Slideshow: Venues for 2012 London Olympic Games

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From Wimbledon to Wembley Stadium to The Dome, a look at the venues for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

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LONDON -- With the end of the Paralympic Games four days away, Londoners are being promised a bright Olympic legacy of new jobs, homes and park space – but some in the city’s poorest neighborhoods are already questioning whether they will see any long-term benefit.

The regeneration of post-industrial East London was a cornerstone of the city’s bid to host the 2012 Games, and work has already begun on finding new users for the permanent venues and on transforming the 550-acre park into a new community with almost 3,000 new homes as well as schools and leisure space.

“This is a generational project – it may be 20 years before we see the full benefit of the work being done today,” Dennis Hone, chief executive of the London Legacy Development Corporation, told NBC News.

The future of seven of the eight permanent Olympic Park venues has been decided, with the striking Orbit sculpture becoming a visitor attraction and the Copper Box – which hosted pentathlon, fencing and handball during the Games – turned into a multi-purpose sport and entertainment venue.

Slideshow: When the Olympics is your neighbor

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A diverse community in East London will welcome the world to Britain for the 2012 Olympic Games. Meet residents and hear how they feel about having a huge, world stage in their backyard.

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More London 2012 coverage from NBCNews.com

On Wednesday, a conference heard how the 700,000 square foot International Broadcast Center – the building through which television pictures of the sporting action were edited and distributed to a global audience of billions - is to be turned into a technology quarter with office space for digital and creative start-up companies, studios, and a high-powered data center. The iCITY project, led by a private developer, aims to capitalize on East London’s growing reputation as a destination for designers, artists and creative entrepreneurs.

Andy Rain / EPA

Crowds make their way out of the Olympic Park at Stratford during the London 2012 Paralympic Games on Monday.

“We estimate that it will create 4,000 jobs, plus another 2,000 in the wider local community,” Richard Gibbs, business development director of iCITY, told NBC News.

But some in that community – particularly in Stratford, the poverty-stricken district bordering the Olympic Park - are unconvinced that they will see any of the promised benefits. “The good jobs will go to people from outside the area who have skills and education,” said Judith Garfeld, director of local charity Eastside Community Heritage. “The rest will be the same part-time, low-skilled service jobs that we already have.

“They are creating a new community on the site of the park but there is no sense that those of us who already live here will see any long-term legacy from the Olympics.”

Landscaping will be carried out to turn the grass and waterside areas into the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, with efforts underway to encourage wildlife into what used to be a contaminated industrial zone.

Up to 7,000 people will move into the athletes’ village, whose 2,818 dormitory-style apartments are being converted into proper living spaces to be known as East Village. A housing association will take over 1,379 of the homes, making about half available to those on local council social housing lists and the rest sold through government-sponsored shared-ownership and shared-equity schemes designed to ease young people into London’s sky-high property market. The remaining homes will be available on the private market, mostly for rent.

“It will be very nice for those people, but all it will do is push up the rent and the prices for everyone else in the area,” said a hot dog stand owner who gave his name to NBC News as Tony. “I don’t think it will change things for us.”

Alastair Jamieson / NBC News

Some local business owners in the Stratford area of East London think the legacy of the 2012 Olympic Games will not benefit their community. A hot dog stand owner, who gave his name only as Tony, said new homes on the site of the Olympic Park would be for wealthier incomers.

He said his stand in Stratford market – a stone’s throw from the main entrance to the Olympic Park – had seen only a 10 per cent rise in business during the Games, despite up to a quarter of a million visitors per day passing through the nearby station on their way to the venues.

“They all got channeled out of the station and straight into the Olympic Park – we hardly saw any of them,” he said.

Stall holder, Angela Brown, who sells flags from around the world, said locals had been left “very disappointed” despite being excited about the Games.

Iraq vet: 'Now it's time to win' at Paralympics

“It was an exciting time and fantastic to meet people from all over world, but in terms of business it has been really, really bad,” she said. “The athletes wandered over but we didn’t see as many spectators as we hoped for.”

Much of the bitterness is aimed at the glitzy new Westfield shopping mall, abutting the Olympic Park, whose huge increase in traffic made it one of the few immediate economic winners from London’s $14.3-billion Games.

“Although Westfield has created jobs, they are low-skill shop jobs,” Garfield said. “Local kids hang around there but they can’t afford to buy anything, it’s not for local people. On the day a local kid got stabbed to death there they didn’t even close the doors.”

Elizabeth Dalziel / AP, file

Landscaper Jack Hunn builds a kingfisher nest, hidden at the bottom of the Olympic Stadium, on June, 20. Once the massive crowds go home, it is hoped bats will find themselves taking up residence in boxes around the park, part of a lasting environmental legacy for East London's Olympic Park.

Officials insist there has been wider economic benefit. “The cake has got bigger,” Hone said. “It isn’t about places like Westfield take a slice away from others. It may take time, but the whole area will get a lift from this regeneration.”

One of the biggest legacy questions remains unresolved: the future of the 80,000-seat $700-million main Olympic stadium.

Local soccer teams West Ham and Leyton Orient are among the bidders to become permanent tenants of the site, along with a sporting college and an ambitious scheme to host Formula One racing, the London Evening Standard reported. A final decision will be made next month.

Despite the lack of certainty, International Olympic Committee chairman Jacques Rogge believes London’s planning has set the bar high for future host cities.

“There is a lot of things London has done, with probably also a better care for sustainability and legacy than many other cities in the past,” he told an Olympic news conference last month. 

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Slideshow: Olympic Emotional Moments

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Click for more from the 2012 summer games in London.

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LONDON -- Following Sunday night's Olympic closing ceremony, NBCNews.com takes a tongue-in-cheek look at those who struck gold at London 2012 -- and some others who were left in the starting blocks.

WINNERS

Boris Johnson
London's tousle-haired mayor provided a moment of comedy gold when he got stuck on a zip wire at the city’s Victoria Park. For any other politician in charge of a major city, being caught on camera for several minutes dangling in front of a crowd of children like a sack of potatoes would have been career-ending. Not for Boris, whose self-deprecating style and easy charm convinced many pundits that he'll one day be elected prime minister.

The Paralympic Games
Maybe it’s the "Blade Runner" effect: Since South African double-amputee Oscar Pistorius made Olympic history by competing alongside able-bodied athletes in the 400m race, sales of tickets for the Paralympics Games have broken records. Some 2.1 million tickets have already been sold for the London 2012 Paralympics, which begin on August 29 – already well ahead of the 1.8 million total four years ago in Beijing.

Lanyard manufacturers
Around the most security-conscious Olympic Games in history, you’re nobody without a lanyard. The 11,000 athletes, 11,000 coaching or IOC officials, 21,000 media and 200,000 on-site workers all need laminated credentials with a barcode ID strip attached to a lanyard -- an orange-and-purple ribbon worn around the neck. Then you need 12,200 soldiers and 7,000 civilian security workers to check those credentials. And they need credentials, too. That’s at least a quarter of a million people needing lanyards. And once you’re inside the Olympic Park, you need a separate lanyard to get into individual offices and venues. It was a business opportunity on a plate.

Al Bello / Getty Images

U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps shows off his Olympic credentials -- and the lanyard holding it -- on July 24.

Westfield shopping mall, Stratford, East London
It opened its doors in the pit of Britain’s worst post-war recession and is located in a former industrial zone in one of London’s crime hotspots. Yet for the past two weeks, Westfield shopping mall, adjacent to the Olympic Park, has been the must-visit destination of the Games as athletes from around the world wander between the Apple Store and the Abercrombie & Fitch, posing for pictures and signing autographs for fans. The Cow, a bar at the end of the shopping center nearest the park entrance, is making more than $47,000 a day, according to one worker.

Missy Franklin
The 17-year-old's four gold medals and a bronze propelled her to a whole new level of fame. According to a sports marketing expert and two agents, this could be worth between $1 million and $5 million a year in endorsements, The Denver Post reported. "She's got a great smile," Andrew Stroth, a sports attorney specializing in endorsement deals, told the paper. "Her story's fantastic. She seems like an all-American girl, a young lady who really cares about people inside and outside the pool." 

Austria House
Of all the national hospitality houses that sprang up in London – the work of tourism agencies seeking to promote their country to the millions of Games visitors – Austria House, near the Tower of London, has been the most surprising success. Crowds regularly lined up around the block to buy beer at $6 a pint and sauerkraut at $12. How Austria managed to turn an overpriced temporary beer patio in the financial district into a to-be-seen-in venue remains a mystery, but Tower Hill has been alive with the sound of music since the Games began.

Jim Seida / NBC News

Julia Sailer pours two-liter beers as fast as she can sell them at Austria's national hospitality house on Tuesday.

London tube train and bus drivers
By threatening strike action during the Games, London’s underground train drivers -- already paid almost double the U.K. average wage -- secured a bonus payment of $1,400 to compensate for temporary changes in shift patterns. Angry at being left out, bus drivers used the same tactic to win themselves $900 regardless of whether their route was affected by the Games.

Britain's military
Britain’s soldiers stepped up to the plate when private contractor G4S failed to supply enough security workers. Despite concerns at the militarization of the Games, their placatory presence and application of much-needed courtesy and common sense at the airport-style searches was welcomed by spectators. The experience has left some Brits secretly wishing the military would also run the London Underground, most major sporting events and Heathrow Airport. 

Dave Martin / AP

British troops cheer along with the crowd as they get a break from security duties to watch the Brazil vs. Great Britain beach volleyball match on July 30.

More London 2012 coverage from NBCNews.com

LOSERS

Greedy hotels and landlords
In February, NBCNews.com revealed that landlords in Britain's capital were evicting tenants in order to cash in on the Games by charging tourists many times the usual rent. Hotels also began charging exorbitant rates for rooms even in mediocre locations. However, up to one-third of those rooms were left unsold, according to The Daily Telegraph, while volunteers helping at the Games stayed at a temporary campsite rather than pay over-priced rates for accommodation. On top of that, Londoners have embraced the spirit of the Games by opening up their own homes free of charge to athletes’ families and spectators from around the world.

Slideshow: No tickets to the Olympics? Five London parks offer the next best thing

Around London, alternative Olympic viewing sites offer locals and tourists a cheaper, crowd-free version of the Games.

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London cyclists
It was meant to be the "greenest" Summer Games in history, but although Britain won a slew of cycling medals London 2012 hasn't been much fun for the city's ordinary cyclists. Part of a popular route for cyclists down the east side of London -- a path along the River Lea -- has been closed for security reasons because it runs close to the Olympic Park. And cyclists were also not allowed to use many of the Olympic Lanes set up for officials, athletes and others involved in the Games. To cap it all, a man cycling home to help avoid traffic congestion during the Games was knocked over and killed by an official London 2012 media bus. 

Jim Seida / NBC News

A cyclist uses his phone to help navigate around the security gate blocking the bike path along the western edge of London's Olympic Park on July 21.

British soccer players
The good grace and sportsmanship of Olympic athletes has thrown into sharp contrast the behavior of Britain’s highly-paid but mostly charmless professional soccer players.

Tourist attractions
Visitor numbers at London's traditional tourist attractions such as the Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral fell by up to 40 per cent during the Games as dire warnings about likely transport chaos, congestion and long lines turned the city center into a ghost town. 

Slideshow: Graffiti Games: UK street artists take on Olympics

Jim Seida / NBC News

Street and graffiti artists have been satirizing, celebrating and making jokes about the Olympic Games in London.

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Small businesses
Many local businesses suffered too. Traders at a food market close to the Olympic Park face financial ruin, according to local reports, after paying up to $25,000 for market pitches on streets that turned out to be deserted. One spent more than $30,000 on rent, stock and equipment for his Thai food stall and failed to sell a single meal.

British taxpayers
The U.K. government spent some $14.5 billion on hosting the Games, according to organizers LOCOG, although experts suspect that cost could be considerably higher when all factors – such as public employees’ time – are taken into consideration. British Prime Minister David Cameron said before the Games that he was confident London 2012 would provide a $20 billion boost to the economy over the next four years. But that figure has been met with some skepticism. Professor Richard Jackman, of the London School of Economics, told NBCNews.com the financial benefits of the Olympics were always “grossly over-estimated” and “unfortunately our taxpayers are funding this.” He suggested the Olympics might make "a few billion." And Jackman is not alone. A poll of economists by Reuters found that 23 out of 27 thought the Games would not provide a lasting economic windfall.

Slideshow: Venues for 2012 London Olympic Games

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From Wimbledon to Wembley Stadium to The Dome, a look at the venues for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

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Athletes in disgrace
Swiss soccer player Michel Morganella, 23, was stripped of his Olympic accreditation for posting a racist message on Twitter after his team lost 2-1 to South Korea. Swiss officials said the message was offensive and threatening. Triple-jumper Voula Papachristou was also cut from the Greece team after posting a comment mocking African immigrants.  Eight badminton players, from South Korea, Indonesia and China were disqualified after they tried to lose games in order to get an easier draw in the next round. The crowd booed the competitors when it became obvious they were not competing. Sebastian Coe, chairman of Games organizers LOCOG, said the spectacle was "depressing," adding "who wants to sit through something like that?" However, disgruntled fans were not given their money back.

Tullio M. Puglia / Getty Images

Swiss soccer player Michel Morganella lost his accreditation after sending a racist tweet.

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Revelers dance during a party at Casa Brasil in London on Sunday night. Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Updated at 4:47 a.m. ET: LONDON -- A few miles from London's Olympic Stadium, partying Brazilians gathered Sunday night to watch the closing handover ceremony on giant screens -- and to contemplate the work ahead of them before the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Organizers of Rio 2016 have been spreading their buzzwords of "passion" and "embrace" but after a London 2012 Games that has been praised for its smooth delivery and the triumphant sporting achievement of the host nation's athletes, they are already under scrutiny.

With music and cheekiness, 'happy and glorious' Games close

Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, on Sunday urged Brazil to do everything it could to ensure a better performance in four years’ time after the country came 22^nd in the medal standings with just three golds.

“You need gold medals, that is so important for the mood of the public and the general atmosphere of the Games," he told a press conference.

"We had to wait a few days for the first bronze, but from then on you couldn’t follow the pace,” he said about the British team’s results. “We’re relying on exactly the same [from] our Brazilian friends. 

Slideshow: Rio de Janeiro

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Brazil's 'cidade maravilhosa' (marvelous city) steps into the international spotlight as it prepares to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Explore some of the sights the city offers.

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“If you want a good result in Rio 2016, it’s time to start and kick off as soon as possible,” Rogge added, noting the U.K. had won just one gold medal at Atlanta in 1996. 

What has Rio learned from London 2012?

As London officially handed the Olympic baton to Rio at the closing ceremony, Brazilians and other revelers gathered at "Casa Brasil" -- a temporary promotional space for Rio 2016 at London's historic Somerset House -- to watch the event on giant screens.

“It’s a time to show your city, show your culture. I hope Rio can have a ceremony like that as well,” said Joao Brasil, 34, a DJ who has lived in London for three years but plans to return to Brazil for the soccer World Cup in 2014 and the 2016 Olympics. He said being in London for 2012 Games had been “amazing.” 

Ian Johnston / NBC News

Joao Brasil celebrates London's Olympic handover to Rio at a Brazil-themed party near the River Thames on Sunday night.

"The party is beautiful it is really exciting to be here before being in Brazil, in Rio… It’s really emotional actually.”

London 2012: Who were the real winners, losers?

He said British friends had been unimpressed before the start of the Games, but had been swept away in the wave of enthusiasm that hit after they actually started with film director Danny Boyle’s opening ceremony.

While Brazil only earned three gold medals, Brasil said they had only narrowly missed out on a number of others. And even if Brazil did not do well in 2016, he said the people would still be enthusiastic hosts.

“It’s going to be wild,” he said.

Olympic heroes turn tourists

He was among a crowd watching the ceremony in the courtyard of the grand 18th-century building, overlooking the River Thames, which was flooded with light in the green, yellow and blue colors of the Brazilian flag.

Alastair Jamieson/NBC News

Richard Pope (far left) and his wife Penny (far right) visited Casa Brasil in London on Sunday with Penny's brother Jim (second from right) and his wife Sue (second from left) with their children Ralph, 6, (front left) and Daisy, 8, (front, right) and their friend Kit Simmons, 10 (front center).

Brazilian music, including an appearance from Brazilian Beatles tribute band called Sargento Pimenta, added to the carnival atmosphere. When the handover ceremony was complete, flags proclaiming 'Welcome to Rio' were unfurled from the roof of the building and the crowd began to dance wildly and wave Brazilian flags.

'The world is going to embrace Brazil'
Danilo Costa, 28, a lawyer originally from Sao Paolo, now living in London, said he had initially been “skeptical” and “worried” about the Brazilian section of the closing ceremony, but had been won over.

Slideshow: Olympic Emotional Moments

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“I’m much more impressed by what they did, than what the British did in Beijing,” he said. “I think that was really good, I’m really impressed.”

”I think the world is going to embrace Brazil… and have lots of fun,” he added.

Olympic jokers: Queen has 'a laugh,' empires compete

Costa said he thought the Games would enable his country to show its true nature to the world.

“We can benefit a lot from this. It looks like our image abroad is a lot worse than the reality,” he said.

Alastair Jamieson / NBC News

Children play in the fountains on Sunday afternoon at Casa Brasil, the temporary exhibition space set up at London's historic Somerset House to promote the forthcoming Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Nicole Spinelli, 24, from Sao Paolo, Brazil, who has been studying for a finance degree in London, said she was “very excited” about the Rio Games, providing it was as well organized as those in London.

“If they can keep it organized and things can run properly, we will enjoy the party, otherwise it’s going to be a mess – without any party,” she said.

Read more London 2012 coverage from NBCNews.com

Fellow finance student Rosemary Fernandes, 30, from Santa Katarina, Brazil, said she hoped Rio 2016 would have as good an atmosphere as the London Games, saying “people were cheering all the world,” not just the British athletes.

On Brazil’s sporting performance, she added, “they didn’t do well here so hopefully they will do better in Brazil.”

Alastair Jamieson / NBC News

Brazilians in London celebrate the Olympic handover at the Casa Brasil exhibition space near the River Thames on Sunday night.

Earlier in the day, Rio 2016 officials were on hand to explain their Games bid, and to sell Brazilian culture - - including free yellow Olympic T-shirts --  to lines of tourists and curious British Olympic spectators.

“I don’t think there will be any empty seats at Rio,” said Philip Nagenda, who toured Casa Brasil with friends after watching his native Uganda beat Kenya in the men’s marathon final in central London. “I think people are very passionate there and will turn up.”

Alastair Jamieson / NBC News

Philip Nagenda, Jospeh Kiwalabye and Ronald Mukasa from Uganda, Martin Kimani from Kenya and Fabrice Jean from Canada try out one of London's free bicycles while wearing promotional Rio 2016 shirts outside Casa Brasil in London on Sunday.

His friend Ronald Mukasa, also from Uganda, said: “I think Rio will be more colorful, maybe have a bit more character than London – but it will be hard for them to get the transport as good. Everything has been well organized in London.”

Olympics chief touts women's access to sports

Jim Armitage, from Reading, Berkshire, said: "I think Rio will be spectacular but London has so many historic and symbolic venues, such as the beach volleyball in Horseguards Parade. I know Rio has the Christ statue and Copacabana beach but I think London will be a very hard act to follow."

His wife Sue added: "I hope Rio is able to recreate the great sense of excitement and involvement in the Games, particularly with screen so you can follow all the action. We were at the sailing in Weymouth [on England’s southern coast] and watching Andy Murray win gold at the tennis on the screen and it felt as if we right were at Wimbledon, too.”

Alastair Jamieson / NBC News

American track cycling silver medal winners Jennie Reed (L), Sarah Hammer and Lauren Tamayo (R) in front of London's Tower Bridge, Saturday.

LONDON – Posing for photos in front of Tower Bridge and buying souvenirs on the sidewalks, they could be any other tourists among the summer crowds. But with most London 2012 events now over, it's the turn of the world's greatest athletes to be awe-struck as they turn up at visitor attractions across the city.

Rebecca Soni, American gold medalist and winner of the 200m breaststroke, took a trip on the London Eye with fellow swimmers on Saturday, while double-gold winning gymnast Gabby Douglas went sightseeing on Wednesday, according to ESPN.

“Go USA!” shouted an onlooker as three of the U.S.'s four track cycling silver medalists -- Lauren Tamayo, Jennie Reed and Sarah Hammer -- took a tour of the Tower of London with NBCNews.com on Saturday.

“It’s great to get out and see a bit of London,” said Reed, from Seattle. “Tower Bridge is stunning -- it’s incredible to have seen it on the TV so many times and now to see it up close.”

The trio was greeted at the 11^th century royal fortress by a Yeoman Warder in traditional dress, and saw the Crown Jewels during their walk-through.

“It was incredible,” said Hammer. “We also saw the room where they used to keep all the exotic animals like lions and polar bears.”

Apart from a few admiring glances, the women moved largely un-noticed through tourist crowds outside the Tower, where Reed stopped to buy some art on the sidewalk.

Olympic jokers: Queen has 'a laugh,' empires compete

“For the first week we in the bubble of the village and didn’t really go out at all,” said Tamayo. “It’s easy to forget that you now need to take all your personal things again. When I went out I realized I was on the Tube and didn’t have any credit cards or ID on me except my accreditation.”

The women plan to visit Borough Market to buy gifts and specialty foods before leaving London with their teammates on Monday.

As well as turning tourist in London, the entire U.S. Olympic team has been giving back to the host nation by donating $157 per gold medal won at the Games to local sports and recreation charity Kids Company as part of Thank You Britain campaign.

Alastair Jamieson/NBC News

Silver medal-winning track cyclists Jennie Reed (L), Sarah Hammer and Lauren Tamayo (R) outside the Tower of London on Saturday.

Fans: Day at Olympics well worth $1,000 for family of 4

Reed said the athletes had much to be thankful for, including the Olympic Village.

“The accommodation has been great and the food probably the best of any Games I’ve been to,” she said.

Hammer described the atmosphere inside the Village, where their shared apartment overlooks part of the Olympic Park.

“Sometimes we have been watching events on TV and when you turn the sound down you can actually listen out the window and hear the same crowd noise for real -- it’s incredible,” she said.

Their verdict on London? “It’s very busy -- I’m amazed that people here are describing this as quieter than usual -- and the atmosphere is great,” said Tamayo.

"It's easy to forget that these world class athletes are tourists, too, and most are now enjoying all that Britain offers," said Mark Di-Toro, a spokesman for tourism agency Visit Britain. "When the athletes leave is when our work really begins to create a sustained and positive tourism legacy."

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British gold medal-winning cyclist Bradley Wiggins is seen on stage at a concert in Hyde Park, left, enjoying a beer while watching Olympic action in the Velodrome, center, and meeting Stone Roses singer Ian Brown at a secret VIP gig by the band in London, right.

LONDON - After four years of intense training and personal sacrifice, athletes are letting their hair down and joining London’s city-wide Olympic party.

With many events now over, and with Sunday's closing ceremony looming, Olympians are becoming a more frequent sight on the streets – and in the bars – of Britain’s capital.

Many are turning up at venues to support their team-mates in the remaining competition -- and sign autographs for lucky spectators.

“It is nice for us now to be able to relax and watch some of the Games,” said Czech cyclist Denis Spicka, who was surrounded by friends and female fans at Czech House – one of dozens of temporary national ‘party houses’ set up around London by tourism promoters and sponsors.

Spicka was one of hundreds of party-goers enjoying Czech beer while watching giant screens showing his country take on France at women’s basketball on Tuesday night – only hours after he had finished his own race in the Olympic Velodrome.

“The girls here are very nice,” he grinned.

Alastair Jamieson/NBC News

Officials from Britain's Olympic team enjoy a late-night take-out in east London's Mile End.

Across town, U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte was enjoying a birthday party at a Planet Hollywood theme restaurant near Leicester Square. The 28-year-old enjoyed chicken fingers, nachos, Champagne and birthday cake, according to E!, before heading to Mahiki, a nightclub popular with Prince Harry.

It was not the gold medal winner’s first night of partying: He joined a throng of fellow swimmers including South African Jean Basson and Lebanese Katya Bachrouche at club Chinawhite on Sunday night.

Will Games curse leave 'ghost town' London out of the gold rush?

Chad le Clos, the South African who beat Michael Phelps in the 200m butterfly last week, also dropped into the club, dancing with his team and some Australian swimmers. "It was pretty cool,” he told the Daily Telegraph. “Everyone was there, the Americans and the French team. Pretty much the whole of the VIP area was crawling with swimmers. We all enjoyed ourselves."

Slideshow: Graffiti Games: UK street artists take on Olympics

Jim Seida / NBC News

Street and graffiti artists have been satirizing, celebrating and making jokes about the Olympic Games in London.

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Others have been touring London’s sights or relaxing in and around the Olympic Park. Cook Islands swimming coach Romani Katoa was enjoying a few beers with fellow spectators at the track and field events on Sunday night, while Hungarian hammer-thrower Krisztian Pars was showing off his gold medal on the top floor of a double-decker bus.

Christians, Muslims and even a 'vegan turkey' seek converts at London 2012

In the Westfield shopping mall that leads to the Olympic Park, athletes from around the world have been signing autographs for fans or partying in the top-level casino.

Indeed, spotting athletes has now become a London tourist activity in its own right: Olympians from Rwanda were pictured waiting for a bus on Monday, officials from Team Great Britain were seen ordering a late-night take-out in a kebab house in east London’s Mile End and Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins posted a picture of himself on Instagram “getting wasted” near St. Paul’s Cathedral after winning his cycling gold medal for Britain.

Wiggins and fellow British gold medalist Jessica Ennis were among the athletes who attended a VIP Stone Roses concert on Monday. The duo were reportedly introduced at the gig as "king" and "queen" of England.

At the Austria House near the Tower of London, where party-goers can enjoy pilsner and sauerkraut while watching live Olympic action, Austrian gymnast Fabian Leimlehner was among those signing autographs.

Jim Seida / NBC News

Julia Sailer from Innsbruck, Austria, pours two-liter beers as fast as she can sell them at Austria's national hospitality house in the Tower Hill area of London on Tuesday.

'So much debauchery'
Speculation is now turning to life inside the Olympic Village – the super-private athletes-only area notorious for evolving into a party zone as the Games come to an end. In a now-notorious ESPN feature last month, Lochte predicted that “70 to 75 percent of Olympians” would be having sex with other competitors, adding: “Hey, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do."

About 150,000 condoms have been handed out by organizers in the wake of of stories about goings-on at the Sydney 2000 games where, according to U.S. target shooter Josh Lakatos, competitors turned an empty room into a venue for round-the-clock casual sex, assisted by an Oakley duffel bag overflowing with condoms procured from the village's medical clinic. “I've never witnessed so much debauchery in my entire life," he told ESPN.

So are the beds of London’s Olympic village really shaking? “We are all sharing rooms, so it is difficult,” said Czech runner Josef Prorok at the Czech House party. “Our apartment is above the laundry area and some of my friends have discovered there are some empty places, so…”

Inside the Olympic Village: World's top athletes share college dorm-style rooms

In practice, he said, athletes prefer to head into the city to party. “There is no alcohol in the Village bar so it is boring there. Here there is a screen and there are people having fun, and girls,” he said.

His comments were echoed by former British Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies, who told The Mirror; “Any partying is done away from the Village out of respect for athletes who are still competing. To be honest you spend all your time training and eating healthily – and it only takes a glass of wine and you are hammered.”

More London 2012 coverage from NBCNews.com

All the better for Londoners, who are are cruising the national party houses in the hope of getting to meet athletes.

"Which is the best one?" asked Nick Watterson, from north London, who was drinking at the Czech House with friends after watching Olympic soccer at Wembley Stadium. "Brazil House sounds good. It's a great atmosphere in the city at the moment, a real party going on."  

Slideshow: Speeding through life: Olympians then and now

Tony Duffy / ALLSPORT, Getty Images

How has life treated the many U.S. Olympians who have dazzled and inspired us over the years? Find out in this handy then-and-now roundup.

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More world stories from NBC News:

• Who'll win the gold medal for partying? Olympians let hair down
• One year after London riots, a family still grapples with fallout
• Antarctica rescue drama: US expeditioner ailing
• Are these German protesters the world's oldest squatters?
• Will Games curse leave 'ghost town' London out of the gold rush?
• Interpol drops 'red notice' for dissident
• Race to London's Olympic Park: Fastest way is ...?
• Journalist: British militants took me hostage in Syria
• Londoners: I'll take a 'flat white'... What?

Jim Seida / NBC News

East Londoner Dean Houssein sells coffee, drinks and snacks from the back of a van near the London's Victoria Park, a short train ride from the Olympic Park. He said that during the Games, the area has been "deader than dead."

LONDON – Quiet restaurants, empty sidewalks and spare seats on the subway have left businesses in central London without an Olympic gold rush, despite Britain's medal success -- and have raised new questions about whether the world's largest sporting event brings any economic benefit to host countries.

It is a major concern in Britain, which is still entrenched in double-dip recession even after the construction boom created by the Games.

Attractions including St. Paul's Cathedral and the London Zoo have seen a 40 percent drop in visitors since the opening ceremony on July 27. Dire warnings of travel chaos scared many away, and those who do come are congregating in the shopping mall that abuts the Olympic Park in East London, or inside the bars and opens spaces of the sprawling park itself.

Even small businesses within sight of the landmark 80,000-seater main stadium have seen none of the expected dividend.

East Londoner Dean Houssein, who usually works as a taxi driver, decided to sell coffee, drinks and snacks such as chocolate gold medals from the back of a van near Victoria Park. It seemed like a prime location -- big screens in the park show action from the Games to crowds of thousands and the Olympic Park itself is just a 5-minute train ride away.

"It's been like a f****** ghost town ... deader than dead," Houssein said. "I've never seen the area like this. It's costing me money. It's really not happening. I need to go back to my normal job, I've got bills to pay like everyone else," he said last week.

Asked what the business was called, he replied with a wry smile, "I was thinking of calling it 'Dean the Coffee Machine,' but I'm not selling it. I'm drinking it all myself, getting the shakes."

Full coverage in London 2012: Hosting the Games

Even as authorities warned of major delays and congestion, the Daily Telegraph published a slideshow of deserted stations and sidewalks.

Theater producer Nica Burns told the Evening Standard newspaper that her venues were "bleeding."

"For my six theaters, last week was the worst this year," she said. "I think the Olympics are great — but I feel like I've been the bulls-eye for the archery competition."

Peter Vlachos, a marketing expert at the University of Greenwich, in southeast London, has been surveying local businesses about the impact of the Games. "One word came back: Disaster," he told The Associated Press.

"There are 23,000 people walking past (local shops) in the morning to get to the grounds, and at the end of the day the same 23,000 people rushing back to their hotels," he said.

"The Olympics were sold to the business community as if it was going to be a huge windfall, and it hasn't materialized," he said.

Race to London's Olympic Park: Fastest way is ... ?

Big traders are also suffering. Stores on the city's flagship shopping drag, Oxford Street, have seen footfall slump by up to one-fifth.

Slideshow: Olympic Emotional Moments

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Click for more from the 2012 summer games in London.

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"Of all months to see a drop in trade, August is the worst," said Bernard Donohue, chief executive of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions. "We expected a drop in international visitors -- it's the well-known displacement effect that happens at every Olympic Games -- but we didn’t expect all the domestic visitors to stay away, too."

British Prime Minister David Cameron last week repeated official estimates that London 2012 would bring $20 billion-worth of economic benefits over the next four years, mostly in the form of inward investment urban regeneration – enough to the justify the $14 billion cost of staging the Games.

"That figure is based on somewhat shaky calculations," said Samuel Tombs of London-based analysts Capital Economics, which predicts Britain will fall back into recession within weeks of the closing ceremony.

"There are some short-term benefits, particularly in the service sector, but long-term gains are unproven. We expect modest growth in the third quarter -- partly boosted by Olympic ticket sales which are officially recorded in this quarter -- but our current prediction is that we will see growth shrink again in the fourth quarter."

Christians, Muslims and even a 'vegan turkey' seek converts at London 2012

'The Olympic Curse'?
Could Britain be the latest victim of "The Olympic Curse" -- a phenomenon that in 1976 left Montreal with a 30-year debt headache?

Jim Seida / NBC News

You can lead the world to London, but you can't make them shop. Pedestrians walk past an Olympic-themed window display in a Tommy Hilfiger store on Regent Street, central London, on Aug. 2.

Athens is estimated to have spent between $15 billion and $32 billion on hosting the 2004 Olympics -- a contributory factor in the country's economic crisis -- and recent pictures show many of the venues lying vacant and abandoned. Research from Oxford University's Saïd Business School concludes that host cities have averaged a 179-percent cost overrun in the past 50 years, although recent Games have seen among the lowest overspends.

Olympic hosts: Londoners open their homes to the world

Transit authority Transport for London last week abandoned the use of pre-recorded public announcements, voiced by Mayor Boris Johnson, warning Londoners to plan for an expected visitor boom that never materialized.

The New West End Company, which represents stores in Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street, is spinning the unexpected quietness as a boon for locals under the slogan 'No tickets needed.' "It's a Londoner's dream at the moment -- they can get around easily and get a table in a good restaurant," said spokesman Jace Tyrell.

The decline in visitor numbers in London could mean that other British tourist hot spots, including Scotland's capital city, Edinburgh, and northwest England's Lake District, see fewer summer visitors.

Olympics officials accused of anti-Semitism over Munich remembrance

Jonathan Denby, head of the Lakes Hospitality Association, told BBC Radio 4: "We get probably 100,000 Japanese tourists during the summer. This year in July and August there are none.

"No visitors are coming in from Asia because they couldn't get hotel accommodation in London and they were frightened of all the travel restrictions in London, so they just decided to stay away for the five-week period of the Olympics," he said.

"If you want to know where all the Londoners are, a lot of them are in the Lake District," Denby added.

Forging an Olympic legacy
There have been some winners. The recently opened Westfield shopping mall, through which tens of thousands of spectators walk from Stratford station in order to reach the Olympic Park, became so busy over the weekend that it closed to all except ticket-holders. A worker at The Cow, a bar at the end of the mall overlooking the stadium, said it was making $50,000 a day from food and drink sales.

Jim Seida / NBC News

Thousands of people move through the recently-opened Westfield shopping mall on their way to and from the London Olympic Park on Aug. 2.

In Manchester, one of England's largest cities, more than 100,000 extra visitors have flocked to the central Exchange Square to watch the Olympic action on giant screens, to the delight of local businesses, according to the Manchester Evening News.

For others, it may be too early to judge with Cameron's predicted windfall will come true.

"We thought we might get some extra customers during the Games," said Roger Love, co-owner of London Fields Fitness, which offers personal training and pay-as-you-go classes in East London.

"In fact, not a single extra person has come to us because of the Olympics. At times the local area is as quiet as it was the morning after last year's riots. Having said that, we haven't lost any business, either – and there may be greater interest in sport and fitness longer term. In the park this morning I overhead someone asking their child if they wanted to be a swimmer or a runner, so there could be more future business for us -- and perhaps a real Olympic legacy -- after all."

More world stories from NBC News:

• Are these German protesters the world's oldest squatters?
• Race to London's Olympic Park: Fastest way is ...?
• Interpol drops 'red notice' for dissident
• Journalist: British militants took me hostage in Syria
• At Hiroshima memorial, Japan leaders vow to listen
• Olympic hosts: Londoners open their homes to the world
• Canada lobster fishermen lash out at cheaper US exports
• Slideshow: The lives of Syria rebels fighting for freedom

Jim Seida / NBC News

Protesters pass a surface-to-air missile site atop a water tower on a residential block in Bow Quarter, London, Saturday. This is one of six missile sites installed around London in case of a 9/11-style attack during the Olympic Games.

LONDON -- Hours after the opening ceremony fireworks echoed around east London, up to 400 demonstrators marched through a neighborhood near the Olympic Park to protest what they called the "Corporate Olympics."

The event, organized by Counter-Olympic Network and supported by 35 groups ranging from Occupy London to ecological and local anti-austerity campaigners, targeted issues including free tickets for sponsors, missile sites on residential blocks and the ethics of Olympic corporations such as BP and Dow Chemical.

“A significant number of people in this country -- about 20 percent, according to a poll -- are not happy with the Olympics because of the involvement of large corporations about which are significant concerns,” said Julian Cheyne of the Counter-Olympic Network. “We are representing their views and making sure that opinion is expressed.

Jim Seida / NBC News

Protester Dana Wojokh from New Jersey was in east London on Saturday protesting the plight of Circassians in Russia.

“It is shameful that BP is a sustainability partner of the Olympics after the damage it did to the Gulf coast with their spill, and Dow Chemicals are not meeting their moral and ethical obligations to help the victims of the Bhopal disaster.”

London cyclists say 'green' Games boast 'a bit of a joke'

The Saturday lunchtime event passed without incident, in contrast to Friday night’s Critical Mass protest –- against the temporary closure of cycle lanes to make way for VIP Games traffic -- that saw 130 arrests.

It coincided with a visit by the Queen to the athletes' village and the swimming arena, and came only 12 hours after the spectacular opening ceremony watched by billions across the world. The protest was significantly smaller than organizers' original estimates of up to 5,000, and at one stage was almost outnumbered by news reporters and camera crews.

Protesters, flanked by large numbers of police motorbikes, began in Mile End and went past the Bow Quarter apartment building whose roof tower is one of six sites around London where the military have installed Rapier missile launchers as part of London’s $877 million security operation protecting the Games.

“This is the heaviest militarization of London since the Second World War,” Cheyne said.

One protest banner read: “International games OK. No to Corporate backed destruction of people’s homes, green space, livelihoods, human rights.”

Jim Seida / NBC News

A crush of media surrounds a supporter of the Olympics during an anti-Olympic protest march Saturday in east London.

As protesters shouted slogans outside Bow Quarter, soldiers guarding the missile launcher stared back from their temporary lookout position at the top of the tower.

As it went along Bow Road, the march was blocked by a small group of local residents who brandished an Olympic flag and chanted back: “Up the Olympics!”

Diane Grieves, who lives on the street, said: “I’m delighted about the Olympics -- it’s really helped the area and brought everyone together. If there weren’t corporate sponsors then the Olympics would be even more expensive for taxpayers.”

Protester George Barda shouted “No to the corporate Olympics” while wearing a T-shirt highlighting the victims of the 1984 disaster at Bhopal chemical plant of the Union Carbide Company, which merged with Olympic sponsor Dow Chemical in 2001.

He was also wearing a pair of shoes and a backpack from Olympic sponsors Adidas.

Slideshow: Olympic Emotional Moments

Click for more from the 2012 summer games in London.

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“I’m just wearing these shoes out because I have nothing else left,” he explained to NBCNews.com. “I know I’m part of the problem for buying the products but the bigger issue here, which is much more important, is that the Olympics has been taken over by unethical corporate sponsors despite the fact that they only contribute five per cent of the cost of the Games.”

Among the others taking part was Dana Wojokh, from New Jersey, who was highlighting the plight of Circassians -- a Caucasian and Middle-Eastern mountain tribe that was the victim of genocide by imperial Russia at the end of the 19th century centered on Sochi, where Russia intends to host the 2014 Winter Olympics.

“This is our chance to tell the world what happened to Circassians -- oppression that is still happening, for example in Syria,” she said.

Slideshow: When the Olympics is your neighbor

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A diverse community in East London will welcome the world to Britain for the 2012 Olympic Games. Meet residents and hear how they feel about having a huge, world stage in their backyard.

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A spokesman for the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games told BBC News: “The Olympic Games is the biggest event in the world, and big events have always been a magnet for protests of all shapes and sizes; we have planned for this.

"We implore any protesters to consider the impact of any action on the athletes, most of whom have spent half their lives preparing for London 2012.

"We are a sport-loving nation, and ruining sporting events is not the way anyone wants London 2012 to be remembered."

More London 2012 coverage:

• UK military asked to cover 3,500 Olympic security worker shortfall
• Olympics hurdle: US athletes' bus driver gets lost in London
• Inside Olympic Village: World's top athletes share college dorm-style rooms
• London's 'East End': From haven for gangsters to Olympic showcase
• Terror suspect's eye color? Flying cameras to spy during Games
• Gigantic welcome for London Olympic attendees
• Venues for the London 2012 Olympic Games
• Bad neighbors for Team USA? Occupy camp faces ax
• VIDEO: Olympic torchbearer proposes mid-relay
• Brits revel in gloom ahead of Games, but don't believe the gripe
• Olympic housing crunch: Landlords evict tenants to gouge tourists
• At London Olympics, dogs have sniffed out key anti-terror role
• Slideshow: When the Olympics is your neighbor
• Go behind the scenes with our 'TODAY in London' blog
  

Jim Seida / NBC News

Olympic Stadium can be seen in the background as partygoers watch the opening ceremonies on a massive LCD screen in East London.

Updated at 8:45 p.m. ET: STRATFORD, East London – For billions of people watching around the world, Friday night’s 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony signaled the start of two weeks of sporting excitement.

But for nearby residents just outside the main Olympic Park — within earshot of the spectacular show, but separated by 11 miles of electric fence — the celebrations also marked the end of seven years of planning and redevelopment which has transformed the local area and made an impact on many lives.

Tens of thousands gathered in parks to watch the ceremony on giant screens, or hosted parties in apartments and backyards in the shadow of the stadium. Cheers erupted when British cycling hero Bradley Wiggins rang the bell to begin the display.

“For people living in this area, the Olympics isn’t just about these two weeks — they’ve been living with the anticipation and excitement for years — as well as the noise and disruption,” said Stephen McVeigh, deputy head of residential property at Genesis Housing, whose 700-home development includes a 43-story tower, Stratford Halo, under construction yards from the Games.

Brits rally around Games after Romney's Olympic gaffe

“It is incredible, but also a bit strange, to be so close to the excitement and the action, yet still watching on television.”

As McVeigh spoke to NBC News, the Royal Air Force display team — the Red Arrows — roared overhead, coating the urban skyline in red, white and blue trails that drew a huge cheer from nearby streets.

Although the tower is unfinished, workers and corporate guests gathered on the 38th floor from where the view included a section inside the stadium.

Jim Seida / NBC News

Workers and corporate guests watch the opening ceremonies from the 38th floor of Stratford Halo, a 43 story-housing tower still under development in Stratford, London, only a mile from Olympic Park.

Across the River Lea, southwest of the stadium in an industrial zone that has witnessed decades of decline, one local furniture factory decided to make the most of the event by clearing its workspace and yard and converting them into a giant temporary nightclub and bar complex called Fringe 2012.

Jim Seida / NBC News

A bartender pours a customer a glass of wine at one of the many bars in Fringe 2012, a factory turned nightclub just for the Games, on Friday in East London.

Inside, with the music from the ceremony drifting across the river, revelers who had paid up to 25 pounds ($39) cheered their favorite points in the ceremony — including the appearance of live cows and comic actor Rowan Atkinson (best known in America as Mr. Bean) — and joined the stadium crowd in singing the National Anthem, "God Save The Queen."

When the Olympics and politics collide: Is neutrality just a 'fairy tale'?

“We decided this was a better business plan so we applied for a (liquor) license and put a giant screen and turned it into a place for people to feel part of the Olympic experience even if they couldn’t be in the ceremony or get tickets for the events," said Steve Black, whose family has made sofas on the site for generations.

Jim Seida / NBC News

Partygoers watch the opening ceremonies on a massive LCD screen at Fringe 2012.

“Hopefully this will change the area for good — this all used to be factories but soon it will be bars, restaurants, galleries," he said. "It’s a celebration for the area as much as for the opening of the Olympic Games.”

London's 'East End': From haven for gangsters to Olympic showcase

Thousands packed into Victoria Park, about two miles west of the stadium, to watch the ceremony on big screens.

There was an ironic cheer when it began to rain, but the best reaction of the night came when a comedy skit depicted The Queen alongside James Bond actor Daniel Craig.

A major part of the show was an homage to the U.K.’s National Health Service, with nurses dancing and hospital beds arranged to spell out NHS and GOSH, for Great Ormond Street Hospital.

There was applause as performers, many of whom work for the NHS, passed through Stratford subway station still dressed in their stylized uniforms.

Christalene Alaart, originally from South Africa but now living in London and working at the NHS Royal Free Hospital, told NBC News that it had been “quite exciting, knowing there’s 3 billion people whose eyes would be on us, and 80,000 in the stadium.”

She added that her mother had been to see a rehearsal. “She was in tears, overwhelmed with what she saw, also that fact she was there and part of it,” Alaart said.

New Zealander Carina Burgess, 26, an NHS pharmacist in London, said it was “pretty cool to be given that much credit, for a whole segment to be dedicated to the NHS.”

And Annmarie Badchkam, 36, a midwife at London’s Homerton Hospital, said “it was definitely amazing ... thanks to Danny Boyle, it was an amazing experience.”

Dikaia Chatziefstathiou, an academic and expert on the Olympics at Canterbury Christ Church University in England, was among the dancers for part of the show featuring music from the 1980s and 1990s.

“It was extraordinary experience,” she said. “I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming or actually part of it.”

She said she regarded herself as a “critical friend” of the Olympics but said taking part in the ceremony had reminded her that the Games was a “big festival … a great festival.”

Professional opera singer Elinor Jane Moran, 31, from London, was among those dancing to current British hip hop music in the show – something she’d never done before and learned during the rehearsals.

She enthusiastically related how she had shaken hands with U.K. hip hop star Dizzee Rascal as he came on stage in an unscripted moment.

“I thought it was extraordinary,” she said of the show, “particularly the Industrial Revolution section and also the nurses were just wonderful.”

“The energy, the passion, was just extraordinary, I thought,” Moran added. “We’re very proud of it, very, very proud of it.”

Spectators were sporting flags from all over the world, from Australia to Brazil, Japan to Canada.

Yulia Semakima, 25, from Omsk, in Russia, who is studying law in London, was among those caught up in the mood of the moment.

“I’m not a big fan (of the Olympics), but now I feel like I’m becoming more and more enthusiastic about it,” she said, dressed in a Russia shirt and cap.

“I think we will be third (in the medal table) after China and then the U.S. I hope we can beat France and Germany,” she added.

Referring to a considerable amount of typically British moaning in the months ahead of the Games, she could not understand why Londoners did not seem “really to be impressed with this.”

One Briton who was definitely enjoying the Games was Lucy Chisholm, 44, from Twickenham, London, who was wearing British flags in her hair, on her T-shirt and had one painted on her cheek.

“I feel very patriotic at the moment. With everything that’s been going on in Britain, it’s been fantastic. We’ve had the (Queen’s) Jubilee and that really brought people together,” she said.

Chisholm said she hoped anyone who had complained about the Olympics “haven’t got tickets,” adding, “We’ve had so much moaning, but that’s what Britons do, isn’t it. Everybody should get together and embrace it.”

Jamaica supporter Richard Woodburn, 32, from London’s East End, was wearing a Jamaica sports shirt and proudly showed a picture on his cellphone of his house bedecked with Jamaican flags.

“They (Jamaica) are going to clean up in the athletics — 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 400 meters relay, men and women,” he said.

“The Games are here — just enjoy it. There’s so many people enjoying it,” he said gesturing to the crowd of thousands around him. “Just run with it.”

Mark Townsend, 46, who was born in Britain, grew up in Canada and whose wife Mariko is from Japan, was similarly upbeat, saying he hoped the Games slogan of “Inspire a Generation” would come true for his children, age 11 and 5.

“My 11-year-old daughter is going to play (soccer) for Canada, Japan or Britain,” he said.

Paul Meikle, a cub scout leader from Castle Rock, Northern Ireland, with a group of more than 40 cub scouts, explorers and adults, said the beginning of the Opening Ceremony was “really, really good” and “well put together.”

He welcomed the decision to start the ceremony with songs from the four parts of the United Kingdom — England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales — saying it was “inclusive of everyone.”

“It’s really, really exciting to be here,” Meikle said. “We’ve come across to spend the first couple of days of the events here.”

He said the scouts planned to watch the cycling road race Saturday, with Britain’s Mark Cavendish among the favorites to win.

At Forman’s Smokehouse, a family-run fish processing company that was forced to relocate to make way for the Olympic Park, managers transformed the forecourt into a spectacular temporary beach-themed bar complete with beach volleyball court, palm trees and champagne counter.

Jim Seida / NBC News

Anna Celeste Walters, left, has a toast with her friends Amy Loudon, center, and Alex Sinclair. They were three of about a thousand people who celebrated the opening ceremonies at Forman's Smokehouse, a family-run fish processing company in East London.

When Sir Paul McCartney performed "Hey Jude," the crowd mirrored those inside the stadium by singing along with their hands in the air.

“London is so buzzing at the moment, and the atmosphere here is incredible,” said Amy Loudon, 25, who traveled across London with her friends Anna Celeste Walters and Alex Sinclair to party nearer the Olympic site. “People seem to be in a much better mood now, after all the moaning.”

Gary Bott, 31, a construction worker, traveled two hours from the city of Cambridge in order to celebrate in London. He was unable to get into the public screening at Victoria Park because it was too crowded.

“It’s much better to be closer to the action, even if we’re watching on a screen,” he said. “There ceremony made us really proud to be British.”

Paco Lima, a 35-year-old soldier from Mexico, was also soaking up the atmosphere at Forman’s — and cheering on his country when Mexican athletes joined the parade.

“The ceremony was great — like a Hollywood production,” he said.

Among those performing in the spectacular show was dance student Jack Ludwig, 22. He told NBC News before the ceremony began: “I don’t think I’ll ever get to do anything like this in my lifetime again, so to be part of it is incredible.

“During rehearsals I was looking up at various spots in the crowd and thinking ‘that’s where the Queen will be sitting, that’s where all the world leaders will be.'”

NBC News' Jim Seida contributed to this report.

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Olivia Harris / Reuters, file

Muslims attend Friday prayers in Spitalfields, East London, on February 10, 2012. The area, which is near the Olympic Park, was settled by Bengali migrants in the 1970s and 1980s after Bangladesh's war of independence from Pakistan.

LONDON - Visitors and athletes are being warned of "traffic chaos" near the main Olympic Park because the Games coincide with Ramadan, the Islamic holy month that draws thousands of extra worshippers to nearby mosques.

Local politician Abdal Ullah said extra traffic caused by large attendances at nightly prayers during Ramadan could disrupt those using key Olympic road links between central London and the main Games site in Stratford, about four miles to the east.

"The areas all around the mosques get very busy around prayer time during Ramadan, and there is often traffic chaos on nearby roads and it will be busier on the Underground [London's subway system]," he told NBCNews.com.  "Although the prayers are in the late evening, many people will stay on at the Olympic Park after events and will be traveling through East London late in the day and might not be expecting it to be congested, which is a big concern."

Slideshow: When the Olympics is your neighbor

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A diverse community in East London will welcome the world to Britain for the 2012 Olympic Games. Meet residents and hear how they feel about having a huge, world stage in their backyard.

Launch slideshow

Ramadan began at 3:17 a.m. local time Friday. 

Muslims abstain from food and drink from dawn to dusk during the 30-day period, which lasts until after the closing ceremony.

Astronomers, scholars debate start of Ramadan

The area around the Games site is home to more than 250,000 Muslims and almost 100 mosques. In the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which has a large Bangladeshi and Somali community and the largest Muslim population of any U.K. district, Islam is the prevalent religion in many neighborhoods.

The biggest local mosque, the East London Mosque in Whitechapel, which sits on the main route linking central London to Stratford, says it attracts around 5,000 additional worshippers every night throughout Ramadan.

The Summer Olympics hasn't clashed with Ramadan since the 1980 Games in Moscow.

According to Abu Dhabi's The National newspaper, more than 3,000 Muslim athletes will compete in the London Olympics, but many will not fast -- a decision that has been sanctioned by religious authorities. 

Ullah, whose St Dunstan’s and Stepney Green ward includes Mile End Stadium, the training base for Team USA track and field athletes, said local mosques were ready to welcome extra visitors, including competitors. "We want to show Britain’s Bangladeshi community in the best possible light," he said.

The East London Mosque said it expects to reach its peak capacity of 5,000 on some nights during the two-hour time frame for evening prayers.

Mark Evers, director of Olympic Games transport at city transit authority Transport for London (TfL) said: "TfL has worked with more than 20,000 companies of all types and sizes, including faith organizations, across London, to help them prepare for Games-time travel. We will continue to offer advice and guidance as required to help businesses understand the temporary changes on the road network and plan ahead to minimize how they will be affected."

More London 2012 coverage:

• UK military asked to cover 3,500 Olympic security worker shortfall
• Olympics hurdle: US athletes' bus driver gets lost in London
• Inside Olympic Village: World's top athletes share college dorm-style rooms
• London's 'East End': From haven for gangsters to Olympic showcase
• Terror suspect's eye color? Flying cameras to spy during Games
• Gigantic welcome for London Olympic attendees
• Venues for the London 2012 Olympic Games
• Bad neighbors for Team USA? Occupy camp faces ax
• VIDEO: Olympic torchbearer proposes mid-relay
• Brits revel in gloom ahead of Games, but don't believe the gripe
• At London Olympics, dogs have sniffed out key anti-terror role
• Slideshow: When the Olympics is your neighbor
• Go behind the scenes with our 'TODAY in London' blog
  

Updated at 11:10 a.m. ET: LONDON - Olympic athletes, including some from Team USA, had a bad start to the London Games Monday after bus drivers taking them to the competitors’ village in east London got lost.

Kerron Clement, US 400m hurdler and Beijing silver medallist, claimed he spent four hours on a bus after the driver got lost after collecting them from Heathrow airport.

He posted on Twitter:  “Um, so we've been lost on the road for 4hrs. Not a good first impression London. Athletes are sleepy, hungry and need to pee. Could we get to the Olympic Village please.”

Meanwhile, members of Australian contingent of 30 officials and medical staff had to use their iPhones to direct their bus driver after he also became lost.

One of the officials, Damian Kelly, told the Daily Telegraph: "It would have been a great tourist trip if that is what you are here for. “

He said the driver was unable to work the onboard GPS navigation system.

Follow the 8,000-mile torch relay around the UK

“One of the doctors on board got [the GPS system] working for him, but then the Olympic Village hadn't been loaded into the system and everyone was trying to find the name of the street that the village was in.

“In the end another physio got out his iPhone and gave directors to the bus driver via his phone."

Peter MacDiarmid / Getty Images

Members of the Cuban Olympic weightlifting team arrive at Heathrow airport on Monday.

They were among the first of more than 10,000 athletes and officials due to arrive in Britain this week. Monday was already expected to be the busiest day in the history of London's Heathrow airport, and it was the first major challenge for the road system as the first of several dedicated Olympics traffic lanes also came into operation.

Speaking about the lost buses, London Mayor Boris Johnson quipped: "Clearly they would have had even more of an opportunity to see even more of the city than they might otherwise have done."

Troops everywhere, long lines and moans: A very British Olympic Games

The Daily Telegraph reported that Hugh Robertson, Britain's sports and Olympics minister, apologized to those athletes caught up in the transport problems. He said: "If people have been on buses that have got lost then it is of course regrettable. I am extremely sorry, and clearly the drivers need to know where they are going."

The Games are due to begin in 11 days' time, on Friday, July 27.

More than 500 Heathrow and Locog volunteers, speaking more than 20 languages between them, were welcoming groups of Olympic athletes and officials from their planes at Heathrow.

Approximately 15 percent of baggage on peak days will be large pieces of sporting equipment such as canoes, pole vaults, bikes and javelins and around 1,000 guns and associated ammunition will be arriving with competitors over the coming days.

Read the full story at ITV News

Influx under way
Officials said 236,955 passengers (121,239 arrivals and 115,716 departures) were expected to pass through the airport Monday, compared to 190,000 on an average day. The largest number of arriving athletes is expected on July 24.

Slideshow: Venues for 2012 London Olympic Games

Oda / Getty Images

From Wimbledon to Wembley Stadium to The Dome, a look at the venues for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Launch slideshow

Approximately 15 percent of baggage on peak days will be large pieces of sporting equipment such as canoes, pole vaults, bikes and javelins and around 1,000 guns and associated ammunition will be arriving with competitors over the coming days.

Dean Brenner, director of the U.S. Olympic sailing team, earlier told ITV News at Heathrow: "We're feeling great, it's great to be in London.

"Obviously we've been working a while for this and now it's time for the big test and we are looking forward to getting to [the sailing team base at] Weymouth for a couple more week of training and getting on with the Games."

The London 2012 Athletes' Village also officially opens Monday with British athletes competing in diving, equestrian, soccer, shooting and swimming expected to be the first to enter.

ITV News is the UK partner of NBC News.

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Updated at 2 p.m. ET: LONDON — Britain's military was asked to provide an 3,500 extra personnel for the Olympic Games with only 16 days to go before the opening ceremony, government sources told NBC News on Wednesday.

Private security contractor G4S conceded it may not be able to supply the numbers of guards — made up of certified security workers and temporary recruits — it had originally agreed.

A company statement said: "We have encountered some issues in relation to workforce supply and scheduling over the last couple of weeks, but are resolving these every day and remain committed to providing a security workforce for the start of the London 2012 Games.

"Our planning with [The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games] and other security agencies allows for a variety of contingencies which have been reviewed in the build-up to the Games. We accept that the Government has decided to overlay additional resources," the statement added.

It would be potentially a major embarrassment for Olympic organizers who have insisted plans are in place to ensure the games is safe.

Matt Dunham / AP

In this May 3, 2012 file photo, Sergeant Craig from Britain's Royal Artillery regiment holds a high-velocity missile, or HVM, lightweight multiple launcher during a media event ahead of a training exercise designed to test military procedures prior to the Olympic period in Blackheath, London.

G4S has a contract reportedly worth almost $460 million to provide the personnel, many of whom are still being trained.

The military had previously been asked to provide a total of about 13,000 personnel, including up to 7,500 for civilian security at games venues. The remainder will be involved in military operations linked to games security.

UK detains terror suspect who traveled close to London's Olympic Park

Sources told NBC News that some of the extra 3,500 will come from a contingency of 1,000 soldiers on standby for Olympic emergencies.

The news follows reports last month of serious concerns within the Home Office -- an equivalent to the Department of Homeland Security -- that G4S would be unable to meet its obligations for the Olympics.

In June, ITV News reported concerns at the effectiveness of security provided by G4S staff under training for the Olympics.

Simon Israel, the Home Affairs Correspondent for Channel 4 News, posted on Twitter that G4S would be fined $77,000 for each day it failed to provide the agreed number of personnel.

It is the largest British security operation carried out in peacetime.

Thousands of new recruits are being trained to operate x-ray machines, search vehicles and stand guard at Olympic venues across the country.

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Such is the scale of the operation; the training will continue right up until a few days before the opening ceremony.

More than 100,000 people applied for the 10,400 temporary jobs in what G4S had described as one of the biggest paid recruitment drives in Britain this century. Last week, Ian Horseman Sewell, managing director of G4S Global Events, told Reuters in an interview that the company was "absolutely on track to deliver". 

The issue of security is a particularly relevant one to Olympics organizers. The decision to award the Olympics to London was announced on July 6, 2005. Just a day later, London suffered its worst peacetime attack when four suicide bombers killed 52 commuters.

Msnbc.com's Alastair Jamieson and Reuters contributed to this report. This story was first published by ITV News, the UK partner of NBC News.

More London 2012 coverage:

• Disabled visitors face high hurdles to London Olympics
• Terror suspect's eye color? Flying cameras to spy during Games
• Londoners express hopes, frustrations as Olympics come to town
• Flagship McDonalds in Olympic Park becomes super-sized
• Olympic torchbearers race to cash in
• Will world's most expensive cable car be ready for Olympics?
• Now towering over London: 'The Godzilla of public art'
• Venues for the London 2012 Olympic Games
• Bad neighbors for Team USA? Occupy camp faces ax
• VIDEO: Olympic torchbearer proposes mid-relay
• Brits revel in gloom ahead of Games, but don't believe the gripe
• Olympic housing crunch: Landlords evict tenants to gouge tourists
• At London Olympics, dogs have sniffed out key anti-terror role
• Slideshow: When the Olympics is your neighbor
• Go behind the scenes with our 'TODAY in London' blog