I've been down to London this morning....

twadge_face

FTBFun wrote: »

Interestingly I thought this too for a while - but now i've been living in the south for over 6 months there's very little difference in my life. No tube though but I can live with that.

I don't really live in the north. Punch of salt innit.

South is bestest by miles. Tube is overrated.

Has my name !!!!!_face been censored?

Edit: OMFG! It has. :-/ ...am NOT happy.

movilogo

Then I approached what can only be described as the most depressing set of flats I've ever seen

Londoners wonder how people can work for such depressingly low salaries in rest of the country

Don't assume everyone wants to live in a big house with garage in country side. There are lots of wealthy foreigners in London and they have very different attitude to life.

How do you feel if I say you "I can't understand how people can live in Wales/Cornwall where the jobs only pay peanuts?".

Life is a choice and everyone decides where to compromise.

twadge_face

movilogo wrote: »

Londoners wonder how people can work for such depressingly low salaries in rest of the country

And it's not just money. Of course it's not. There's family and lifestyle to consider. Life is complicated and we all just try to make the best of it.

How do you feel if I say you "I can't understand how people can live in Wales/Cornwall where the jobs only pay peanuts?".

Sounds grossly inappropriate. It demeans a person's entire mode of living! I don't think I know any friends who would be so rude... but some of my colleagues are a different story. ;-)

Life is a choice and everyone decides where to compromise.

Hey, it's a cliche but "you can't have it all"!

IronWolf

I'm moving to London in a couple of weeks. The rent gave me a heart attack (£325 a week in pimlico), but hopefully the fact theres so much to do will make up for it!

twadge_face

IronWolf wrote: »

I'm moving to London in a couple of weeks. The rent gave me a heart attack (£325 a week in pimlico), but hopefully the fact theres so much to do will make up for it!

Good luck! I originally read that rent as month, not week. Cripes!

I think it's quite common for people to start out relatively central when they move to London, but then as they settle they feel a bit more confident in moving further out and commute a bit further. Horses for courses though.

That said, I had a mate who was paying £1000 a month for a room in Soho and he'd done the commuting thing and decided he HAD to be in the heart of it.

Fortunately there is a ton of free stuff to get onto, art, museums, and so on... and I've just learned that the ICA cinema is free and would be near you (i.e. walkable; it's in Victoria): http://londonnet.com/cinema/icacinema.html

Generally I find the London Net site quite useful for all sorts actually... or you could get Time Out. Yeah, I do like London.

Jowo_2

Out,_Vile_Jelly wrote: »

Many people's only taste of London is wandering round Leicester Square and a few assorted museums with all the other tourists.

I agree. My favourite walking route is London Bridge to Trafalgar Square, costing no more than a sticky bun and coffee from Paul or a lovely snack in Borough market.

Visit Tate modern, watch the buskers in Covent Garden, hear some music in Embankment gardens, catch an exhibition in the Portrait gallery.

Another nice stroll is westwards along the Thames from Putney Bridge.

London for free is much more enjoyable than paying for some kind of 'experience'.

Conrad

My mate and I regail each other with our latest woe tale of a business trip to London. It was a bit of fun for clubbing when I was younger but now I litteraly can see no appeal whatsoever. All the fuss over bars, restaurants and museums. I much prefer the atmosphere of living in a green and quiet natural area, the evocative smell of leaf mould and wood smoke, the stagger to the country pub in the dark with neighbours, the cosy warm feel of the whole rural thang.

Went to London recently with the family, and honestly we could not wait to escape and managed to get home by about 7pm, which gave us all a real thrill as we stepped out into the fresh clean quiet.

I guess I just hate the feel of being hemmed in on transport, unable to move as I wish, noise everywhere, lack of natural beauty - it just all feels totaly alien to me.

twadge_face

Conrad wrote: »

My mate and I regail each other with our latest woe tale of a business trip to London. It was a bit of fun for clubbing when I was younger but now I litteraly can see no appeal whatsoever. All the fuss over bars, restaurants and museums. I much prefer the atmosphere of living in a green and quiet natural area, the evocative smell of leaf mould and wood smoke, the stagger to the country pub in the dark with neighbours, the cosy warm feel of the whole rural thang.

Went to London recently with the family, and honestly we could not wait to escape and managed to get home by about 7pm, which gave us all a real thrill as we stepped out into the fresh clean quiet.

I guess I just hate the feel of being hemmed in on transport, unable to move as I wish, noise everywhere, lack of natural beauty - it just all feels totaly alien to me.

I live in a green leafy area in London with fresh air. Sure, it's not everywhere, but they do exist.

Also I rarely get the "hemmed in transport" unless I need to get into Central London during rush hour. Which isn't even on a monthly basis.

Comes down to what you make of it. Equally, your description of the countryside is nicely evocative.

But I like the choice that you get in London... in a small village or town, that choice is sorely diminished. That pretty country pub, for example, is probably one of just handful (if that). I suppose the flipside for you is the close-knittedness. Horses for courses innit.

lostinrates

Out,_Vile_Jelly wrote: »

I'd say there was more of an east/west divide rather than north/south. SW London is lovely.

This but also a north/south divide. Moving to NW3 was a whole different world from SW3/7 ....both of course lovely.

ninky_2

i love london. although i'm working towards a plan where me and OH do six months of london living (on contract) and then six months overseas in our continental idyll by the sea (plot is bought, house needs building). here i plan to get a truly refreshing fix of nature complete with guaranteed good weather. variety is the spice of life and all that.

i've particularly been enjoying london life since the invention of the iphone. this makes my commute a thing to look forward to rather than an ordeal - now i have time to catch up on the news, reading, listening to music, podcasts etc.

agreed a lot of houses are a bit crap. but this is the case across the uk not just london. i seriously wonder if the victorian housing stock with ageing failing drains and shallow foundations is coming to the end of its useful life.

london is great. i have lived and worked in many parts of the city and each has its own character and points of interest.

i lived in a village as a teen and the realities of village pubs, lives and farmers hold few romantic notions for me.