London - the beating heart of our great nation

abankerbutnotafatcat

Manchester is actually a vibrant, cosmopolitan city which has made a cultural contribution disproportionately high for its size. It probably deserves a higher profile on the Euro cities/weekend destinations scene than it gets given that it probably has far more going on than several Euro capitals. It's difficult for us Brits to see that though as we're too close. All my opinion, of course.

London is a great city too. I've no doubt it doesn't have the same buzz as in the '60s but then that was a one-off.

StevieJ

Generali wrote: »

Also probably because London is an amazing and major international city whereas Manchester is a regional city with little, if any, international significance.

Manchester has about the same population as Achalpur in India and rather less than Adilabad. Mancunians should be aware that their home town is about that important.

Except where it matters
http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/matchday/league-table.html

StevieJ

Jennifer_Jane wrote: »

Thanks, I should have been more specific. I meant by rail primarily eg Eurostar, and after that by coach or car. When I fly, I usually use Manchester airport or East Midlands, which is further away but a nicer (smaller of course) airport.

Thanks for the reply though.

There is RO-RO at Hull, you don't have to go south of Yorkshire

A._Badger

Yes, London really is a wonderful place. That's exactly what I was thinking at King's Cross a couple of weeks ago as I watched the just-out-of-their-teens cops strolling around, clutching their Heckler and Koch sub-machine guns.

It's the same sense of wonder that finally drove me out of the capital when the drug-related shootings in South London got too frequently within earshot.

ILW

A._Badger wrote: »

Yes, London really is a wonderful place. That's exactly what I was thinking at King's Cross a couple of weeks ago as I watched the just-out-of-their-teens cops strolling around, clutching their Heckler and Koch sub-machine guns.

It's the same sense of wonder that finally drove me out of the capital when the drug-related shootings in South London got too frequently within earshot.

Lived in South London all my life and to my knowledge never saw or heard a shooting. Think it's all a bit over hyped.

Moby

ILW wrote: »

Lived in South London all my life and to my knowledge never saw or heard a shooting. Think it's all a bit over hyped.

Yes but you probably don't depend on the Daily Mail for your world view!

chewmylegoff

Another 'rugged toast doesn't like London' thread. How original and relevant.

A._Badger

ILW wrote: »

Lived in South London all my life and to my knowledge never saw or heard a shooting. Think it's all a bit over hyped.

Then either you suffer from a hearing problem or I was very unlucky. Judging by the number of witness appeal signs in the streets the day after a shooting, I'd put the rate at one every other week during some periods.

The day the local greengrocer was hustled to the back of her store by armed police anticipating a shoot-out was pretty much the turning point for me. For her too, I gather. Though the drug dealer who received two in the hat, just a street away, also concentrated the mind wonderfully.

A._Badger

Moby wrote: »

Yes but you probably don't depend on the Daily Mail for your world view!

And you feel morally superior for stuffing your ears with shredded pages from the Guardian?

kabayiri

Why do we conflate 2 things : "a city to work in" and "a city to live in".

If we had excellent and cheap public transport, more people would not feel forced to live in or close to the capital city, even if their livelihood depended on working there.

The London I know best is a working town. I go there to work; I do my work; and then I come home. It's exactly the same way I view Manchester.

I don't have to care for either place.