Athens, Greece ? Something’s missing from the Athens Olympics — the intangible, critical buzz that makes the Summer Games special.

Tens of thousands of seats are empty every day. There’s no grand gathering place for athletes and fans, no pulsating heart of the sprawling scene, and less sheer fun than at any Olympics in the last 20 years.

The main Olympic complex, known as OAKA, is an architectural triumph and a spiritual wasteland, lacking crowds and excitement. The blazing sun offers heat; the emptiness somehow makes it cold.

Stroll a broad walkway in OAKA beneath beautiful white steel arches, bordered by blue reflecting pools and white marble, and you look out on a soothing vista of hills in the distance. In the lowering sun Monday, with Greek music playing on loudspeakers, it’s lovely.

Yet look around and there aren’t many people there to enjoy it, though it’s the peak time for fans to be showing up before the night events.

Greek residents have shown their indifference to the games by staying away in droves. Tourism is down because of worries about terrorism. In truth, though, those who are here are not walking around consumed by fear. It’s peaceful, secure and dull.

Only one spot in OAKA offers any entertainment — the Olympic Rendezvous, sponsored by Samsung. Greek TV celebrity Tonia Fouseki, wearing a mike headset, does her best to draw fans each day, beckoning them to enjoy “amazing shows, magicians, live music, dancers.”

Olympic Rendezvous draws up to 500 fans at times during peak hours, just before and after night events. But with no beer, wine or food in the area, there’s nothing to hold the crowds.

Sydney had Darling Harbor and the rocking scene around the Opera House and the Rocks, where fans and athletes mingled. Atlanta had Centennial Olympic Park, which pushed the borders of crass commercialism, but brought the world together for parties day and night. Barcelona offered the charms of its Ramblas, just a stroll away from the center of the games for the original Dream Team and everyone else.

There’s no “there” here in Athens. The Plaka on the edge of the Acropolis is too far away for the athletes. It’s busy, but no busier than any other summer.

Except for swimming and men’s basketball, where crowds have packed the arena, no big stars, hometown heroes or compelling stories have galvanized the games.

Sponsors have their private parties. The yachts may be lively. But for the average fan and the athletes, the Athens Games so far have been a multibillion-dollar yawn.