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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder how people cope living in London?!

493 replies

WinterIsHereJon · 05/08/2016 22:53

I'm visiting for the weekend. It's hot, sweaty, incredibly busy. We had the misfortune of travelling on the tube during rush hour earlier, people pushed and pushed onto an already full train, to the point where I became rather intimately acquainted with a chap behind me. Despite the complete lack of room people were still attempting to read newspapers! I think I'd snap if that was part of my daily routine, I don't know how people do it!

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DiggersRest · 05/08/2016 22:56

Same reason your visiting, because it's a great city Grin

Tbh when we bought in z3 one of my stipulations was it had to be near national rail as the tube does depress me if it were my only option! It's great as a backup but l couldn't handle peak hour travelling everyday either.

ifyoulikepinacolada · 05/08/2016 22:58

Just fine, thank you very much :) I love my life here and always have done.

DiggersRest · 05/08/2016 22:58

*you're. And that is seriously one of my pet hates Blush

ethelb · 05/08/2016 22:58

Summers in London are the worst bit. It is unbearable but makes you grateful for the horrible grey weather the rest of the year.

IrenetheQuaint · 05/08/2016 22:59

Honestly, you just get used to it, like anything in life. The good bits of London more than make up for the hell that is the Central line at rush hour.

BluePitchFork · 05/08/2016 22:59

apart from public transport in rush hour... london is just a collection of villages very close together, really. Wink

augustwashout · 05/08/2016 22:59

TBH I dont know how people exist outside it Smile

Queenbean · 05/08/2016 22:59

We all avoid the tourist traps that you're visiting!

London is much more pleasant without tourists around

augustwashout · 05/08/2016 23:00

YY collection of unique wonderful villages

Geekmama · 05/08/2016 23:01

I'm a born and bred Londoner, I love the hustle and bustle of London. I Live in Kent now ( we moved as we couldn't afford the property prices) and I miss London every single day. I would move back in a heartbeat.

ZBWRDSM · 05/08/2016 23:02

How do people manage?

  1. Money. which = taxis.
2.Never EVER travel on the tube during the rush hour. If you have to be at work at a particular time go early and leave early or negotiate arrive late stay late.The Tube outside of rush hour is a great and convenient way to get around.
  1. Cycle.
  2. Walk. don't rely on the Tube map. There are plenty of tube stops that (taking into account getting down to the train/changing) are quicker to walk between.
Domino20 · 05/08/2016 23:03

Summer is absolutely the best time to be in London. A good proportion of people are away on holidays so it's actually much easier to get around. Having said that I only ever get the tube once a year for our annual trip to see Santa at Harrods. We do live centrally though and in close proximity to work, I'm not sure I'd feel so positive if a lengthy commute was part of my day?

IHopeYouStepOnALegoPiece · 05/08/2016 23:03

The good bits faaaaaar outweigh the bad ('cept for property prices!!)

Looks like I'll have to move out of London in order to afford somewhere to live and I'm so so sad

sparkleglitterdaisy · 05/08/2016 23:04

LOVE the London buzz !! Used to live there , visit whenever I get the chance :)

EmpressOfTheVaginaDentata · 05/08/2016 23:04

The tube in rush hour is indeed hell, which is why I walk that part of my commute instead.

But living in London is fucking amazing. It has everything (well except for the sea, and even that's fairly easy to reach).

If you're here for the weekend you're going to mainly be in the hot sweaty busy bits. If you live here it's a whole other matter.

VegasJuice · 05/08/2016 23:04

London is astounding. I have no idea how people live anywhere else 😉

LuchiMangsho · 05/08/2016 23:05

Love it. Love the bustle. The anonymity of city life. But I do know my neighbours. So much stuff for kids to do. Incredibly diverse and endlessly interesting.
The Tube can be a pain but actually the connectivity in London is fabulous which I love as well.

sparechange · 05/08/2016 23:07

I walk my commute in summer. It's a lovely walk through a couple of beautiful parks and past gorgeous historic buildings. I quite often watch films and spot places I recognise

I have everything I could ever want within 25 mins of my front door
Having grown up in a rural hellhole, I never want to be out of walking distance of shop

NicknameUsed · 05/08/2016 23:08

"London is astounding. I have no idea how people live anywhere else"

Ex Londoner here, living out in the provinces. I wouldn't move back to London even if I was paid large amounts of money. I like it well enough to visit, but am glad to come back to the cleaner Pennine air.

MuffyTheUmpireSlayer · 05/08/2016 23:08

I've lived here my whole life and get by by avoiding central London unless absolutely necessary! Living and working in zone 3 is the key (although it doesn't pay as well...)

Redinthefacegirl · 05/08/2016 23:10

Love it, currently live in zone 2. Agree about the tube though, I walk to work and DH cycles.
Feel very sad that we'll probably be moving to the burbs in a year or so to afford a bigger place.

Redinthefacegirl · 05/08/2016 23:13

Ah yes, and like other Londoners, I avoid the touristy central bits.

EmpressOfTheVaginaDentata · 05/08/2016 23:17

I speak to my neighbours - and the people in the coffee shop & local cafe - and the staff at my station - and the bloke I pick the Standard up from every night.

Yes to city life but also to the beautiful green bits which are usually very peaceful.

To wonder how people cope living in London?!
To wonder how people cope living in London?!
To wonder how people cope living in London?!
bakingaddict · 05/08/2016 23:18

It's easy you get on the tube find your space and zone everything else around you out. Of course it's hot and sweaty that's the nature of the tube in rush hour.

Susieqt · 05/08/2016 23:24

God this makes me miss London.
Actually the worst thing about London is the bloody visitors and tourists who are always in the bloody way' Angry
And as a born and bred Londoner I know all sorts of hacks to make tube life more bearable. It was never an issue.