TFL were damned if they did and damned if they didn't. After months of warning of transport armageddon in London, the roads have proved quieter than normal - apart from Waterloo Bridge which has been nose to tail north bound since they changed the direction of traffic going through the Kingsway tunnel.
I don't think I've actually seen an Olympic vehicle in the ORN on my route to work since the games started although they have been very good about letting all traffic use them when it is quiet.
Noticed that it was quieter than normal in central London last weekend and I do feel sorry for all the businesses which were hoping to do some extra business during these tough economic times. Basically all but the non-Olympic tourists have been scared away, and all the Olympic tourists seem to be hanging out at the games venues rather than venturing into town.
And of course now there is a massive back peddling and lots of encouragement to get people into town so we could see some travel chaos yet (I'll be disappointed if there isn't any and I'm denied a whinge).
So what has it been like in London otherwise? Well around near work (Holborn) there have been lots more foreign tourists (and we normally get our fair share being so close to the British Museum), and more oddities to spot: a rather strange foreign film crew with presenter wearing a plastic crown and a comedy fake moustache for one. A few of the shops have adopted Olympics themed window displays but it isn't quite like the West End.
Holborn Tube is awash with official helpers and trying to cross the junction nearest the office is a pain because they've blocked off one side, presumably so as not to hinder the non-existent Olympic traffic. It just means that everyone tries to cross the road further up beyond the crossing and therefore risking their necks.
We aren't suppose to live stream the Olympics on our computers at work mainly for connection speeds but we've snuck it onto one screen and huddle around during key races. As the Team GB girls got the gold medal tally rolling and we started moving up the medal table, couldn't resist teasing an Australian colleague. Feeling very proud to be British.
In fact I've been surprised by exactly how much I've watched. It's amazing how quickly the evening goes when you think, 'I'll just watch this next event'. Have got quite teary watching the women rowers doing so well and then watching them get their medals.
The British press have been quite well behaved getting behind our athletes and celebrating our wins. Apart from the Daily Mail, of course, which has caused a storm by referring to British competitors not born here as 'plastic Brits'. It's actually more depressing that it sells enough copies to stay in business.
Anyway back to the fun of the Olympics, I have too many questions about the variety and style of the different sports outfits but most of them should stay in my head.