The modern summer Olympics would test any city to the limits, much less one with overburdened, outdated infrastructure. Not to mention the huge cost of mounting all of those events. Chicago has been hoping to be awarded a future Olympics and as someone who lives 80 miles away, I pray that it never happens.

Thanks for the article, Francine! I moved to London from the US 10 years ago and have been trying to explain to people back in the states how AWFUL this is all going to be! Everyone is absolutely dreading it...we have NO idea how we're going to get to and from work (particularly me as I live less than 15 minutes from Olympic Park!) We need to have special permits to park our own cars in front of our own homes (as these will be designated 'events parking'), and the Government is telling people to work from home or take vacation(not really practical for keeping an office running!) Sorry, maybe I should be more excited about this, but I think it's going to be an absolute nightmare!

Francine thank you for the article. There do seem to be a lot of mixed views about the impact of the Olympics on London. There has been a lot preparation, but not everything seems to have gone according to plan...

Claybird here's hoping the Olympics never hits Chicago...

Cerulean Days sounds as if you're definitely in for a challenge living that close to the Olympic Park. I hope things do work out OK for you over the Olympic period - keep us posted on how it goes. I'd imagine you're starting to feel the impact now with people starting to arrive and the Olympic Torch reaching London.