credit: NYC2012 via SI’s Luke Winn
London, take a bow. You’ve done well. You laughed off Mitt Romney’s doom and gloom. You brandished that legendary stiff upper lip at the stories about a lack of security. You braved all the predictable complaints from cab drivers and lorry operators. You pulled it off handsomely.
In a parallel universe, the 2012 Olympics took place in New York City.
The NYC2012 campaign, now merely an historic footnote, nearly succeeded in bringing the Games of the XXX Olympiad to the big five boroughs. The city would have been aligned along “The Olympic X,” a mass transit-reliant axis that would have set the Olympic Village at the heart of the games in Long Island City across from the United Nations.
Sports Illustrated’s Luke Winn, whose can’t-miss Olympics blog has been a tremendous complement to the action, offered us a look at what could have been in the Big Apple. In his latest post, “New York, This Is What You Missed,” Winn enlists Scott Schiamberg, senior architect on New York’s bid, to show us some of the highlights of NYC’s Sliding Doors 2012 Olympics.
The beach volleyball facility was officially proposed at the Williamsburg Waterfront (buh bye, Smorgasburg!). The drawing above could never work because of boat-only transpo, but floating barges at the Statue of Liberty would have been quite a sight, right?
Here’s a sample, but go read Winn’s post for explanations and more pics.
SEE ALSO:
• German Weight Lifter Looks a Lot Like a Certain Meme
• Tomás González: The Man Behind the Mustache Rides
• Of Course Michael Phelps Peed in the Olympic Swimming Pool
Harlem’s Olympic Velodrome? Rowing at Corona Park’s manmade Meadow and Willow Lakes? Shooting in Pelham Bay Park? Check out what else could have been in New York City at Winn’s SI blog.
(And, hey, all our NBC tape delay groaning would have been eliminated.)
SEE ALSO:
• A List of Every London Olympics–Inspired Google Doodle
• Tom Daley Is Now Openly Taunting His Legion of Gay Fans
• Usain Bolt Halts Interview to Pay Respect to USA National Anthem
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