SQUIB: a : a short humorous or satiric writing or speech; b : a short news item. (Merriam-Webster)
This Travel Squib was approved by the London Mayor’s Offcie.
The ArcelorMittal Orbit stood tall over the 2012 Summer Games in London. Now, it’s just about ready to reopen to the public and offer a stirring view of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
The story goes that London Mayor Boris Johnson wanted a called card piece for the Olympic Park that would stand as a general tourist attraction long after the Summer Games moved on to Brazil.
The resulting Orbit is meant to offer birds’ eye views of the entire Olympic Park, the new East Village neighborhood, Stratford and the River Lea. This winding helix tower cost £19.1 million to build originally and is just now finishing final polishes and tweaks before it becomes a tourism attraction and event space.
The Orbit wears the name of Lakshmi Mittal – a steel tycoon and one of Great Britain’s wealthiest men. He gave Olympics reps £16 million of his money to build the Orbit, so he gets his name on it.
Thr Orbit stands 377 feet high, and London PR wants to call it the country’s “largest piece of public art.” It includes two observation platforms joined by a helix spiral staircase.
After walking around it, riding an elevator to the top and walking the length of it down, one thing became clear. It’s an interesting, dark and almost confusing visual structure that exists solely to offer a good view of London’s East End for a few pounds.
Some locals think it’s ugly and an eyesore that doesn’t fit the rest of the still evolving Olympic Park. Others think it has a chance to become a popular, easy tour stop and the East End’s version of The London Eye.
The Orbit opens to the public on April 5. A family of four can head into the sky for £40.
As a preview, you can catch additional images of the structure and the views it offers below:
