Seven years after the 2008 Olympics, walking around the Olympic Sports Centre midweek is rather like being stuck in a district of Brasilia or one of those zombie movies where humans have all but been wiped out. A few events are staged at the signature National Stadium, known colloquially as the Bird’s Nest (鸟巢; Niǎocháo), but it mostly stands empty and security staff and optimistic street vendors outnumber visitors. Nevertheless, it remains an iconic, if forlorn, piece of architecture.
Such, though, is the fate of most Olympics projects after the event and the Bird's Nest has fared better than many of the other venues for the 2008 Olympics, some of which are now no more than decaying structures surrounded by wasteland. The neighbouring, bubble-covered Water Cube is worth a look too, and now houses the Happy Magic Water Park . The site is around 7km north of the city centre.
