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Which Past Olympic Venue Have You Visited


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How many of you out there have visited a city that was a past host to the Olympic Games? What things were there to do when you went to visit? I know Lake Placid has tours, bobsled rides, and more. So does Salt Lake City. What were your experiences like? Which past sites do you think could have done more around this by making their city a tourist location?

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Calgary - I visit often because I'm trying to find work there. Olympic Park is great. they have a smlal Olympic Hall of Fame Museum in the main building. A great gift shop where the Jamaican bobsled from the movie Cool Runnings is on display. They got a zipline you can ride from the big ski jump. Lots of winter and summer programs. The Nordic Centre in Canmore is a good place to go too. They have paved trails so you can do rollerblading - I've done it many years ago, it was fun. Since then they have paved many other trails for summer use. Visited the Oval at the university a few times. Thinking about going back to school there.

Squaw Valley - visited while on a trip to Reno. Walked around the village. Didn't have my skis with me so I didn't head up the mountain.

Salt Lake City - just drove thru last year on the way home from a trip to Bryce, Zion, Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Arches, etc. Definitely want to return and explore the city a bit more. I want to check out that aviation museum in Ogden. Was in Reno while the games were going on. It was tempting to drive across Nevada and check them out.

Vancouver - I live in BC so... Took in four days of the games. Figured I was paying for them as a taxpayer, so why not? ;)

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Los Angeles Coliseum (all USC home games are played there anyway), McDonalds Swim Stadium at USC (swam in it), and Pauley Pavillion at UCLA. Easy since I graduated from USC and took classes at UCLA. Even four years later, a lot of the L.A. '84 banners were still up around the Coliseum. Fluor Tower, a dorm on the USC campus, had "Cafe '84" in it on the ground floor, and it was built as a dining hall for the athletes, and I ate there many times. I was in the UCLA dorms many times, all part of the Olympic Village.

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Wembley Stadium, London (both incarnations)

Olympiastadion, Berlin

I think that's probably it for me.

Wembley I've been to see football matches. Not sure there's any point going there if there's nothing on.

Berlin Olympic Stadium we got the audio-guides and wandered around. Very interesting and beautiful place and its history obviously goes without saying.

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Salt Lake has a great visitor centre next to the Cauldron Park at Rice Eccles Stadium.

Calgary - Good Olympic Park

Albertville - I drive through once a year but have not stopped to view the Museum yet

Barcelona - Spent a lot of time at the beautiful Lake Banyoles home of the rowing events in 1992. Beautiful town in a gorgeous bit of the world

Vancouver - It's only just finished!

Sydney - Some good trips around the Olympic Park and you can swim in the pool!

London - Nothing to see from 08 or 48 but plenty of stuff to see going up in Stratford at the moment!

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Calgary - I was living in Edmonton. My sister came to visit from New Brunswick so took her down to Calgary. The day we went it was the coldest day of the year, -30 as a day time high. We went straight to the park, jumped out of the car long enough to snap a picture with the Ski Jumps in the back ground.

Montreal - Walked around the Olympic Stadium, walked through the pool. It still impressive.

Munich - was in Europe on a high school trip. We drove past the Olympic Park, the park wasnt on the itinerary unfortunately.

Innbsruck - was there during the same trip as Munich. We got to the Ski Jump, before it was renovated, impressive view from there, it was also kinda run down.

Amsterdam - didnt get to see the Olympic Stadium. but loved the city and hope the games get back there sometime.

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I lived some time in Japan, so I had chance to visit some olympic venues:

Tokyo National Stadium, Yoyogi Gymnasium, Nippon Budokan and the Winter Sports Museum at Sapporo

also visit LAX and Paris but didnt had time for "olympic tours" ;)

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London - Nothing to see from 08 or 48 but plenty of stuff to see going up in Stratford at the moment!

I am going next week-end to London... what interesting venue related to the 2012 Games could i visit ? Where should i go ?

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Berlin - Olympiastadion

München - Olympiastadion (I flew today back from Vienna to Hamburg via München and I had a window seat and I saw the whole city with the Olympic Park and the Alps in the Background - that was really amazing!!!)

Garmisch-Partenkirchen - Ski Stadium

Sydney - Olympic Park

Amsterdam - no visit of Olympic sites

Paris - no visit of Olympic sites

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If you have to go to only one olympic venue... let choose the city of Oslo, Norway and go to the Holmenkollen Ski Jump facility...

Amazing one to visit with a great view on the Fjord and a great Olympic & Sport museum to visit !

holmenkollen.jpg

I could also talk about.... Vancouver, Beijing, Torino, Athens, Sydney, Atlanta, Lillehammer, Barcelona, Albertville, Los Angeles, Montreal, Munchen (last time I land here back from Russia & connectiong to Geneva... no way we could see the mountains... to far away ! Sorry CAF...), Roma, Melbourne, London, Berlin, Paris, Chamonix...

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well, let's see...

1st one ever - the big Stade du Montreal, 1977 (have some faded photos)

Squaw Valley - well, the main village square

LA - Coliseum of course (already put up photos here)

Albertville - while the Stade Patinage was being put up...

Barcelona - Montjuic stadium and one of Volleyball venues

(a number of these photos are in THE BOOK!)

Atlanta - le Stadion Olympique/Turner Field, L'Omni (also gone), the Swim Center at Georgia Tech, Georgia Dome

Salt Lake - Centre d'Delta, Estade d'Rice-Eccles

- have also visited Tokyo, London, Rome, Munich, St. Louis, Paris, Vancouver, Amsterdam a number of times each, but never got to any of the actual Olympic venues there.

Greece next month - hope to at least see the Panathinaikos; Delphi and will try to catch the YOG Lighting at ancient Olympia next month. (Thermopylae is also on the itinerary.)

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Okay, let's see. Host cities I've visited AND been to at least one of the venues:

Sydney (of course)

Melbourne (even worked within the Royal Exhibition Building, which was the gymnastics venue)

Tokyo

Seoul

Barcelona

Munich

Berlin

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

Innsbruck

Atlanta

LA

Squaw Valley

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Munchen (last time I land here back from Russia & connectiong to Geneva... no way we could see the mountains... to far away ! Sorry CAF...)

That is a pitty - the view was really amazing - I had a windowseat on the "right" side of the aircraft and I could see whole München and the aircraft flew quite near over the Olympiapark, therewith I could see nearly everything - and like I have already said in the backgorund the Alps - it was really cool!

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Los Angeles - drove past the Memorial Coluseum.

Berlin - visited the Olympic Stadium - impressive.

Melbourne - Olympic Park and MCG, has been substantially upgraded since 1956 and especially for the Commonwealth Games. It's right in the middle of the city and in some ways is one of the best positioned Olympic venues ever in relation to its city as a whole.

Munich - by far, the best and most iconic Olympic Park ever. Timeless. Should be amazing for the Olympic Winter Games.

Montreal - impressive iconic 1970's visionary architecture, but felt somewhat run down and stale, maybe even slightly bleak and depressing.

Moscow - Reminded me of Berlin's Olympic Stadium. The vista from the hill on the opposite side of the Moscow River is breathtaking.

Sydney - Very impressive, if not somewhat surpassed by the architectural glamour of Athens and Beijing. It's one of the most functional. Its downfall is being in a rather industrial part of Greater Sydney, and while its far from downtown Sydney, its in the centre of Greater Sydney. Despite this it has a tendency to feel empty (which fuels those unfounded "white elephant" rumours).

Beijing - I was there during the Olympics. Amazing. Bold. While the Chinese did set a "benchmark" of sorts in terms of sheer grandeur, it's not a benchmark many future hosts will aspire to after London's 2012 "economy" Games.

Winter:

Lake Placid - drove through.

Sarajevo - visited the city in 2007 and many of the former venues from 1984 are still showing damage from the war since.

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The Holmenkollen Ski Jump facility is simply stunning. Especially after the redo. Has anyone ever done the bobsled riding at any of the old Winter game venues? Also I noticed no one really mentioned Atlanta...

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Paris - Stade de Colombes

Barcelona - Olympic Stadium - Palau St Jordi

Berlin - Olympia Stadion

Munich - Olympia Park

Garmish Partenkirchen - Ice Stadium and Ski Jump Stadium

London - Wembley Stadium (Old and New), Wembley Arena, Herne Hill Velodrome(1948), Millennium Dome(O2),Lords, Wimbledon and Eton Dorney

Albertville - Opening Ceremony Arena (what's left of it)

Grenoble - Ice Stadium and olympic flame sculture

Amsterdam - Olympic Stadium

Athens - OAKA - Panathenian Stadium

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For people that have been to Albertville, is it worth a visit for a day or so?

Was wondering if I should perhaps include it on my itin., but not too sure if there is much there to see, and we're talking summer months here.

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For people that have been to Albertville, is it worth a visit for a day or so?

Was wondering if I should perhaps include it on my itin., but not too sure if there is much there to see, and we're talking summer months here.

I went there in the summer, and really the Ice Skating Arena was barely up. However, they have an Olympic Museum now.

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St. Louis - I've been to what used to be the Olympic/World's Fair site

Atlanta - Turner Field and the Georgia Dome

Salt Lake City - the ice rink (can't think of the real name)

Squaw Valley - the Olympic village

Vancouver - BC Place, Biathlon and ski jumping stadiums, the Oval, Curling Centre, Sliding Centre, the Pacific Coliseum

Beijing - The Water Cube, Workers Stadium, the water water and beach volley ball stadiums, the water polo arena and handball stadium, the Wukesong basketball and baseball stadiums

Paris - Olympic stadium

Athens - Pantheniako stadium, 2004 Olympic Park for a George Michael concert

London - site of the 2012 Olympic Park

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I went there in the summer, and really the Ice Skating Arena was barely up. However, they have an Olympic Museum now.

Heya, thanks for that. I was wondering. I would be having a few days in Lausanne and since they are kind of in the same general geographical area, thought I would investigate stoppin in. Just to cross another previous host off my list. But If there isnt too much on offer, I would probably give it a miss. I know there is some kind of Olympic Park there, looks like it includes the mast tower from the ceremonies theatre?

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