When we left London the Sunday before (July 15), it was still a rather
calm city. There were Olympic paraphernalia all over the place but nothing to
ostentatious. The city was still relatively quiet, as all of the travelers were
mainly locals getting to and from work.
Fast forward a week and it all changed. First, the amount of
people in the city grew greatly. There were a lot more languages being spoken
as Olympic attendees arrived to the city. Moreover, the school year had come to
a close in England and everyone was starting their summer holiday. This meant
increased foot traffic, busier tube stations, and just an overall heightened
sense of apprehension as the Olympic Games inched ever closer. And it also
meant a lot of people wandering the city, meandering and thus causing us and
the locals annoyance as we tried to get to our destinations on time. The makeup
of the city changed as well, as the one-eyed Cyclops mascots popped up all over
the city. Images and facts were pasted on the sidewalks. The number of police in
and around tube stations increased greatly.
Overall, this change was hard for me to deal with. I
remembered a London without these visitors. I remembered a London that I had
become comfortable with in the two weeks I had been there. I wasn’t ready to handle
the sheer number of people and felt some sort of kinship with the locals who
were dreading these Olympic Games. Now I love the Olympics and I’ve always
wanted to go to one. I hope to do so one day but I will plan on going when it’s
not in a major city. So don’t think for a second that I don’t enjoy the Olympic
Games because I do and I love watching the American athletes compete for our
country.
This is something else and I think it’s something that only
happens when the Olympics are in a major metropolitan area. While we are
leaving before things got really insane, some Londoners had to stay in the city
to work. Others had already planned their two-week vacation during this time, removing
themselves from the city before it got really bad. This might be disheartening
to some people, for they believe that the locals should stay to root on their
athletes. However, I commiserate with these people, understanding that their
lives are going to be uprooted for three weeks. The tube stations will be
overrun with people, thus affecting the daily commute of thousands of people.
Can you imagine if New York City had the Olympics? Can you imagine how many
more people would be in that city? There are too many already and having the
Olympics there would upset a rather delicate balance.
Moreover, the Olympics have actually hurt the tourist
industry in Britain. You may think I’m crazy saying that, for there are
thousands of spectators in the city for the games. But think about this: For
most of Europe, August and a few weeks in September are the weeks to go on
holiday. This is the most popular month for people to travel to England and
thus the tourists business does great during this period. However, because of
the Olympics, people are staying away from London. They are traveling other
places and staying out of the craziness that is London. They do not want to get
involved with the people or the traffic. It’s not a very carefree place to be
right now. Thus, museums and sites will probably take a hit this month. All of
the tourists in the city are there for the games and not to visit the wonderful
sites in London. I know for a fact that my cab driver to the airport said his
company was hurting for business.
I love London. It’s one of my favorite cities in the world.
It’s easy to navigate and easy to learn. Everyone speaks English and I never
felt out of place in the city. I could fit in very easily and could be very
comfortable here (if I had air conditioning). But I am very glad to be leaving
before the Olympics really get started. It’s had a major impact on the city and
it won’t be back to normal for several weeks. I hope that anyone who travels to
London for the Olympics comes back in the future to see what it really is like
without all of these changes. It’s an amazing place and it deserves to be shown
for what it is: a city rich in history, vibrant in culture, and on the cutting
edge of technology.
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