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Lee

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Just noticed this article on the London2012 website and was shocked as I had not heard anything about this until now. Apparently we are to get a new piece of public art for the park. And this one looks really nice. :D

London2012 article

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A new permanent piece of public art by internationally-renowned artist Monica Bonvicini will be installed in the north of the Olympic Park later this year, the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has today announced.

Three nine-metre-tall letters forming the word 'RUN' will be constructed on the plaza of the Handball Arena in the north of the Olympic Park. The sculpture will be made of glass and stainless steel, producing a mirrored affect that will change depending on the light and time of the day. During daylight, the letters will act as a mirror for visitors and their surroundings, and at night the letters will become more transparent and glow with internal LED lighting.

Sarah Weir, Head of Art and Cultural Strategy at the ODA, said: 'We wanted to commission a new and innovative piece of public art that would animate the plaza and be fitting for both the Games and the legacy of the Park.

'A number of renowned artists were shortlisted for this commission but Monica’s proposal was chosen by an independent and expert panel because it fulfilled all the ambitions for this key location within the Olympic Park. The sculpture is unique and ambitious but will be relevant and fitting - we hope it will help illuminate this part of the Olympic Park for many years to come.'

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: 'Part of the greater legacy of the 2012 Games will be the Olympic Park, a magnificent green space for East London. The ODA's bold art programme will not only enhance the area and give it a strong identity, it will also play a large role in attracting Londoners and tourists long after the Games are over and support its regeneration. This ambitious programme and the calibre of art reflects the remarkable creativity of our city and particularly East London today.'

Monica Bonvicini said: 'Exactly 10 years ago, I had a solo show titled 'RUN, TAKE one SQUARE or two' which included the song 'Running Dry' by Neil Young and reminded people of the famous Velvet Underground song 'Run Run Run'. When I was asked to submit a proposal for the Handball Plaza in the Olympic Park, I was inspired by the many uses of the Park and it was a natural choice to return to these works and the word ‘run’. It’s a great privilege to be commissioned for the Olympic Park, and to create a work that will not only be there for the Games, but that will be there for years to come.'

Monica Bonvicini was selected as the winning artist by the ODA’s Commissioning Panel last year and the proposal for RUN has now received planning approval. Work will start on the piece this autumn.

The ODA is incorporating arts and cultural initiatives into the Olympic Park through a programme of permanent commissions and diverse projects, ranging from bridges and underpasses designed by artists, to planting schemes, large-scale facades, as well as artist-led community projects in the five Host Boroughs.

Sarah Weir added: 'By integrating arts and culture into the heart of the Olympic Park, we hope to help create a unique area that will give the existing local communities a sense of ownership as well as attracting new communities and visitors.'

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McDonald's Olympic restaurant will be biggest in the world

The busiest and biggest McDonald's is the world will be within the Olympic park in London, when it opens for business next summer, seating 1,500 customers.

The fast food company is a long-standing sponsor of the Olympics, and as a result has a monopoly on all the catering outlets within the Olympic park in Stratford, east London.

Though it is understood the company will sublet some of the venues to other companies in a bid to assuage fears from British consumers that the only meals they can buy in the park is fast food.

McDonald's is building four new restaurants at the park, with the flagship outlet seating 1,500 customers, ten times the average size of a restaurant in Britain. It will be 30,000 square feet, trumping its current biggest store in Orlando, Florida.

One restaurant will be in the Athletes' village, which is likely to attract criticism, though Usain Bolt, the 100m gold medal holder, is famously a fan of chicken nuggets.

During the month of the games it will become the busiest of the company's 30,000 restaurants in the world, temporarily taking over the Pushkin Square outlet in Moscow.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/8650272/McDonalds-Olympic-restaurant-will-be-biggest-in-the-world.html

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Hmmm That sounds pretty awful.

Lets hope that doesn’t form part of the legacy,

I think we can assume the athletes wont be eating MacDonald’s

Its just the spectators that will be fobbed off with this,

Its also a bit old fashioned as 1980s as on the high streets MacDonald is being

Pushed out by pasty shops coffee shops sushi bars you name it even Greg’s would be better at least that’s British. Mary queen of shops wouldn’t be impressed. By this.

So I wonder what the McDonalds buildings can be used for after the Olympics

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Hmmm That sounds pretty awful.

Lets hope that doesn’t form part of the legacy,

I think we can assume the athletes wont be eating MacDonald’s

Its just the spectators that will be fobbed off with this,

Its also a bit old fashioned as 1980s as on the high streets MacDonald is being

Pushed out by pasty shops coffee shops sushi bars you name it even Greg’s would be better at least that’s British. Mary queen of shops wouldn’t be impressed. By this.

So I wonder what the McDonalds buildings can be used for after the Olympics

I don't think it will be permanent. The McDonalds erected in 1996, 2004, and 2008 were temporary. Not sure about Sydney, but I think it was temporary as well.

Also of note, this will be the first time that Happy Meals are served at the Games. I hope they'll have the Mighty Kid's Meals; they're my fave.

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I don't think it will be permanent. The McDonalds erected in 1996, 2004, and 2008 were temporary. Not sure about Sydney, but I think it was temporary as well.

Yep, correct for Sydney as well. An at the time it was also touted as the biggest in the world. Only a small Macca's outlet now remains at Olympic Park (or at least last time i went there)

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I think we can assume the athletes wont be eating MacDonald’s

You will be surprised to see that this is one of the outlet with the most athletes within the Olympic Village main restaurant .............

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McDonald's Olympic restaurant will be biggest in the world

The busiest and biggest McDonald's is the world will be within the Olympic park in London, when it opens for business next summer, seating 1,500 customers.

The fast food company is a long-standing sponsor of the Olympics, and as a result has a monopoly on all the catering outlets within the Olympic park in Stratford, east London.

Though it is understood the company will sublet some of the venues to other companies in a bid to assuage fears from British consumers that the only meals they can buy in the park is fast food.

McDonald's is building four new restaurants at the park, with the flagship outlet seating 1,500 customers, ten times the average size of a restaurant in Britain. It will be 30,000 square feet, trumping its current biggest store in Orlando, Florida.

One restaurant will be in the Athletes' village, which is likely to attract criticism, though Usain Bolt, the 100m gold medal holder, is famously a fan of chicken nuggets.

During the month of the games it will become the busiest of the company's 30,000 restaurants in the world, temporarily taking over the Pushkin Square outlet in Moscow.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/8650272/McDonalds-Olympic-restaurant-will-be-biggest-in-the-world.html

Hmmm That sounds pretty awful.

Lets hope that doesn’t form part of the legacy,

I think we can assume the athletes wont be eating MacDonald’s

Its just the spectators that will be fobbed off with this,

Its also a bit old fashioned as 1980s as on the high streets MacDonald is being

Pushed out by pasty shops coffee shops sushi bars you name it even Greg’s would be better at least that’s British. Mary queen of shops wouldn’t be impressed. By this.

So I wonder what the McDonalds buildings can be used for after the Olympics

Hmmm....., athletes are notorious for 2 things at the Olympic Games, 1) the liberal use of condoms and 2) the eating of McDonald's after their competitions are over and they don't have to worry about every little thing. There have been a few times were athletes in interviews have said they are going back to the village for a Big Mac and fries.

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Hmmm....., athletes are notorious for 2 things at the Olympic Games, 1) the liberal use of condoms and 2) the eating of McDonald's after their competitions are over and they don't have to worry about every little thing. There have been a few times were athletes in interviews have said they are going back to the village for a Big Mac and fries.

Don't forget Usain Bolt and the ominous "nuggets" he claimed to have eaten before his famous 100 m final in Beijing! ;)

And I also remember that in Sydney in 2000 several German swimmers were spotted at McDonald's before the start of their competitions -- and Sydney became notorious Games for the German swimmers since they surprisingly almost failed to medal there.

But on the other hand, there's the myth that the surprise European champions in football in 1992, Denmark, mainly had a McDonald's diet during the EURO. ;)

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It's surprising that McDonalds is an Olympics sponsor in the first place, isn't it? Considering that the stuff they sell is high calorie, high fat, highly processed garbage. And it's even more ironic to me that they put a restaurant in the Olympic Village. It's so contradictory. About the only thing I'd eat from a McDonalds is a garden salad and a little bit of fries. That's it.

I found my post "Venue Concession Stands":

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In Vancouver they mostly had hand food and stuff typical of sporting events in Canada/USA, so I am guessing that what London will have is food similar to what you would get at a premiership game or the like.

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Olympic Park 360 panoramic image

In one year's time all eyes will be on the distinctive Olympic Stadium in east London as it hosts the opening ceremony of the 2012 games.

Now you can explore the site as photographer Jason Hawkes gives us a bird's eye view of the Olympic Park.

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