I'm only not ranking it five stars to get under the skin of the die-hards. Yes this is the…read morepenultimate if you're one of those. I'm just here to talk about the venue. ...And what a venue it is. Okay I can see all the die-hards coming back. Yes it's the most amazing stadium ever and etc. They have fire and smoke and guitars and bass during the intros. So obviously. And apparently that happens when they score (not that I would know since it's an ever-elusive occurrence during my visits). It's just me, because I had to get used to an event that's more like a 2-act musical with Intermission. Good luck using the toilet in that 15 minutes, especially if you're trying to grab a drink and a bite while you're out there. I thought "surely I'm in the women's line" but no, we're all out here in line because nobody could live with themselves if they missed the only score of the night while in the loo. Enough of that. The staff are "helpful" as they help you not sit in the wrong seat. This is good because so many people think they're the only smart ones trying to sit down close in *not their seat. This is Britain, people, have some decorum and queue for your proper seat. The match was spectacular. I love nill-zed events. The pitch was immaculate. Don't you think of putting one toe on that perfect turf. The hometown boys were raucous. There can't be too much singing. The away fans were spunky. They also love not seeing their team score. But a fun time will be had by all. Secret tip: leave 2 mins before stoppage time and beat the maddening crowds back to the tube for a happy night back home. Or stay out till all hours celebrating. One day you'll win it all (maybe even this year).

Caught a football match with my wife and it we had an amazing time. The staff were friendly and the…read morecrowd too. Overall great experience!

Stopped here for the Cowboy Carter tour. The show was amazing and entry was easy however, I dislike…read moretheir cocktails. Everything is made in batches so the drinks are trash. Also, they do not refresh the lavatories so half way through the concert there was no tissue in any stalls.

Great game stadium was very nice easy access to our seating very clean…read more Great views of the game

Leyton in my bed and I'll show you some fun stuff…read more First-Hand Experience: I saw these guys play in 2007 because we thought it'd be fun (Stevan and I and 2 of his friends) to check out all the little clubs in London that nobody knew about. This is not Leyton Orient, this is a tiny little team that plays on Lea Bridge Rd, which is the road to where my Mum and Dad used to live in Walthamstow, E17. Only about 2,000 people turned up but it was still a great game to watch. We had a lot of fun and decided we'd come back and support them next time we all saw each other. That promise never came to fruition because we haven't hung out again since, and because this club disappeared. This was one of London's oldest clubs, formed 1868 and then reformed in 1997. Tiny little club with capacity 4,000, but then dissolved again in 2011, and we're waiting to see if they come back again. Hopefully history will not be lost forever. They're in a lovely part of North East London, too, even though they'll always be overshadowed by Leyton Orient.

A small local football club. Small club which can be hired for parties.read more

I've only recently discovered this area; Lee valley overall is a bit of a surprise. It's generally…read morea bit dilapidated, forgotten, overlooked. Sprawling over parts of East London that most people pass through without giving the area a second glance. No hipsters to be found here. What I never expected was to find so much sporting action here; least of all an ice rink. Indeed it is no Somerset House, in fact it's very utilitarian; but if you're one of those people that trains all year round to perfect those turns and build up speed, you'll be blissfully free of the obstruction of kissing couples who can't really skate to save their lives and only decided to come so they could 'accidentally' fall on top of each other. They have nearly 2000 pairs of skates ranging from UK child size 6 to adult size 13, they do crash courses and half term courses for children. It has curiously staggered opening times; starting at 1130 till 3, 5 till 7 and then 830 till 1030. Goodness only knows why. Come here if you fancy giving Torvil and Dean a run for their money.

This is the home of the Lea Valley Kings, one of London's top ice hockey teams. Visit in the…read moreevenings and you are likely to meet at least one of their squad, practising their slinky moves on the rink. For the less fleet-footed, a barrier-aided scrabble around the perimeter will have to do, interspersed, of course, with the obligatory dozen degrading dumps on the coccix. Apart from my lack of grace, however, Lea Valley suffers from several of the afflictions common to ice rinks: the piped bump and grind R & B is unbearable; there is a resident population of local flash harries eager to shower the newbies with shaved ice from their skids at every opportunity and its overpriced for the equipment on offer. Having said all that, I like my local area that fraction more for being able to offer as different a night's entertainment as this. Just be aware, idyllic it ain't.

Can you keep a secret guys?? Not many people seem to have noticed it yet, but a year and a half…read moreafter the Olympics there's some exciting stuff going on in Stratford again... Yep living near the Park is paying off nicely at the moment - my new local council swimming pool is none other than the Aquatics Centre! It's been open to the public for the last few weeks and I have to say it's a pretty special venue - I still get tingles every time I walk in. It's £4.50 per swim session for an adult and there's an easy peasy online system to book in advance. There are 2 full size pools inside - the Competition Pool for the hardcore swimmers and the Training Pool where they separate the lengths into two 25m sections. Personally I found a 50m pool to be ridiculously long in real life (my superwoman stamina is a err work in progress) so I tend to do laps in the 25m lanes. You choose a pool and a start time online but it's pretty lax once you're in, and you can stay as long as you like. The water is a nice slightly warm temperature and it's usually a uniform 1.2m depth all the way along (though somehow they can change the depth of different sections - the mind boggles!). It's not all lanes - there are also sections of the pool roped off for 'fun' as well as swimming lessons. Also saw signs for a total wipeout stylee 'Splash Time' for kiddies at weekends that sounded like great fun if anyone wants to lend me a child?! The reason it misses a 5th star is that the changing rooms and shower facilities are just not that great. It's spacious yes and there are plenty of cubicles, hairdryers and lockers, but the layout is a little confusing (quite a wander from the lockers to the female showers), they seem to have too many staff/cleaners milling around not doing much, and the showers themselves seem temperamental and need you to wave a hand past every 3 seconds. Is this how Michael Phelps showered?! (*pauses to enjoy the mental picture*) Ahem. Yeah I expected better. So remember to bring your own towel+toiletries, a plastic bag for your wet cozzie (I haven't spotted a drying machine yet) and a £1 coin for the lockers. And please only tell your special friends - the nicest thing at the moment is that it isn't too busy on weeknights! See you there :)

The swimming pool itself is great, most of the time quiet, you can choose your line depending on…read morehow fast you want to swim so that you don't get disturb by other people while swimming. The changing space however is really poor for this kind of aquatics centre - you can really tell you're just meant to come, quickly change, swim and leave. There are few showers and they are quite temperamental. The lockers and cubicles are just not that comfortable to use. So it's a very good pool, but come there for exercise only and not hoping for a full spa experience!

Quality/Quantity - This place is HUGE! And so beautiful,…read moreclean, safe, etc. Central park in NY or Golden Gate Park in SF got nothing on this place. See pictures. When we visited, they were hosting the London Youth games. Atmosphere - On top of being a huge beautiful park... Abba Arena, Copper Box Arena, London Aquatics Center, ArcelorMittal Orbit, world's longest tunnel slide, restaurants, cafes, boat and swan pedalo on the river, London Stadium, Tumbling bay for the kids, Lee Valley hockey and tennis centre, gardens, art and cultural events, Hackney Bridge, etc. See all my pictures for all the other things and places I missed. Sadly, I am not confident that all my pictures got uploaded again... Open 24 hours, how are many parks open 24 hours? And still safe? 2012 Bike Olympics hosted here. Nearby garden bars (20% off Yelp check-in) and breweries, see other reviews. Events - See their website. Next to major shopping centers. Lastly, the East Bank is coming, see pictures. This is another major development. Service - Self service. Price - FREE!! Owner Comment - Thank you for such a wonderful place to visit!

I am a huge Olympics fan and history buff. So when I found out that this was nearby (relatively…read morespeaking) where I was staying I decided this would be the last thing I saw the last night I was in London. I hopped on the tube and made my way up the line. Once off I b-lined it over this way with the little remaining light the day had. To say that it is massive is an understatement. I was in awe of the size of the footprint overall and the stadium itself. To think that so many countries gathered here just a few short years ago is amazing. To me, it was beautiful. I strolled the area without any agenda. I just wanted to walk around the massive area, I honestly have no idea if I walked where I was allowed or not, I wasn't paying attention much as I was staring upwards almost the whole time. I went just about everywhere that I could. Up and down stairs, over bridges, around buildings until I think I covered it all. I would have loved to go down the slide at The ArcelorMittal, but I had gotten there too late in the day and they were already closed. It looks massive and definitely a one of a kind thing to do while here. Another thing I did while here was find the Since 9/11 WTC artwork (thanks Google Maps). I was unaware that there was a memorial of sorts to the victims of 9/11 in London. Being close to the anniversary of that day I felt as if I should visit here. It is a reminder of what happened that day and an educational tool. Tastefully done.

Walt was kinda portly, he liked to stow ham in his pants and sneak out of buffets so he could eat…read moreit later. Hence his name "Walt Ham Stow", which this Greyhound Park was named after. First-Hand Experience: If the one in Bury St E was the worst Greyhound place I ever went to, then this was probably the best. It was iconic and beautiful. My parents used to live in E17 just down the road from here, so whenever we came back to visit their old friends, I'd wander around, and I found this place as a teenager. Then years later, Stevan and I were wandering London and I recognized it and we hung out here, for a good hour. We took lots of pictures and I have no idea where they are now. Which is annoying because it's long gone. Forever. Unfortunately this beautiful, neon-lit, symbolic North-East-London landmark has been closed down and is being turned into housing. It was famous for so long, when my mother and father lived just around the corner from it. It was very pretty too. Of course I hated the fact that they raced dogs here, but it was certainly pretty and will be a missed part of the landscape. I wish they could have turned it into something else while keeping its beauty alive.