Who loves London?

[NorthernLiner]

Personally I do.
Everything about it.
Studied, lived and worked there for a good 15+ years, only moved out to the home counties to buy bigger house when kids arrived.
Just spent 5 days at the in-laws in Zone 2.
Totally satisfied my London fix 😍

Anyone else ❤️ London?

Me, I do. I moved to z1 when I graduated (it was affordable then, amazingly). Moved to z2 when DC came along. I have travelled the world and never found anywhere to rival it.

Absolutely love it - moved here for uni and never left! We're in zone 3 to the north east and it's the perfect balance - close enough to get to the centre quickly (especially with the Elizabeth line), but lots of green space, and lots going on in the local community - it's the perfect balance for us

I do! Lived there 35 years. Still visit every month even though I'm 300 miles away

I've lived here 25 years and in many ways I love it. However, so many areas of London have changed a lot and I do find it hard being a minority of under 20% of the population where I live. I feel very culturally isolated and ignored.

Love it so affordable, clean, safe and the best London Mayor of the city ever. Full of beautiful people and so friendly.

Love it so affordable, clean, safe and the best London Mayor of the city ever. Full of beautiful people and so friendly.

I know this is sarcastic but Londoners tend to be very friendly. Rude people tend to not actually be from London.

@80smonster we stay because of my husband's job and my daughter's (SEN) school.

Speaking as someone who has visited every EU capital city bar one (I know London isn’t an eu capital city any more but it was when I started the plan to visit them all), I think London is the best.

Lived worked there for 7 years. Now live a half hour train ride away and visit often.

Me! I work there and spend at least one weekend day there. I live in the south east about half hour train ride from Victoria and am just planning on where to go today for a long walk and a few wines.
I love everything about it and longed to be here as a teenager living in the north west.

Me!
Born and bred in small town Scotland, much prefer London. Live Zone 3 in a house that lots of people would think was too small because it has no off-street parking and a small garden. But it suits us perfectly. Work in the City, still get a thrill looking at the buildings. I am a huge musical theatre fan and go often.

Son very happy at school and we love that he will grow up in such a multicultural environment.

Only other places I liked living as much were Hong Kong and Paris. Love New York for holidays. Definitely a city girl!

Are you white? Sorry if I have misunderstood the point you were trying to make.

But why not do it in a place where you have all that the rest of London has to offer so very close by?

My life in Zone 3 is pretty domesticated but it feels so different to the same life in the small town I come from because of the wider context of where we are.

@HotCrossBunplease I don't understand what you mean ?

Love it, or at least love the memory of my old life there!
Studied and worked there from age 19-29 then moved "home" after having first baby.
We frequently take our little children up there for day trips and I still absolutely love it, and the endless food options 😋. I'm just not sure I could live there with children.

Me! Moved away years ago and still miss it.

I lived there until I was 10 and love visiting the centre and making the best out of work trips when I am there.

Not sure Id want to live there full time though when I am 20 minute walk from the beach where I live now. London air seems cleaner than it used to be and the embracing of electric vehicles since COVID is impressive but it gets very toasty - I like having the sea breeze. Where I am now pace of life is slower less hustle and bustle wondering around instead of London busyness too.

I love visiting London. Its a fantastic city, there's something to admire along street.

I just wish I didn't have to use Euston to get there as its the most depressing station.

You can live a life that is 90% supermarket and school but have all that London offers for the other 10%.

Or you can have a life that is 90% supermarket and school and the other 10% is suburban or small town dull.

Depends what makes you happy.

I've lived there three times but moved an hour's train journey away in the noughties to start a family. My sister lives in zone 2 though so we visit often.

Aside from the history and beauty of so much of it, what has always impressed me is how open minded and friendly everyone seems to be - the actual polar opposite of its reputation.

My life in Zone 3 is pretty domesticated but it feels so different to the same life in the small town I come from because of the wider context of where we are.

I don’t really understand what you mean but maybe because I’m not from a small town? Certainly my friends in St Albans & Bristol have more on the door step than I do in z3 & friends in parts of Surrey & Kent don’t have much different journey times than me. Their young dc don’t have very different lives to mine.

Is this just how some reconcile the high housing costs? 😆😆

The number one reason I’m here is because it’s home so family are here, same for DH.

@HotCrossBunplease oh ok I get what you mean.
We do like the theatre and museums etc - which obviously London has a lot of but other towns and cities have that too.
During the summer I stayed at my parents - medium size midlands town.
My daughter went to the cinema twice. Both times to see one off special showings of not "mainstream" films that the local cinema were showing.
Back in London she saw one of those films again at the BFI cinema.
Other than very specific museums etc I can't think of anything I can do in London that I can't do elsewhere.

I am 20 minute walk from the beach where I live now.

I would love to live near a beach, we did think about it.

I love it, have lived in London or near London much of my life. Its got everything & I mever tire of it. I do wish it was cleaner though. Compared to European cities its so dirty.

I love it, I live an hour away by train and wouldn’t want to be further, DH loves the countryside and so our well connected village is a compromise, when the kids leave I’d like to get a smaller place closer to the capital. I’ve never lived in London, but both sets of grandparents did, so as a kid we had lots of exciting trips into town. My father’s parents had a gorgeous 1920s semi in Wembley, my cousin and I reminisce about how glamorous it felt when we visited (we both grew up in very rural areas).

Waterloo is the station my village is connected to and I just love the south bank. I think gentrification has had an impact on a few places that seemed more fun in the 90s, Camden and Soho really aren’t what they were, but it might just be me getting old and looking back with rose-tinted glasses?

I love London. I'm in zone 3 and I can't wait for the schools to go back so I can go walking around central London on my non-working days. Slightly off script but I'm tempted by the Bansky exhibition - if anyone has been I would be interested to know what it's like?