Summer's End, Olympic Park

Before all traces of summer disappear, please let me share with you some photos of the new Olympic Park in East London. If you can get there one sunny day, it's a good time of year to see it now.  I wrote here and here about the Olympics when they were on, in 2012, and there was some very cool public involvement - but the best bit is that the site was always going to be used for public benefit, and it was really exciting to visit and see how far on they've got.

Rather than me listing everything, take a look here here to see some of what's on offer.  Not surprisingly, the place is already really popular, and no wonder,  For me, the most eye popping thing was the landscaping. New parks can be bare, but they'd used millions of plants that either grow wild here or will naturalise, like these California poppies. The family below had obviously chosen their picnic site carefully.



It was fantastic to wander along the paths and take a closer look.



The area, near Hackney Wick station, is regenerating and is very arty and cool. I could see that some of the locals had come out to play






The bridges, walkways and general layout are designed to look interesting from all angles. As the park is very new it has some corners that are full of strange reflections and angles, although I think when the plants grow up it could also acquire a more fantastical air. .






The aquatics centre is my favourite building - I met an old lady who said she comes here swimming almost every day.   It's designed by Zaha Hadid  (for more views click on the link). Hadid is one of Britain's foremost architects and a feisty woman indeed - I wonder if you heard her tearing a strip of the interviewer in BBC Radio 4's Today programme recently? The building is as bold as you'd expect and is clad partly in grass, reminding me from some angles of the Teletubbies' bunker, (though I daresay that wasn't part of the concept).  I loved the aqua blue glass in this huge window.



This curious place below is actually an orchard in honour of paralympic athletes. The Games pushed paralympic sport well and truly into the public eye.  Each of those fruit trees is dedicated to a paralympic sportsperson, and I like that symbolism. As for the brick columns, I don't know what they mean....

...but kids thought them useful for hide and seek

I'd have loved this place as a kid. Not only is there a playground with lots of interesting equipment, but there is also a child sized climbing wall.

and the Orbit, a giant artwork by Anish Kapoor, is to get an enormous slide, currently being designed by trendy architects Bblur.   At present this intriguing sculpture is used for abseiling, and hopefully that will continue once the slide is built.



I was particularly fascinated by the huge mirror letters outside the Copper Box Arena, on the edge of the park.   Not only did they reflect themselves, they reflected all the other letters too, multiplying the reflections.  (look at the sky reflects in the "N" below)    It is quite disorientating, and won't be the ideal place to be after a few drinks, I'd say.

It was a fantastic cycle ride along the canal to get there from our place, and the area around the park has many extraordinary things to see.   Bike is the ideal way to explore it.