They are the worst Olympic mascots since Atlanta, 1996. That one looked like it'd been hit with an ax, an Olympic ring over each eye, three more on its tail. They called it Whatizit, soon shortened to Izzy, which didn't help sales. A $10 bill under each arm wouldn't have helped sales.
I visited the 2012 Olympic site while on holiday with my family. That's what they call vacations in the United Kingdom, holidays. And once we recaptured our luggage from US Air, a holiday is what it was, the ladies strutting off to L'Orangery near Kensington Palace for afternoon tea, while I found my way via the underground to Bromley-on-Bow.
The tour guide was named Helen. Bristly haircut and attitude to match. She did not mention that the area had been voted "worst place to live in London" a few years ago. She stressed the goals: green games, inspire youth, regeneration, using the facilities when the Games end to make the area a more attractive place.
Lovely. The 2012 Olympics, green and ugly with a kind heart. Just like Shrek.
I had to ask her to define "refrigerator mountain" for fear of losing something in the translation. Turns out people would dump discarded fridges and freezers and other appliances in the river Lea, which borders the Olympic site. Who knows how many chemicals leached out into the river and whether the surviving fish glow in the dark.
It was 45 minutes before we got a glimpse of the Olympic Stadium. At first glance it looked inspired by Tinker Toy, all the white pipes as struts, simplistic, bare bones, blah. The Beijing stadium was futuristic, with flourishes that drew the nickname "Bird's Nest."
