Athens
is not what it used to be. It is better. What they have
done to Athens to prepare for the Olympics is turn a city,
known for its faults as much as its assets, into one of
the most walkable, livable, exciting, art, music and entertainment
centers in the world. Maybe you caught a glimpse on television
during the Olympics. By unifying all the antiquities with
parks and pedestrian streets and avenues and tying them
in with the nightlife areas of the Plaka, Psiri and Thission
they have created a model that other cities are sure to
follow. With the new highways that divert traffic from
the downtown they have not only made the city streets
safer and the air cleaner but they have made it easier
to get in and out of town by car, bus or taxi. The Olympic
lanes are being converted into high-occupancy vehicle
lanes. Can bicycle lanes be far behind? The new metro
makes the trip to the airport and the port easier and
opens up new neighborhoods to visitors who used to be
confined to an island downtown surrounding the Acropolis.
The coastal tram means you can get on one of the new air-conditioned
light-rail cars and go to the beach, or shop and have
dinner in the coastal suburbs.
Athens
is no longer a city that it takes awhile to get-to-know
before you actually like it. Athens is entering a second
Golden Age. The museums and galleries have been renovated,
air-conditioned and bigger and better with more opening
every week and the streets are clean. Hotels have all
been renovated and restored, many made accessible to the
disabled. The restaurants, tavernas, cafes, clubs and
bars stay open late and as many who came for the Olympics
discovered, ATHENS ROCKS like no other city on earth.
And if you prefer a quieter Athens, there are parks and
quiet neighborhoods that will suit you too. What this
means is that anytime of the year Athens is entertaining,
whether it is your stop-off on the way to and from the
islands in the summer or if you visit during the 3 other
seasons and use it as your base for daytrips to explore
the Peloponnese and the mainland. Athens has something
for everybody and suddenly the Athenians have good reason
to be proud of their city.
