To miss living in London

[Lonecatwithkitten]

I left 17 years ago in my mid- twenties missed it a bit at first after all there were no 24 hour shops in the provinces then, but I got a regular hit by visiting friends.
Then met a man, got married had baby, friends left London didn't miss it.
Man turned out to be snake in grass in so many ways so it's now just me and DD (10).
Yesterday I took her to Hampton Court, we parked a bit away and walked. Beautiful day London at it's best. I just felt for the first time every for a huge variety of reasons our quality of life would be better there. Sadly I have successful business where we live which is totally location specific so moving is not an option.
Really miss London and all it has to offer.

The choice isn't living in London or living in the countryside. I live in a City that has lots going on and is very diverse. It is also very close to beautiful countryside.

I lived in London for a few years and the only things you get there that you do not get here, are the centres of cultural excellence, especially museums and galleries. But a day trip to London is pretty easy. Oh and more variety of shops - but I hate shopping anyway, so I don't miss that.

The best thing about living outside of London, is that we can afford a 4 bed detached house with a big garden, in a nice area. In London we were living in a tiny place, in a pretty rough area.

I grew up in London and moved out with my parents (within commuting distance) in my late teens. If I had the funds I would move back in a heartbeat. I work in London and love the place, there is nowhere like it on earth, everything is here.
One of my sons (obviously a chip off the old block) is exactly the same, and aspires to live in London too.

It's not the same at all, Bowlersarm. It's being able to get up on Sunday morning, spontaneously decide to jump on the bus down to Columbia Road for the flower market, then walk down to Brick Lane for something to eat and to buy bagels, and walk through Spitalfields market on the way back to Liverpool St, and there have a glance at 'What's On' and go to an early music concert at Christchurch or bus down to the South Bank and see a film at the BFI or a play at the NT. Or to an exhibition at the national gallery or the Royal Academy, or just wander. No advance planning, car, or expense needed other than an Oyster card, because lots of what I mentioned is free or cheap.

Mind you, we chose a tiny flat in zone 2 precisely because it was close to two tube stations and on several bus/night us routes from the west end. It was small, and in a grimy area, but so worth it to us. I wouldn't gave been happy in the burbs.

I went to look at a huge 6 bedroom house in kent a couple of weeks ago, well within budget. I wanted to shoot myself after five minutes. I went back home to look at small 3 beds in London

"It's not the same at all, Bowlersarm. It's being able to get up on Sunday morning, spontaneously decide to jump on the bus down to Columbia Road for the flower market,"

You don't need to live in London for that. There are plenty of trains.

"No advance planning, car, or expense needed other than an Oyster card, because lots of what I mentioned is free or cheap. "

Most people have a car. We got up on Sunday morning and drove into London, no advance planning or expense other than petrol (free parking). Other times we have done the same on the train. It's not expensive.

"Mind you, we chose a tiny flat in zone 2 precisely because it was close to two tube stations and on several bus/night us routes from the west end."

How often do you use the night buses? There are night trains, too, depending on where you live (e.g., St Albans, Three Bridges, Luton,e tc.)

^People who are not white.
Shops that sell stuff that isn't traditionally British, or in the 'exotic' section of a supermarket.
Free museums, galleries & lectures.
Free concerts, festivals, etc.
Pride in cultural heritage.
Pride in diverse cultural heritage.
Community activities.
Being able to walk most places.
Constantly available public transport.
A wide range of choices.
Knowing what's available, because you can see it.
Getting into interesting conversations with random strangers.
... more ...^

I live 200 miles from London and we have all those things in buckets except for constantly available public transport. The weather is better in London, I'll let you have that one though.

We also have vast wildernesses where you can walk for hours without seeing a soul.

I for one am a little sick of the 'London is all that and everywhere else isn't worth living in' attitude.

If we spread things around the country a bit better, instead of trying to cram all the people and opportunities into one tiny corner of it, it would be better all round.

As others have pointed out, it is impossible to live in London unless you are very rich, or are prepared to commute for hours to get to work. Where is the quality of life in that? I can't imagine how hard life is in the South East on average wages and below.

Lonecat, have you thought if looking on airbnb or mondaytofriday.com for a weekend rental?

Loads of people in London have spare rooms they rent out for various reasons, some part time. I used to have midweek tenants (mon-Friday) which I found through that site, try rented from me as they worked in London during the week which helped my bills, but I got my flat to myself at weekends.

I bet you could do the reverse, lots of people who live in London are away regularly at weekends, especially on bank holiday weekends etc when London is at its best.

The Monday to Friday site is more flexible than mid week rentals as worth a look, maybe you could find somewhere you could stay, say one weekend a month and have the best of both worlds?

the place is packed to the rafters with people

I can see the merit in many of the things in your list Garlic, but this one is a very strong disincentive for me!

I quite like to visit London but would hate to live there.

I wonder if the OP is seeing London through rose-tinted spectacles based on the fact that she last lived in London when she was young, free twenty-somethng and Sunday was a beautiful day.

We spent Sunday in Dovedale and I would choose that over London on a sunny Sunday in a heartbeat.

Really???!!! God, I lived there for 2 years and thought it was a shit hole. The tube is dirty (seriously, how can you miss the tube?!) and it's possibly the most unfriendly city I've ever lived in. I used to hate arriving at work all dirty and sweaty bleugghh.

I think you miss the man, not the city!

Go and live in a nice, cosmopolitan, clean Northern city!

oh my god I am so homesick for London after this thread

I have lived in London as a pre-teen, teenager, responsibility free young adult and with small children. It's the best place in the whole wide world ever

We're going back to the UK for a month this summer and trying to rent or house sit for a week in London as a family so if anyone fancies a home swap to California (we're out the country for 3 weeks) or wants to get out of the big smoke for a week in late June please pm me!

YANBU

However it is very much about the individual. I lived in London from birth until I was 32. I'm now 52 and still don't miss it.

If we spread things around the country a bit better, instead of trying to cram all the people and opportunities into one tiny corner of it, it would be better all round.

I agree passionately, and am opposed to the HS2 for the same reason. You couldn't take centuries of vibrant, mixed culture out of London, though, not for a long time. A market town with a better economy would be a healthier market town, but it would still be parochial and limited by comparison.

No way is London unfriendly! I've never understood this very popular view - the population churn means a higher proportion of people are open to new interactions. I wouldn't want a rambling chat while squashed on a Tube and late for a meeting, though, so perhaps it's more a matter of how & when you get talking? Not that it's important; I just wonder sometimes.

Yes, the weather is better too!

I'm stating the bleedin' obvious but with the way things are now, money is key. Of course London's always been expensive but as we all know rental and buying prices are stratospheric at the moment. No problem if your income or/and your partners can nicely absorb that and I daresay that the Londoners who've rhapsodised about the city on this thread are in comfortable situations in this respect.

Time is another thing. Difficult to find the time to do all the wonderful things to do here when you're at work or knackered from work.

I often think of moving, sick of the expense and though I know there's some great cities in this country - Bristol is a magical place with so much going for it - trouble is is that the job market's more buoyant here.