If you're not from London what do you think of it?

[Tatooine_legend1]

I'm thinking about going to London for Xmas. What would be good to do at Xmas in London? I've never visited at Xmas time.

 

[knivesnflowers]

seriously thinking of moving there for uni but i've never been ... in general i could take it or leave it, i like my nice tap water and fresh air but it's the only course like it in the country. a friend from college is already down there so i'd probably be living with her and not as lonely! i think private rent on a student loan might make me hate it and i could see myself moving back up straight after graduation tbh.

 

[CosmicCreepers]

I’ve always been fascinated by it because of the fact it’s the capital and there’s so much history and many landmarks there. However last time I went I got onto the Underground alone for the first time and had a panic attack (luckily it wasn’t obvious as mine tend to be internal and I get a really tight chest and wearing a mask didn’t help) but it was my fault for not planning ahead and I’m going back soon for a little weekend break and I can’t wait!

 

[rainbowlemon]

I'm currently in Brighton - whilst I honestly love the beach I'm surprised that travel on the buses is actually more pricer than London (without the resident discount ) and I'm not used to trains only coming every 20 mins. Longest wait so far has been for 40 mins as one was cancelled and the pavements are so much narrower that it's hard to walk in pairs down the majority of them with other people too.

Loads more quirky people here though, which I love and you'd not see so much in London bar Carmden mainly.

London aquarium tickets for an adult are at £22 instead of London's premium price of £27.

People though are so much friendlier- one cashier added a student discount for my sister and gave her a free tote bag without us even asking. Another started chatting with her about the product she had bought. The Macdonald's wasn't manic. In the music shop the ownder also gave us a 10 % discount off the instrument and there were no listed deals instore either. There's definitely something in the water.

 

[ChuckaBuckaBingBong]

Gross, crowded and expensive
I live around 2 hours away and generally avoid going anywhere near London

 

[F the dust.]

Expensive.

 

[Youre a wizard Harry]

I very nearly decided to go to university in London (Queen Mary University of London) but decided on Birmingham in the end.
I love London, my younger sister moved to London, as did a lot of my friends after uni.

 

[wordzalad]

I like visiting but I couldn’t live there long term

very convenient - love how accessible everything is

 

[Phoenix Lazarus]

Your snot turns black after a day there.

Good God!

 

[JoeBloggs]

i’m not from the UK & when I visited London I was so shocked by how much y’all jaywalk just went at it like nobody’s business!

amazing. Guess I never think about it but yeah we do, not illegal here.

London, I hate it. I grew up 10 miles from central London, went to a school inside Greater London so I spend most of my younger years in London as it was free travel. We spent most of our time at a free muesum, along the river or window shopping. Cheap day out.

I now commute in and have for the last 8 years, my uni friends love meeting in London. One moved from Birmingham to here to rent a room for £700/month when she could buy a house up there just because she loves london.

Now I’m older I can think of better things to do with my time that sit on public transport and spend lots of money.

I now live 30 miles away and come the new year won’t need to commute in

I don’t like crowds and people just don’t care here, they shove and push. It also annoys me how late shops open in the morning, because they stay open late most don’t open before 10.

 

[Ab Fab]

I love London and we visit often as we have family there, if I could I would live there

 

[Phoenix Lazarus]

If you get the black snot thing there, wouldn't it be like smoking every day even if you don't touch cigarettes?

 

[chickhicks86]

I've not been since an art trip as a teenager, and even before then had only been through in transit to somewhere else. I've visited more foreign cities properly than our own capital. I do wonder if what I see portrayed on TV is how it really is, seems like a different world to where I live! Even my nearest cities are not overly urban and built up (Westcountry girl).

 

[Purrrrrrr]

Aren't they Londoners by virtue of the fact they live in London? Doesn't having a cosmopolitan citizenship make it a more interesting place?

I never said it didn't I was trying to explain (maybe poorly) why you cannot compare London with the north any more than you can compare London with the South.

i dont know where you lived in London but to say there are no communities is ridiculous. i was born in london but now live in a totally different part of the city. i know my neighbours, we organise projects together to improve our surrounding area. there is very much a sense of community here. as someone else here has said, the diversity of london is what makes it a great place

OK maybe "no community" is wrong but certainly nothing like it was when I was young. I also never said it wasn't a great place.

 

[prozacprincess]

Lived in South West London for 12 years and left in 2008 … never been back since as I bloody hate the place. My husband was born and bred in South East London and he much prefers the quiet life over here.

 

[Dressinggownon]

I grew up in outskirts of London, was always partying and shopping there when I was younger and reckless. Was a fantastic city but in the last 10 years changed massively. My partner lives in Shoreditch and I do enjoy the markets, food and friendly people.

However after moving to South west England 3 years ago I have realised country life is so peaceful. No sirens, extremely welcoming neighbours and no pollution. As someone else mentioned when I come back to London the closer I get, the dirtier the air feels.

London is great for a weekend or two but I would never live there again, I think people are either city dwellers or not. I'm definitely a born again county bumpkin

 

[Heyholetsgo]

Me and my friend went Ice Skating at the tower of London a few years ago that was really nice, and there's a market on the opposite side of the river. Also Greenwich is lovely for a wander and they'll have a market too.

 

[Purrrrrrr]

I was born and I lived in London for 40 years. London was amazing but the tourist part of London isn't full of Londoners but tourists and commuters rushing to work. the outskirts of London are amazingly friendly or they were, but now most Londoners have moved away. My whole family were born and bred in London we all lived in the same area, both sets of grandparents lived within a 2 min walk but the only one remaining out of all of us is my brother, we have 100s of aunties, uncles, cousins etc all moved away. I moved out 23 years ago and even then London was not full of Londoners, but from people all over the world and from all over the UK.

There are no communities in London anymore and that trend is spreading. Not many areas that those who were born somewhere can afford to live there once they marry or leave home.

 

[Tatooine_legend1]

Yeah, the black snots are grim. I call them tube snots. Always have to clean my nose when i get back from London.

I think its a little unfair, that Londonders get a hard time of being unfriendly. Its a mad pace in the city, the buzz and rush. Lots of tourism, lots of work, shopping, its actually small but overcrowded. When darting about from work or shopping, I probably looked grumpy and unfriendly too

I wonder if it's only in central London, where the main sights are, that people get the black snot and symptoms of the pollution. Does this occur outside of central london, such as in North London and the 'greener' parts?