Ten Years After The Olympics

STRATFORD, HACKNEY WICK & THE QUEEN ELIZABETH OLYMPIC PARK

I don't know why it suddenly occurred to me the other day that it'd been 10 years since London hosted the Olympic Games. I used to live bang in the middle of the area back then so I felt very much part of it all. Living in London, though, I can't imagine not being a part of it as the entire city was engulfed in Olympic fever.

I was actually in the area to buy something at Westfield - the largest shopping mall in Europe, but then decided to talk a walk through the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to see how things were going there. I had been there last just over two years prior to this visit and even back then the place had changed remarkably.

Westfield itself hadn't changed much. There were one or two new shops, but the general vibe of the place was the same as before. It was also just as crowded as I remember it pre-pandemic, with nearly no masks in sight. The area is served by one of the busiest train stations in the country, Stratford Station, which has London Underground, DLR, British Rail, and London Overground services. There's also the Stratford Bus Terminal and Stratford International, which has trains arriving from outside England. If there isn't enough, there are also a few other stations, albeit smaller, just a stone's throw away. Hackney Wick, Stratford High Street, Abbey Road, Pudding Mill Lane, Maryland, to name a few.

Disembarking the train, I could see that the tower next to the University of East London Student Union building has finally been completed. It was one of those buildings that was pending completion for so long. I remember when the construction started all those years ago, and how other work, including the new Stratford Station extension, got completed before it.

I got my business done quickly in Westfield and headed outside. The inside of the mall hadn't changed much, as I mentioned above, but the outside had transformed quite a bit. The open sky and wide spaces have been reduced dramatically. Towers of glass and metal loom over previously open spaces and there were way more formal looking establishments there. There were also more people dressed in formal clothing, office wear, than was previously the case. This is because something like "25 thousand" office workers have been brought to the area since the transformation began. What was more like Shepherds Bush is now more like Canary Wharf or More London.

Even on a bright sunny day like the day I was there, the outdoors part of Westfield no longer gets that much of the sun due to the shade created by the tall buildings. There is a Manhattan vibe to the place now, and there seems to be no end in sight. There are still cranes standing tall over even newer towers that are still going up. I can imagine this place will outdo even The City in a few years.

The access to the Olympic Park has been narrowed, and the swimming pool building is no longer visible from Westfield due to large buildings blocking the view. You used to be able to get an uninterrupted view from John Lewis. I didn't actually go inside John Lewis this time round. There is a cafe at the top, or the sports department, from where you can (could?) get amazing vistas of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

As I approached the structure previously known as the "Olympics Stadium", now the "West Ham United Football Stadium", I could see a lot fewer tourists than before. Most people there were office folk, people that probably came to shop at Westfield for the day, and what looked like local residents from the Hackney Wick area.

There were a couple of bizarre looking structures, as is typical of contemporary architecture in London, that didn't really seem to fit in the area. At the bridge, looking over the canal, I could see a few new towers that had gone up in the Pudding Lane / Bow area too. The Hackney Wick area also had numerous buildings in the late stage of their construction, but they looked more like residential flats than offices.

Even though the place had changed a lot, somehow the Olympic vibe was back. It was the first time it felt that way since I'd been coming back here after the 2012 Olympic games. Then I realised why. The Olympic flags were back, flying everywhere in the Olympic colours with "10 Year Anniversary" written on them. I'm glad the authorities remembered to mark the occasion.

I took a quick coffee pit stop at one of the little stalls/kiosks around the park. I noticed they have now been taken over by actual businesses. They were generic stalls before, but are now more formally part of existing outlets. For instance, the one from which I bought my coffee is now an ice cream stall. The next one down the lane is now a Souvlaki stall. The next one is now a Vegan food stall, e.t.c. One of them, the Souvlaki one, has even been extended a bit to look more like a restaurant.

The road to Hackney Wick has also changed. In the past, I could just walk down the back side of the stadium, turn left and walk past the copper building to the canal. That has been blocked of and the roads now go directly to Layton. Instead, one has to walk in the opposite direction, crossing pair of roads and cycle lanes, around a very dangerous blind spot in the road, to the side of the River Lea canals. It looks like a temporary thing though, judging by the metal fences and barricades.

There is now more activity at the river. There used to be a couple of boats that were cafes/bars but now there are sitting areas on the river bank. It's quite a trendy place, complete with vintage and hipster things and the ubiquitous smell of marijuana.

When I lived in the area, many years ago, this was one of my walks. I'd either go through the park and then across Hackney Wick to Victory Park, or via the Bow area, along River Lea to the Three Mills area. I got a strong feeling of nostalgia doing this walk. I also remembered all the drug dealers and crazy characters on the streets and wondered how they faired through the pandemic. I was tempted to go have a look at my old flat, but decided against it. That chapter is closed now.

Overall, if you're travelling to London and are looking to do some sightseeing for a day, this is a good walk. There are many opportunities for shopping, dinning, relaxing in cafes and watching the London vibe. You get a few different perspectives of London, from the old and vintage to the new and modern. In terms of public transport, this is probably the most connected part of the country with dozens of trains and busses serving the area. There's also the option of cycling, even though I wouldn't do it, since the government has installed cycle lanes all over the area.

Peace & Love,

Adé