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AIBU?

To be sick of London?

221 replies

schoolrunner2000 · 19/03/2013 21:55

I know the old phrase..."to be tired of London is to be tired of life" and I'm not tired of life in the slightest, I'm just so annoyed at lots of petty things about London that never bothered me when I lived up North (up until last year).

  • I'm sick of the really rude and aggressive London drivers...what gives them the right to tailgate and cut you up and refuse to signal and generally drive like they want to cause an accident?! I have to actively avoid an accident at least twice every single fricking day in my way to work and back. That's 10 hours a week of being scared for my life...it's like I'm in the bloody army to avoid some of those cars
  • I'm sick of not being able to stay out after 12am as that's when the Tube closes and it's nearly impossible to get home otherwise.
  • The High Street is about 6 miles away and it's rubbish...Oxford St and the other big shopping centres are a nightmare to get through the crush.
  • I get so excited when I hear another old Uni friend is moving to London, only to find that "London" means anywhere within a 40-mile radius and actually it was quicker and cheaper to visit them on the train up North than it is to see any of them now.
  • Cashiers are really actively unfriendly at times and noone has time for a greeting, let alone a chat.
  • £10 for a double vodka and coke!! £4 for a pint!!!
  • Every single bar and pub I've been in Central London has been so full there's no room to stand inside, let alone get a seat, let alone hear your friend talk.


There's others...I'm just not seeing the glamour I thought I would see when I moved here. Thank God for London-born DP or I would have retreated long ago. I feel really disloyal now :\
OP posts:
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valiumredhead · 25/03/2013 12:00

And to those who say Sarf London doesn't count - it's zone 2 ffs, of course it counts Grin

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valiumredhead · 25/03/2013 11:59

People are friendly here, you just have to be friendly to them first. Otherwise you're the one they mean when they say people in London aren't friendly

Completely agree! It's So easy to make friends in London ime.

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cocoachannel · 21/03/2013 06:26

I live in zone 2, get to Bank for work in half an hour, have plenty of green space, friendly neighbours and have only ever experienced black snot when in Beijing.

I've lived in other cities and places around the world, but bar a (temporary) job role that either DH or I would be mad to turn down I will never leave.

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rottenscoundrel · 21/03/2013 05:48

How can 15 miles be zone 5? I'm only around 10miles and I'm (just)zone 6.

I love it....would live in zone 1-3 but can't afford it....

Best thing is the dcs love it too and can get around so easily on their own...zip card for them both so can nip around on the buses etc, is great for them. No mum's taxi here Smile

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Pudgy2011 · 21/03/2013 01:55

Ah man - I miss London badly - used to be a zone 3er (Wimbledon) and miss my morning walk over Waterloo bridge to Fleet Street.

I live 4000 miles away now Sad - still love flying over London when coming into land at Heathrow and I can really appreciate it as a fantastic city.

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HollaAtMeBaby · 20/03/2013 22:25

Won't say where I live as am afraid of outing myself! Some guesses aren't far wrong though :)

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msrisotto · 20/03/2013 22:13

Please come over to My nosey thread and tell me where you zone 1-3ers live!!

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MissBetseyTrotwood · 20/03/2013 21:57

DH and I are in Zone 2 and we both work within about a 20 minute walk of our house (me 10 mins him 30 max) The DCs are at school around the corner. I'm sure we could have a bigger place etc out of town but we'd be unlikely both to have work so close. As it is, we hardly ever go out of our 'manor' and it's more like village life than anywhere in the country I've ever lived as a child.

Agree with the previous poster who said you get arses and angels everywhere you go. There's just a higher concentration of people here, so you notice the ones at the extreme ends of that scale more.

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bigTillyMint · 20/03/2013 21:39

Vinegar, I agree about the epic commute - I walk to work in 15mins, DH cycles in half an hour - so much less stressfulSmile

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Dozer · 20/03/2013 21:36

Agree with others than zone 5 and driving is not proper London!

A warning: think through if you want to stay in or near London long-term, especially if you want children, as with small DC (especially if no local family support and low income) it could well get even harder to enjoy London (need not be the case, but can be) and also harder to travel up north regularly. I'm a northerner, disliked London (zone 2) at first, got used to it and liked it but much less so after having DC (london childcare prices and quality didn't help!)

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VinegarDrinker · 20/03/2013 21:35

I love that too Freudian - hate areas that are all "nice". Also agree with Mechanical about inane "friendly" smalltalk. Urgh. (I love our neighbours and local shopkeepers and always have a few words, but dislike the forced weather chat/gossip expected by all and sundry in some villages/towns)..

What I meant re the pace of life thing is that I don't get who is forcing anyone to live life in the fast lane if you don't want to? We have a fairly dull life by most people's standards, it just means when we do go out we have a fantastic choice of things on our doorstep.

I couldn't do the epic commute thing though. I cycle to work in half an hour - and 25 minutes of that is on canal towpath and off road green cycle paths.

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FreudiansSlipper · 20/03/2013 21:29

i do not think you can make life want you want anywhere

London has something about it so much to do so much always going on you get the lovely places next to the not so nice places that is what i like. somewhere that is just very nice (like St Albans Reigate) lacks diversity and excitement and is dull sorry

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MechanicalTheatre · 20/03/2013 21:27

Half the reason I like London is because people don't talk to you. I grew up in a small town and I'm pretty much over nosy "friendly" bastards. Also, in London, no-one ever chats you up in clubs or gropes your arse.

Give me a grumpy Londoner any day.

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nowahousewife · 20/03/2013 21:24

OP I'm going to get defensive about my adopted city. Having come from the other side of the world over 20 years ago and having lived in a few other cities along the way, I can say London is the best city I've ever lived in.

Living in Zone 3 I feel this is the best of both worlds; easy access to the delights of central London but a really nice neighbourly feel.

That said OP you only get out do something what you put into it . . . . Grin

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bigTillyMint · 20/03/2013 21:19

Yes, I still get a buzz everytime we cross the river after being away up North. Even after 25+ years!

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DreamsTurnToGoldDust · 20/03/2013 21:17

I lived in Waterloo for nearly 10 years, I loved it, great place to live. Have had to move to zone 2 and I still get a buzz from seeing the city ahead of me as I walk down my road. Am soon going to be moving right out of London and am dreading it Sad

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VinegarDrinker · 20/03/2013 21:11

True, I don't really get the "pace of life" stuff, surely you just live/socialise/work how you want to wherever you live? It isn't compulsory to go out just because there is stuff going on....

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CatelynStark · 20/03/2013 21:11

I've lived half my life in London and the other half in Newcastle so I've a foot in both camps.

Folk in the Toon cannot drive for fecking toffee. Fact Grin. I get the Lahndahn rage every time I'm out and about. But it's a fantastic place to raise kids with loads to do and it's green and leafy. Great nightlife. Relatively cheap to live. Excellent shopping. Etc etc.

However, if I won the Lottery, I'd go back to London in a heartbeat - it's just so much more exciting

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bigTillyMint · 20/03/2013 21:07

Is the pace of life faster here? I think it depends on your lifestyle - my BFF who moved back up North seems to live a much faster pace of life than meConfused

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giveitago · 20/03/2013 21:06

Moo - don't blame you! I'm sure it's lovely.

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bigTillyMint · 20/03/2013 21:05

I'm a Northerner and I miss my friends who moved back up there/never left the North. But I love London and like MI said, it has become my home - no plans to leaveSmile

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VinegarDrinker · 20/03/2013 21:05

Hah, Moo there disproving my theory!

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MooMooSkit · 20/03/2013 21:04

YANBU. I lived in London from birth till I was 23 and I had enough of it all. I moved to the Kent coast and am a lot happier with the slower pace of life!

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giveitago · 20/03/2013 21:04

Motherinferior - kind of agree. I love abroad - but I get very bored very easily. I don't get that bored here, even if it's aggro - it's not boring.

But I do have a dream of living in rural wales because it's stunning.

Yup and my ds's heritage is varied and he has access to all of it in equal measures here without any fuss, and access to everyone elses too if he's interested. He wouldn't get anything like this in all his other countries of origin.

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PseudoBadger · 20/03/2013 21:03

Don't worry bigTilly I'm only joking :o

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