or at least rival, the London neighborhood of Shoreditch as the top location for technology companies. According to a timeline on the QEII Olympic Park website, some of the first commercial spaces at The International Park have already been occupied, and the entire quarter should be complete by 2020.
Above: Construction is just about everywhere in the area surrounding Queen Elizabeth II Olympic Park
Olympic Park will also provide a wealth of new homes for Londoners. The former Athlete’s Village has already been turned into apartments for about 7,000 residents and Olympic Park will be home to five new neighborhoods with the first neighborhood already developed.
On the cultural side, The Victoria & Albert Museum plans to opens up an East London location, the Sadler’s Wells Theatre is building a 500-seat theater and dance school, and Theatre Royal Stratford East and Stratford Circus will also make their headquarters in the area.
I was excited to learn that the two buildings which housed the International Press Centre and Broadcast Centre during the Olympics (where I spent most of my time as a volunteer) have been turned into an East London campus for students from Loughborough University London. University College London (UCL), London College of Fashion and University of the Arts London (UAL) will all have educational campuses at Olympic Park over the next few years, as well.
Above: During London 2012, Press and Broadcast centre housed journalists from around the globe. Now the buildings are being re-purposed as university campuses.
The 560-acres at Queen Elizabeth II Olympic Park are a great place for a day trip away from the busy-ness of London. The abundance of open space features four themed walking trails which are all free to visitors. Guests can rent bicycles outside the Aquatics Center (the locals call them “Boris Bikes,” after former London Mayor Boris Johnson’s initiative to get more people out cycling) and enjoy the massive grounds on wheels or on foot.
Above: Visitors can rent Boris Bikes to cycle around the grounds of Queen Elizabeth II Olympic Park
I was glad to see that the beautiful flower gardens that were in bloom during London 2012 are still a hallmark of the park. It’s a great space to enjoy lunch or read a book on a sunny day.
Above: Britain is know for its gardens, which were evident throughout Olympic Park during London 2012 (left). Four years after the Games, the area is still beautiful.
The Park is also home to dozens of public art displays like this. Clearly, someone with a Sharpe got there before I did!
There are a few restaurants on the grounds and of course, the ArcelorMittal Orbit , the UK’s tallest sculpture created just for London 2012 has become a permanent fixture. Guests can climb to the top for a magnificent view of the city. There’s also a giant slide that you can go down.
After walking back along the main connector between Olympic Park and the Tube station, I checked out some of the outdoor shops at Westfield Stratford. I was glad to The Cow, a restaurant hangout for many of my fellow volunteers during the Games, was still there, along with some new places. Since I’m a big fan of the Bravo TV show, “Ladies of London,” I was pretty excited to look up and Bumpkin. It’s the the third restaurant by restauranteur Matt Hermer and his wife, Marissa. The Chelsea location features prominently in the first two seasons of the show. I was hoping to have my final Cream Tea there, but unfortunately, they weren’t serving it on the day I visited. Next time!
Above; The Cow restaurant was a popular hangout for Gamesmakers during London 2012. New restaurants like Bumpkin have also opened post-Games.
I’m so happy I took the time to visit Stratford. It was exciting to see that the area will truly be a 21st Century location to work, live and play. I envision Millennials and other young professionals will be attracted to the neighborhoods surrounding Olympic Park. London 2012 has clearly left its legacy.