Just Back From London Where The Olympics Mean....

Getting through security at Heathrow took all of 5 minutes (instead of the usual half an hour).

 I got a seat every time I rode the Underground.

I stayed at a friend's apartment, but had I chosen to lodge in a hotel, I would have paid significantly less than I would have normally. More on that here.

Most importantly, I walked through crowds overbrimming with good cheer.

I stood at the side of the road, near Hampton Court Palace, and happily screamed my lungs out, hoping to give added encouragement to the awe-inspiring cyclists who were zooming past at the Olympic time trials. Though I didn't get into the Olympic Park (one needed advance tickets, purchased over the internet for that, I found out too late), I did stand on a bridge overlooking it, and drank up the anticipatory fun: more happy crowds, handlers encouraging everyone on their way in to "smile, smile, the sun is beaming down on you and your AT THE OLYMPICS", circus performers and drag queens dressed as 1940's nurses pushing prams filled with fake babies, a photo of the current Mayor of London's face taped over the baby doll's visage (a statement about the "Nanny State"?? Your guess is as good as mine).

Even without a ticket to a single Olympic event, I had the time of my life in London last week.

So the point of this blog is: don't believe the naysayers. Before EVERY Olympics, grouches go on TV to announce it will be a disaster. It almost never is.

And attending an Olympics event--no just being in the vicinity of The Games--is an extraordinary experience. An experience that should be added to the cliched bucket list, right alongside of "African Safaris", "Jerusalem" and "The Grand Canyon".

If you get the chance to hit an Olympics: go!!! It truly is an event you'll remember 'til the end of your days.