please empty your brain below
I would be well up for masquerading as you on Mon 31st, DG, particularly if it involves an Orbit visit!

Ollie | Homepage | 21.03.14 - 1:16 a.m. | #

Hi DG - re the new bridge near the copper box (which passes right next to Eton Mission Rowing Clubhouse on the Hackney Wick side of the river). This is not really on the site of the old concrete bridge you pictured.
dg writes: Agreed, And deleted, thanks.

If you stand on that bridge and look north up the cut, you will see another new footbridge about half way up the cut to the motorway bridges. That bridge is almost exactly where the old concrete bridge for Gainsborough School used to be.

not sure if it is open yet but went up about a month or so ago.

Michael | 21.03.14 - 7:22 a.m. | #

I was in the East Village yesterday and a small part of Victory Park was open to the public. There are also a lot of new giant green hedgelike green sculptures.

kissenme | 21.03.14 - 7:29 a.m. | #

So - general access, esp from the N & W after 5th April?
Of course, if it's been done right, after those amazing daffs have finished, there might easily be other, summer-flowering plants in there - it's called "successional planting"
We'll see, won't we?

The "wetlands are just that, actually - they are flood-overflow space. During the recent downpours, the river actually rose to that level, covering at least one of the paths between it & the wetland area.

I see from your photo of "here East" that the bloody security fencing is still in place. Thta's got to go - but when? Will the old Lea path open then, too, & if not, why not?

| 21.03.14 - 7:54 a.m. | #

Maybe just this once you should accept the invitation and go to the South park preview, would probably make an interesting read the next day and you could score a going out/social point in your annual statistics!

Apart from local people getting £2 discount at the Orbit, overs 60's do better and get £3 off the price.

With the London Eye, the Shard and others, and with more to come, it is at last possible to view London from a high building. Something that had not been possible for several decades since BT Tower closed.

The Daffodils look nice in your photo,it seems to have been a good year for Daffodils.

John | 21.03.14 - 8:04 a.m. | #

Hi DG

I would love to take your place , particularly if it means visiting a place before the public do.

It would be a good opportunity to get some cracking photos

Luke Treherne | 21.03.14 - 8:53 a.m. | #

Hi DG would love to take your place and take some photos in the park before it gets swamped! I've been watching it get built from my house on warton road for a while

Jack | 21.03.14 - 9:05 a.m. | #

There is still far too much of that grey security fencing about. Lets hope much more of it disappears soon.

More trees and open spaces and less concrete is what East London needs. Unfortunately the idiot planners and developers seem intent on concreting every bit of spare land for housing. $%£*&**&^%!!

Agent Z | 21.03.14 - 9:27 a.m. | #

One thing that constantly surprises me is the lack of graffiti. Living in France, any public space with any amount of concrete immediately becomes a target for the vandals.

I've never visited the Olympic Park, but I can't help but think it looks a triumph.

Chris | 21.03.14 - 10:18 a.m. | #

Go on, make an exception, and take the freebie "exclusive preview". You don't even have to write about it if you don't want to (but you will want to :)

Andrew | 21.03.14 - 11:23 a.m. | #

@ John, there are lots of other chances to see London from above. I went up the BT(then Post Office)Tower in the 60s, but since then many other buildings, particularly during Open House weekends, eg the British Museum roof, New Zealand House, some of the new developments near Liverpool St, and various others. recently I was at a meeting on the 17th floor of offices near St Paul's, and found the view much more interesting than the meeting, but didn't say so!

amber | 21.03.14 - 11:28 a.m. | #

What a crafty idea DG! You ask if anybody wants to go in your place, neither confirm nor deny acceptance of any requests, go along yourself, and nobody will ever know whether it was actually you or an imposter.

Anyway, I won't offer to go, as a guide dog owner probably doesn't make the most believable of stand ins.

In all seriousness though, as somebody who frequented the park a fair bit during the Games I'm rather looking forward to popping back. It will also be good to have a reason to revisit the Container Café, which hasn't felt like such an attractive destination since the old managers moved out and the Greenway became a strangely difficult to reach place to see, well, nothing much at all.

Now the question is, do I wait two weeks or drop by before the crowds start building too much?

Rjnet | Homepage | 21.03.14 - 12:16 p.m. | #

Oh, and as for seeing London from above, I don't think you can do much better than the Golden Gallery atop St Paul's dome: right in the heart of the city and without any glass to ruin your photographs or prevent you from hearing the sounds around you. I went up the Swiss Re tower during last year's Open House, but as someone with very limited sight felt rather divorced from the world beyond the top floor windows.

Rjnet | Homepage | 21.03.14 - 12:22 p.m. | #

Can I nominate Scott (http://www.merseytart.com/) to attend in your place?

Happy Harry (in the UK) | 21.03.14 - 12:50 p.m. | #

I am aware of and have visited New Zealand House (not very tall) and some tall buildings in the City, I remember when the NatWest Tower (now renamed) was open for views.
I think of high building views as in Empire State Building or Tour Eiffel, Tour Montparnarsse.
Buildings over height of 60 floors. London is getting plenty now.

John | 21.03.14 - 1:11 p.m. | #

@ John

If I remember rightly the Tour Montparnarsse (disliked by many Paris residents) was a open air roof top view (where a helicopter would land?). Not know of any other buildings where you could/can do that.

As for London one could pay £25 to go to the top of the Shard. Not exactly affordable for many Londoners...

E | 21.03.14 - 1:41 p.m. | #

I second rjnet - double-bluff us, we'll never know!

I'd love to go, but will be cooped up on a late shift inside *ahem* Here East.

For those complaining about the horrible security fence: it is slowly coming down. It's certainty no longer the continuous perimeter it once was; out just seems that replacing it is a slow process.

martin | 21.03.14 - 1:42 p.m. | #

I went on a test Olympic Waterways cruise on Wednesday, Timelapse video at http://youtu.be/moEOxmiJpp4m and map of the waterways at http://twitter.com/roggys/status/447134076882149376/photo/1 officials of London Legacy and CRT were there to see if there are too many problems to let general boaters access. Interesting mirror bridge by Carpenters lock, not sure if viewable from public areas of the park but certainly makes interesting photo opportunities for boaters, see http://twitter.com/roggys/status/446780458551214082/photo/1

Roger | 21.03.14 - 11:10 p.m. | #

Does anyone know if the towpath off blaker road (where's there's a housing estate called otter close) opening to connect to the park, or will it remain closed? Lots of people go down the path to only discover that it's a dead end and boarded up..

PML | 21.03.14 - 11:19 p.m. | #











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