please empty your brain below

I am a little surprised that you have not mentioned the fact that a planning application has been submitted to install a slide to the exterior of the Orbit, if approved this would indeed add a bit of a wow factor to descending down to ground level and I for one would give it a go.
When the Olympic Park was at the design stage, planners should have recognised that a viewing platform should be the FIRST thing to be built. In that way the public could have seen the investment, THEIR investment, growing across that vast area and enjoyed the changes from day to day, week to week.

As it was, the 'best' overview for the stadium and the swimming pool was from the window of the furniture department in John Lewis or, for the Olympic Village, by looking over the parapet of a car park.

Rather than that ugly expensive red tangle plonked down after the event, a simple, elegant structure with escalators and stairs should have been the first thing on site. And (whisper) it could even have been FREE TO USE as a thankyou to Londoners for footing so much of the bill.
I'm hoping that the new shop is still selling the Orbit paper clips - I'm sure to run out at some time and they are a fun present for those who are fans of the maths and engineering of Cecil Balmond (and yes I do know people who are!)

Agree with you about the walk down. It's my favourite bit even though it's painful as I have a gammy leg.

FishIslandSkin is certainly right about the slides. There was much enthusiasm among the teens in this household when those plans were released.

Joan
The official slide news...

"As part of our commitment to evolving and developing the ArcelorMittal Orbit, a planning application has been submitted to create a slide from the platforms of the structure down to ground level.

The enclosed steel tube will wind its way in and out of the lattice work of the ArcelorMittal Orbit, twisting down to the ground as an alternative to the staircase. The addition of a slide would be an exciting and alternative way to descend from the viewing platforms, and will give a very different perspective of Britain’s tallest sculpture. It is hoped that the slide will open in 2016."


I wonder how much extra they'll make you pay. I doubt they'll let you slide down on the existing unlimited annual pass.
Ray, there was a free viewing area during the construction, the viewtube on the Greenway.
To continue the counterfactual discussion about viewing during Olympic construction, there was the viewtube and the other places mentioned, but you only saw bits of the site from either. Inevitable from near ground level over such an enormous site. A tower (twisty or not) with a view over the whole site would have been humungously expensive, and a bit of a distraction from building that actual Olympic stuff. Nice thought though.
A tower? No, I was thinking more of an arch (up one side, down the other). An arch, for example, inspired by the Fern Street Arch in Bow, something that was of East London and for East Londoners. There could even have been a suitable inscription, in the same way that the Fern Street Arch has its inscription on the crossbar.
sorry, if I get to read another post about the Olympics which happen three years ago I will be another lost reader. you write some good stuff but the Olympics again, come on.

You'll be leaving tomorrow, then, Mark.
It's been a pleasure.
The Dangleway is at No.91 on tripadvisor. Goooo Dangleway!!
As ever, anyone who is bored of the Olympics stuff can collect a refund from the usual address. I for one lap up all your Olympoposts DG; looking forward to the next one.
What Carlbob said
Please can we have a Diamond Geezer comparison review of the three east London attractions that offer the same experience of a viewing point?

I'm thinking of the cable car, Orbit and the walk over the roof of the Dome.
Darn, FORCED to read an article on the Olympics :p

Not that this is the olympics really, it's a fancy, expensive, viewing platform. I'd far rather it cost half the amount.

However if the slide is included in the year-long-pass then this structure will become very popular indeed!
I always thought that the Orbit looked like a bit of a mistake. The kind of thing one might scribble as a doodle while doing something else. There are more elegant designs for an observation tower.
The mirror was there during the Olympics. And I couldn't walk down without feeling very quesy
Hmmm, a possible solution here, in terms of cleaning the Orbit's windows??? http://arcelormittalorbit.com/abseiling/#.VZ1PIenH8dU
I went up it on Sunday. Most boring experience of my life, even more of a let-down than the Dangleway. Boils down to twelve quid to see the London skyline and use the loo. Bring on the slides, say I.










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