THE EAST END - London - page 200

The Olympic Park
The focus of the 2012 Olympics was the Olympic Park (
www.queenelizabetholympicpark.co.uk ) laid out over a series of islands formed by the
River Lee and its various tributaries and canals. Since the Olympics, the whole area has
been replanted with swathes of grass, trees and flowers, and peppered with cafés, mak-
ing it a great new park in which to hang out on a sunny day. The centerpiece of the park
is the Olympic Stadium , set to become home to West Ham United football club in 2015.
Standing close to the stadium is the Orbit Tower (daily: April-Sept 11am-6pm;
Oct-March 11am-5pm; £15), a 377ft-high continuous loop of red recycled steel de-
signed by Anish Kapoor. But the most eye-catching venue is Zaha Hadid's wave-like
London Aquatics Centre (Mon-Fri 6am-9.30pm, Sat & Sun 9am-5pm), four times
over budget, but looking very cool and costing under £5 for a swim. Other venues to
look out for are the curvy Velodrome with its banked, Siberian pine track and adjacent
BMX circuit - part of the Lee Valley VeloPark (Mon-Sun 9am-10pm; from £15) - and
the Copper Box Arena , used for handball during the Olympics and now a multi-sports
centre (Mon-Sun 7am-10pm; from £5 for non-members). The nearest tube is Stratford,
near the Olympic Village (now renamed East Village) and the Westfield shopping centre.
< Back to The East End
SHOPS
ABSOLUTE VINTAGE
15 Hanbury St Liverpool Street or Shoreditch High Street Overground.Daily 11am-7pm. MAP
A Spitalfields treasure-trove of Twenties to Eighties clobber, with one of the biggest col-
lections of vintage shoes in the UK.