The party ended last weekend leaving some Olympic enthusiasts to deal with the letdown?no more competitions, no more pins, no more crowded city streets.

But for others the departure brought relief.

For the U community, the Olympic aftermath is a mixed bag of blessings and shortfalls. The Games hastened the building of Rice Eccles Stadium and the development of Fort Douglas into residential facility fit for world-class athletes?not to mention a chance at the international spotlight.

But 17 days of partying has also left the University Hospital and many businesses near campus with a hangover.

For the hospital, it’s a $3.9 million hangover, primarily induced by a sharp drop in outpatient admissions and elective surgeries. (See story on page 1.) Elective care could be done early?an increase in procedures during January indicates that some patients may have opted to do so. Or they could go elsewhere, to less onerously located facilities.

Perhaps in the face of the Olympic-induced parking crunch, the anti-driving message posted around the U campus and the Salt Lake Valley in general may have worked a little too well. Fears of gridlock and security checks/threats seem to have kept patients who had the option away. The number of emergency visits dropped only slightly.

With hope many of the patients who did not check in during February were simply waiting for March and clearer roads.

Local businesses, too, fell victim to Olympic hype, but their pitfall lay on the other end of the spectrum: They set their expectations too high.

Along 1300 East and 200 South, tables at local restaurants remained empty. Even a recommendation by The New York Times failed to draw visitors to Brumby’s Bistro. The Pie Delivery hired extra people for the break, but did not have enough work for them. The U community was either gone or in hiding and U catering businesses felt it.

These restaurants’ predicament mirrors that of some downtown businesses, particularly clubs, which expected but did not get the Olympic boon. (See story on page R6.)

There’s no doubt visitors and their money came to Salt Lake City, they simply gravitated to other places.