London Baby!!!

Skinto_7

maurice28 wrote: »

I think fair play to them for going to London and enjoying six or seven years there, and fair play to the ones who will probably stay there. But I do agree that it is annoying when they seem to think staying up north is narrow minded, rather than the conscious life decision it is!

Totally agree with your entire post Maurice.

I dont think there is a right or wrong thing to do, its whatever make you happy, but as you say its the attitude that is brought back that grates.

Im late 20's, have a nice detached house, 2 cars, and enjoy holidays every year aswell as a good social life within, what i consider to be a cosmipolitan city, and it does get annoying when purely based on a location, that my mate thinks he can feel pity or look down his nose at it.

In saying that i dont think what i have is any better than someone who has maybe sacrificed a bigger house or nice car to enjoy living in London and all that goes with it. I wouldnt look down my nose at them so dont expect them to either!!

Person_one

maurice28 wrote: »

Myself and my group of friends from school are all now 28/29 and we grew up in a large village/small town just outside Manchester. Out of eight of us, five have moved down to London either straight after uni or in the subsequent years.

I think a few of them have the same attitude as your friend. They come home and are like 'oh I could never move back up here now' and I do get the impression they think it small minded of the few of us that have stayed here. I personally stayed round here because after travelling and doing other things, I still found I loved Manchester. The village I grew up in offered beautiful surroundings while only being a 30 minute train ride from the city centre, where many jobs could be found. I didn't see the point of moving for the sake of it.

The few that have 'changed' go out in Manchester and often say things like 'I had no idea you had that lager up here!' or 'I thought that restaurant chain was only in London!'

I do feel like pointing out that Manchester is England's second city (no offence to Birmingham!) and that we even have electricity and running water nowadays! Oh, and if another London resident tells me I haven't lived until I've had a Byron burger I'll scream.

The fact is though, I do see a pattern. The majority of my friends who moved to London are now getting sick of it as they near 30. They have met partners and are thinking about settling down, buying a house, having kids. They know they can't really do those things in London and so are looking to move back up north. And they are envious of those of us who have stayed up north and now own houses and cars and things they don't.

I think fair play to them for going to London and enjoying six or seven years there, and fair play to the ones who will probably stay there. But I do agree that it is annoying when they seem to think staying up north is narrow minded, rather than the conscious life decision it is!

I think there's a Byron burger on Deansgate now.

I'm also wondering if I might know you...

tillyenna

Have you considered that your friend might be jealous - if he's got peers his own age, who can afford to buy family sized homes, because they live in Glasgow, and he can't afford even to buy his own flat - so he justifies it to himself by telling you all how much London is better. He might not be able to get a job back home, or have other reasons why living in London is necessary. I know this, because I live in Bath (where the rent is almost as steep as London) and am incredibly envious of all of my friends who live elsewhere in the country and either rent houses, or have managed to buy their own house - but I choose to live in Bath in a tiny shoebox, because I love the city so much - so I guess I do go on a bit about how lovely it is, to justify my decision to live in a tiny flat.

hazyjo

I just basically think people are defensive.

My friend did the opposite and went up to Fife then Edinburgh. I get it in reverse (how WONDERFUL Scotland is, how dirty and crowded London is, how the people are so much friendlier up there, how nobody talks to you in London, blah blah.

Honestly, she rarely even went into bloody London. Lived out in leafy Essex/Herts borders - where everyone knew everyone, you played out in the street and didn't worry about crime as such, and you'd say hello to anyone you saw and the streets were clean, etc.

Also had people move outside of London and say pretty much the same thing, how fab it is, how they wish they'd done it sooner, how they don't miss London, (how it's dirty/smelly, dangerous, crime ridden, blah blah, usual spiel...).

Just take the pee and ignore. Each to their own. Horses for courses - and all that malarkey.

Jx

Skinto_7

tillyenna wrote: »

Have you considered that your friend might be jealous - if he's got peers his own age, who can afford to buy family sized homes, because they live in Glasgow, and he can't afford even to buy his own flat - so he justifies it to himself by telling you all how much London is better. He might not be able to get a job back home, or have other reasons why living in London is necessary. I know this, because I live in Bath (where the rent is almost as steep as London) and am incredibly envious of all of my friends who live elsewhere in the country and either rent houses, or have managed to buy their own house - but I choose to live in Bath in a tiny shoebox, because I love the city so much - so I guess I do go on a bit about how lovely it is, to justify my decision to live in a tiny flat.

Thanks Tillyenna,

Maybe you have a point, although my mate is defo going the wrong way about it if thats how he feels.

If it makes you feel any better, Bath is lovely so although your flat might be small Bath is an excellent city:rotfl:

BigAunty

My friends and relatives from down south who have visited me in Glasgow have been positive about the city. If there are aspects that they don't like, I don't think I'd be particularly hurt. I'd live in Glasgow anyday over Croydon where most of my relatives live.

I lived in London for 10 years and hope I didn't shove its positive elements down any of my northern relatives front. Having said that one visitor from Rotherham did seem to think that Brioche and plum jam for breakfast was too exotic to contemplate eating which reminded me of a sketch on the Catherine Tate show where a couple were revulsed upon encountering tempura for the first time.

I love the good arts and music infrastructure here in Glasgow, the great public transport system, parks, restaurants and excellent shopping but I despise the high level of public drunkeness, so I am not immune to criticising it. It also has the highest levels of murder and violence in the UK with some of it exceeding the levels found in some US states and some south american countries.

That said, I escaped from a small commuter town outside London with a chav underbelly to it and I would definately find it suffocating to live there. Also, my closest family live in Yorkshire, they are very positive about the towns they live in and I just simply can't see myself ever living there. For example, I get taken to clubs that are like Phoenix Nights but without the friendly banter and where girls, for some reason, go to the loo with the doors open, yacking to their friends in the cubicle next door or on their mobiles,where the town centres are half boarded up or full of poundshops and betting shops.

So each to their own so long as a visitor doesn't shove their opinions down another persons throat.

duchy

I don't think it's a London attitude ...more a small town boy goes to the big city (any big city) and thinks it makes him better than the people he thinks he "left behind"

Just a bit of an immature twit rather than anything to do with Londoners.

pollyanna24

BigAunty wrote: »

My friends and relatives from down south who have visited me in Glasgow have been positive about the city. If there are aspects that they don't like, I don't think I'd be particularly hurt. I'd live in Glasgow anyday over Croydon where most of my relatives live.

I lived in London for 10 years and hope I didn't shove its positive elements down any of my northern relatives front. Having said that one visitor from Rotherham did seem to think that Brioche and plum jam for breakfast was too exotic to contemplate eating which reminded me of a sketch on the Catherine Tate show where a couple were revulsed upon encountering tempura for the first time.

I love the good arts and music infrastructure here in Glasgow, the great public transport system, parks, restaurants and excellent shopping but I despise the high level of public drunkeness, so I am not immune to criticising it. It also has the highest levels of murder and violence in the UK with some of it exceeding the levels found in some US states and some south american countries.

That said, I escaped from a small commuter town outside London with a chav underbelly to it and I would definately find it suffocating to live there. Also, my closest family live in Yorkshire, they are very positive about the towns they live in and I just simply can't see myself ever living there. For example, I get taken to clubs that are like Phoenix Nights but without the friendly banter and where girls, for some reason, go to the loo with the doors open, yacking to their friends in the cubicle next door or on their mobiles,where the town centres are half boarded up or full of poundshops and betting shops.

So each to their own so long as a visitor doesn't shove their opinions down another persons throat.

Ooh, where? Sounds like where I live!

kwmlondon

He may be missing home and is trying to justify his choice to himself as much as anyone else. If he's sharing with loads of other people with no chance of buying in this city then he may be unsure about his choice. If he really is your mate and you still have loads in common then he'll calm down a bit and get over himself. If not then you've parted ways and there's an end to it, sad but that's life.

toniq

pollyanna24 wrote: »

Ooh, where? Sounds like where I live!

Me too, is this town we speak off near gatwick?

x