To be sick of London?

[schoolrunner2000]

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 :\

[montmartre]

Ah yes, the black snot... you don't get that on the Metro!

Bogeyface- I speak from experience (and I'm married to a Parisian!)

[Bogeyface]

Fairy Nuff Mon, I have always found them to be really friendly and nice, far nicer than Londoners! Just goes to show!

[lemuzzy]

Yabu as zone 5 is barely London. You wouldn't be complaining about public transport if you actually lived in London!

[ceeveebee]

Sorry but living 15 m

[ceeveebee]

Sorry but living 15 miles away from the centre is not living in London. Anyone who drives to work does not live in London unless you are mega rich and have a chauffeur. Living 15 miles out is all the worst bits of London without all the benefits.

I lived in zone 1 for a bit (amazing, walked to work, ate out every night) then zone 2 (20 minutes on tube and we had a balcony!)and now zone 4 which is practically Surrey, so finally can afford a garden but its not exactly urban

[rockinhippy]

YANBU - I loved living in London, though I too found it unfriendly moving down from the North, well the nutters were always friendly & my nutter radar was a bit weak back then

I lived there for over 20 years, but realised after I moved to the south coast when DD was due, that the only reason I could survive there, was because I had become as aggressive as everyone else - I thought I'd really miss it, I don't, I do miss my friends there, but I know transport there being what it is, with DD in tow I probably see as much of them now as I would have if stayed - I don't visit often, but when I do, I always come home knowing I am so glad that I moved here

Transport & attitudes are FAR worse than they were, even the last 5 years I was there I could see the nose dive - for example my 40min journey to work ended up taking an hour and a half, but I lived & worked in the same places, i initially moved here & worked there, but getting off the train here you really noticed the difference - people smiled, were polite & not in too much of a hurry, going back now I find it very stressful & can't wait to get home

[morrisminordancer]

I think London is great, but I live in zone 1 and have none of the problems you mention. Most of my friends are within half an hour of where I live, and we usually meet in the centre of town anyway. I don't think I'd ever live further out than zone 2, it takes ages to travel into the centre from that distance so I agree with others who say it's hardly London. I don't see the point in living that far out, you lose all the advantages of being here and those suburbs can be really quite provincial in attitude, you might as well retreat to a cheaper suburb in the Midlands or up north.

Our flat in London is tiny and has no garden and pretty poor schools nearby - but it is entirely worth it for the convenience of being able to bus it into work in 15 mins and have time for fab evening activities, shopping and knowing there'll always be a night bus that takes you home as I live on so many bus routes.

[MrsLion]

Yanbu about the overcrowding. But, yabu to be sick of London. It's amazing, my favorite city in the world.

[MrsLion]

Favourite even

[Wewereherefirst]

I lived in zone 6 which had fabulous transport day and night.

I haven't lived in London for 8 years and I get bloody homesick, when you look at the whole picture, London and it's suburbs are so much better linked than the wilds of ruralshire.

[ThreeWheelsGood]

I was very confused by 6 miles from a high street! Then I read the rest of the thread. You aren't frustrated by living in London, you aresick of living in the suburbs. Move out to another city, get dp to commute to London.

[FreudiansSlipper]

so you live in suburbia a London borough of .....

I am not surprised you are fed up suburbia is very dull I speak from bitter experienc I am back in my hme city of London now and so much happier

London is fabulous though but if you do not like diversity, having the option of going to a different bar/restaurant, different shops, galleries, museums, parks, markets and dealing with crowds then it is not for you

crowded public transport and roads is just the down side of that

[ThreeWheelsGood]

morrisminordancer - would you recommend living in zone 1 with kids? How do you manage? We moved to zone 3 to have the baby but would love to fee'll part of "real"London again...

[FreudiansSlipper]

The black bogey thing is what you get we you do not often travel in central London when it do it all the time your bogies go back to the normal colour well that was my experience :)

[2cats2many]

YABU. You just need a bit more time to adjust to our ways .

Personally, I can't stand it when shop assistants/ waitresses/bank clerks, etc try to start up a conversation with me so I would hate it up north.

[hermioneweasley]

What you've described is symptomatic of living on a major world capital. If it's not for you, then that's legitimate. I grew up in London but now live up North and woukdn't move back if we have the choice. The quality of life is so much better here, especially if you are raising a family.

[VinegarDrinker]

Zone 5 is not London!

6 miles to a High St? Wtf?!

[BuntyCollocks]

Ah I miss London :( lived there for 3 years, and loved it. If it wasn't for the dc, and being even further away from our families than we already are, I'd be back in a minute.

[VinegarDrinker]

If you are in zone 5, you could easily live in another village or town in the SE, and DP could commute in in the same amount of time. I don't understand the point of the suburbs tbh.

A happy zone 2 dweller who walks and cycles everywhere I need to be :)

[whois]

Uh, zone 5 isn't really proper london... Move to zone 1 or 2, ditch the car and walk or bike or get the excellent public transport which runs all night.

Problem solved.

Or just stay in zone 5 but appreciate you need to shop, eat and drink locally with only occasional trips to 'town'.

[VinegarDrinker]

I've cycled every day in zone 1/2 for over 10 years and never had black snot.

[Muser]

Going shopping on Oxford St is for tourists. Westfield (City or Stratford), Bluewater and the other one are your friends, depending on where you are. Agree that the issue is you are not in proper London though. Zone 2/3 borders here, 15 mins on train to Charing Cross, night buses, and at a push a taxi for a posh night out. Not that I go out anymore, bloody toddlers.

I do think London is only a good place to live if you're properly close to it though. I refuse to move to suburbia. It's London proper or nowhere bloody near it for me.

The being far from friends thing is a pain though. I have lots of friends who I could never just grab a quick coffee with because they live the wrong side of London and it's at least an hour travelling. You end up having to make more of an occasion of it rather than just a quick hello.

[Southeastdweller]

I live the same amount of distance from town as you and I can understand what you're saying...you're stuffed if you want to stay out late.

[ChocolateCoins]

I live up north and hate it, so we can swap if you like? I love London