please empty your brain below
There is also a big screen in Potters Fields by The London Assembly . It seems to be a much more intimate set up but there are food stalls and a beer bar although the local M&S seemed to be the supplier of most people's evening meal the night I was there (Monday) there is only one screen and it takes its feed from the BBC ( there was a near riot when at 6 there was the changeover from BBC1 to BBC2 and someone forgot to change the channel as Jason Kenny's event was just about to be run!) But it was fun to sit with the family and maybe 500 others watching the Olympics together

Peewit | Homepage | 09.08.12 - 7:22 a.m. | #

As a regular visitor to the park most Sundays for the past 40 years I shall be pleased to see the park "back to normal". Although in recent years there always seems to be some sort of commercial activity taking place within the park. Even in the middle of winter there is the "Winter Wonderland" fairground. Oh for the old days when you could wander around in the summer past the traditional bandstand and a brass band would be playing.

John | 09.08.12 - 7:24 a.m. | #

Try Haggerston Park. Relaxed, intimate, loads of free space even on a Saturday, good and diverse stalls, excellent facilities, huge screen and good sound system.

Arkady | 09.08.12 - 8:06 a.m. | #

I spent 6 days as a London Ambassador @ Viccy Park (I was on the outside of the Live site).

The weekend nights were much busier but DG is right, a combination of poor marketing, generally 2nd division music acts, cool weather and the aforementioned greed masquerading as security precautions (lost count of the number of picnics that were stored behind our "pod") have put paid to what couldve been a potentially great communal experience.

Saturday night as Jess Ennis did her stuff while SoulIISoul were on stage showed what this place could've been.

As an Eastie I'm sad.

Met some great folk though.

DG - thanks for the continuing wonderful games coverage BTW.

CF

ChingfordFlaneur | 09.08.12 - 8:39 a.m. | #

Peewit, BTW, I agree on Potters Fields, it's certainly been our favourite Big Screen during the games.

With hindsight there should've been more of these.

On the flip side Broadgate was dire, My kids and I felt like interlopers at a corporate wake and you could feel besuited eyes boring into my little girl as she had the temerity to wriggle around on the branded deckchair she was on...

Souless, sterile and ever so slightly creepy, I hope this isn't the future of our privatised "public" spaces but suspect it is.

CF

ChingfordFlaneur | 09.08.12 - 8:59 a.m. | #

Yes, as regards Victoria Park, there was a peculiar tea making contraption in one of the far corners of the site.
Just next to it there were table tennis tables, and these were proving popular, particularly with kids.
There was also live music on the stage, but sadly only a very small audience watching the group who were playing. It was a shame, too, to see only a few people using the zip-wire.
I went to VP in the day, last week, but it was also the place I went on the Opening night.
Phew, what a difference: the queues >that< night (even though admission was for the most part 'ticket only') stretched right round the park!
Maybe the sight of that had been enough to put off people who had failed to get in, that night, from going back to give it another try?; I went back, myself, not because I knew it had changed from 'ticket only' but purely on the >hope< that that might've been the case.
I guess another explanation for the reduction in attendance is that, after the initial clamour (centred around a weekend), many people will simply have had to get back to their normal working lives.

RogerW | 09.08.12 - 9:52 a.m. | #

I agree with Potters Fields being the best place to go. There's no security and you are free to bring your own picnic. The hospitality houses also look like a good place to follow the games and you get to experience a bit of another country's culture at the same time.

DG - I couldn't work out from your travel paragraph whether Marble Arch is actually exit only or whether they only enforce it at certain times?

Rob | 09.08.12 - 10:02 a.m. | #

Polo mints are some of the deadliest weapons on earth. What's even more dangerous is 101 ml of water.

Greg | 09.08.12 - 10:08 a.m. | #

Makes me wonder what is in Polo mints that causes them to set off the scanner!

Jon Combe | 09.08.12 - 12:44 p.m. | #

John
If you are interested in the bandstand being occupied then you should be there on 9th September, there will be a bandstand Marathon by the local ELLSO
http://www.ellso.org/event/ellso-play-bandstand-marathon-concert

vicki | 09.08.12 - 1:58 p.m. | #

There will be a few local bands including the Bethnal Green Big Band and ELLSO in The Bandstand Marathon organised by Victoria Park Friends Group they also hope to have the bandstand in more use next year.

Richard | 09.08.12 - 7:04 p.m. | #

Those beer prices are a bargain! Heineken is £4.30 for a 330ml bottle in Greenwich Park.

Marc | 09.08.12 - 10:29 p.m. | #

Wife and I went to Potters Fields after the beach volleyball on Saturday. We'd been to the Olympic park before, but in a way we preferred the more relaxed, intimate atmosphere watching the cycling on the screen in Potters Fields. It was busy but chilled, people were mooching around with their own food and drink, it just felt more like London than the theme park atmosphere of Stratford.

SJM | 09.08.12 - 10:37 p.m. | #

I'm just back from a bike ride up to St Katherine Docks (the Denmark house of hospitality) and the Museum of London Docklands at Canary Wharf, where the German house of hospitality is.
In terms of the former, I loved the Lego display, and - yes- dg was spot on about the bmx track. Me... I suppose my favourite was the red buses.
As regards the German 'haus', it was nice to see people looking at my bike (a 'Cube') with knowing glances, which showed they recognised it as being German-made. Yeah, I guess the people there would know a thing or two about sport.
However, the best part, by far, was being there while the 200 metres was being screened, live. You didn't need to actually see a screen... you could pretty much tell the result from the audience reaction! It was great, simply to be there and part of the atmosphere there!

RogerW | 09.08.12 - 11:10 p.m. | #

Arkady - thanks for the Haggerston tip, nice picnic there yesterday and the kids loved trying wheelchair basketball!

Cheers!

CF

ChingfordFlaneur | 10.08.12 - 8:32 a.m. | #

I went to Victoria Park for the live music yesterday, and although there were no heaving crowds there was still a good atmosphere. The zipwire was in constant use. I struggled to find veggie food (ended up with a toasted sarnie, £4) but still had fun, and hey, it's free! Im not sure whether it is fully booked on Sunday, I know Hyde Park is, but if you're free on Saturday definitely get over to Victoria Park!

Flash Bristow | Homepage | 11.08.12 - 12:46 a.m. | #

I went to VP, again, last night (the night of the Closing Ceremony).
It was packed, with people continuing to stream in pretty much right up to the end.
As far as I could see, every attraction, foodstall and bar had long queues.
Zipwire included. I might not have made it to see London from the Orbit, but, hey... I'm happy to have seen it from the zipwire tower

RogerW | 13.08.12 - 12:27 p.m. | #











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