Spring is just around the corner and temperatures are rising, so it is a good time to get up to speed with recent developments in and around the ever-changing Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
The East Bank complex on the Stratford side is nearing completion with glitzy new restaurants and cafes. Though still work-in-progress, the lanes and walkways already have lots to choose from.
Gordon Ramsay’s massive three-floor Bread Street Kitchen, Bar & Rooftop, has now been joined by Greek eatery Hera, and there is a branch of Caravan coming soon.
With daffodils blooming under fragrant acacia trees and students from the London School of Fashion milling about, the area is beginning to have a mildly bohemian feel to it.
The new Sadler’s Wells East site has just opened, and the V&A Storehouse is soon to join it, so there will be plenty for culture buffs to enjoy.
Thrills also abound in the park.
Zip Wire has this month taken over the ArcelorMittal Orbit, with a viewing deck where you can see London from 80 metres in the air, and the world’s longest tunnel slide down the tower.
You can also take a tour on one the of the new bateau mouche-style boats, or hire a swan pedalo.
For football fans, there is the obligatory visit to West Ham’s London stadium, centrepiece of the 2012 Games. Free wifi throughout the park makes it easy to post selfies as you go.
On the downside, the area is a bit of a maze; there is little spatial logic to the set-up (probably a relic of the fact that it was designed for Olympic use), which makes it difficult to navigate.
The green areas are also not very pedestrian-friendly, and in many respects not very park-like.
I went for a jog and it was a struggle to find a good running route, as most of the accessible space is tarmacked over (hard on the knees) and the park is criss-crossed by roads with polluting vehicles at timed lights rather than zebra crossings (bad for cardio health).
If you are a child, you are in better luck, as there is the lovely Tumbling Bay playground and brilliant fort-like wooden climbing frame with rope ladders.
And then there is the close proximity of Westfield shopping centre. Pro or con? I leave that for you to decide.
