Where do you actually go everyday?

The Olympic events are literally scattered in the city's far corners, with some venues much further afield. Many buildings were already here and retro fitted for these events, with the plan to remove the changes after the games are over. The result may be architecturally less astounding than Beijing, but the upside is simpler travel and much more access to amenities once you arrive.

This isn't to say the buildings are boring - far from it. Each is a combination of staid and quirky, like the Brits themselves.

The Olympic Park is host to eight buildings. Somewhat lackluster by day, the area becomes richly atmospheric as the sun goes down. The Aquatics Center's glass turns an elegant, tranquil gold in the evening, reflecting the River Lea that runs along its side. The nearby bubbled roof, belonging to the Water Polo Arena, has nighttime nautical inspired colored changing lights. The open roofed Olympic Stadium hosts athletics, track and field. Again, not much to speak of during the day, but a varied color light show in the evening.

The red "Orbit Tower" was designed by Anish Kapoor. Officially named the ArcelorMittal Orbit, it cost 29.8 million dollars, 25 million coming from Lakshmi Mittal, Britain's richest man. (Nice to have generously wealthy friends!) Standing 376 feet high, it's taller than the Statue of Liberty, but shorter than the Eiffel Tower or Big Ben. Traveling to the top observatory platform takes 34 seconds, although many people opt to wind their way along its internal circular path. Put together by 4 men without scaffolding, the 2 tons of steel, 63% of which is recycled, is covered in 5,019 gallons of red paint. The overall affect goes from whimsical by day to dramatic at night, when the color comes to life and seems to turn the surrounding sky a rich lavender blue. Although many of the Park buildings will come down, this one is a keeper!

The interior photo here is from the inside of O2 Arena in North Greenwich. Holding up to 20,000, this music venue, is one of the largest venues in Europe and the second largest in the UK. Olympic Gymnastics are here and the light shows between events are amazing! Afterwards, you can suit up and climb to the top of this domed stadium, then celebrate at one of the many restaurants below.

These are just a few of the Olympic venues. The varied shapes and colored lights are reminiscent of the creative architecture associate with buildings all along the Thames - setting the mood for fun. US cities take note!