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AIBU?

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Original poster

Please tell me why anyone would want to live in London

200 replies

Lloyd46 · 01/10/2016 23:13

I love London to visit, but I am glad to leave. Please tell me why anyone would pay extashionate prices to live in an over crowded, expensive place, why not live on the out skirts and pop in and out when you feel like it?

OP posts:
DorcasthePuffin · 02/10/2016 00:02

I'm a lifelong Londoner who has lived in zones 1, 3, 4 and 6. Pros and cons of each. I like the leafiness and serenity of life in the burbs, but then I work in Zone 1 so don't get that sense of being buried alive. I loved living in Zone 1, but just couldn't afford to house 2 kids there.

There are places I love other than London; I'm not wedded to being here. But my career is here, so is my family, and so is my kids' dad. All excellent reasons for not moving away.

nancy75 · 02/10/2016 00:05

I've lived here my whole life and still haven't seen it all, a day trip to the countryside is nice, any longer than that and I'm bored. And I don't like horses.

travellinglighter · 02/10/2016 00:07

Love London, wish I could afford to live there.

M00nUnit · 02/10/2016 00:14

I love my life in London! It takes me 20 minutes to cycle to my well paid job in the City every day, there is absolutely loads to see and do and the pubs/restaurants are fab. I bought my flat 8 years ago and the mortgage repayments are easily affordable. It's very easy to travel from London to other cities around the world. I could go on... There are so many things I love about living here.

Tallulahoola · 02/10/2016 00:16

I have a flat in London and a house in the country, I love going home to see my horses and fresh air. I love London but couldn't live there permanently

Course you do. And a castle in Scotland and a berth on the international space station.

Chippednailvarnishing · 02/10/2016 00:25
Grin
tristerflexu · 02/10/2016 00:32

London is in my soul. I think it's the best city in the world and I feel hugely privileged that my children have the opportunity to live here.

I love the diversity
The sheer range of restaurants. You could eat out every meal for the rest of your life and never eat in the same place twice

I love that you take 3 steps from the craziness of Oxford street and you're in the quietest calmest streets with interesting people and quirky shops

I love the breadth of culture, the sheet choice of theatre and exhibitions which change by the day

I love the green spaces, from Hampstead Heath to Hyde park and back again to Regent's Park

I was in central London tonight and the buzz and energy was infectious.

I love that My kids have such brilliant and reliable public transport on the doorstep, that they accept and embrace people of every race religion and culture and never question it.

WorraLiberty · 02/10/2016 00:50

Course you do. And a castle in Scotland and a berth on the international space station.

Tallulahoola that post has made my day Grin Grin Grin

IceTippedMountains · 02/10/2016 00:52

I would move back to London in a heartbeat if I could afford to, sadly that won't be happening unless I win the lottery Grin It's amazing city in my opinion.

I had a fantastic 10 years there but we couldn't sustain a decent quality of life there on our incomes so we moved to Manchester (where DH is from) last year. I'm v happy here but I still long for London..

kerryob · 02/10/2016 00:55

Easy it's home, born & bred in London. I'll eventually have to move out to buy a place but I love it here. London is so diverse it's like a collections of villages, I like to go the country but only for a holiday couldn't live there Grin

SuckingEggs · 02/10/2016 01:14

London is fabulous and I wish I hadn't been priced out.

Miss my city.

Titsywoo · 02/10/2016 01:20

Because it's awesome. I gave to live in zone 6 for financial reasons but I love London and always will. Amazing city. If you don't like it then stay in the country!

dovesong · 02/10/2016 01:20

It's wonderful! Tons of jobs, all the culture you could possibly want, amazing restaurants, wonderful diversity, theatres, parks, cinemas close to you wherever you are, great public transport even though we whinge about it, great schools, tons of history. It is busy but there is always a place nearby to go and get some peace if you want it. Also the people here tend to be very open minded and liberal, which suits me brilliantly.

littleprincesssara · 02/10/2016 01:35

I couldn't live anywhere without 24/7 public transport.

I love being able to eat in a different restaurant or go to the theatre every night and never repeat myself.

The only place I've been that can touch it is NYC.

OlennasWimple · 02/10/2016 01:38

Because the city is wonderful, the country is wonderful, the burbs are deathly dull

LiveLifeWithPassion · 02/10/2016 01:44

Best city in the world.
And contrary to popular belief, very friendly too.
We ve got access to so much entertainment, events and culture. Every kind of restaurant and great shops.
Lots of green spaces.

Plenty of people to socialise with too.

Schools are generally good.

I wouldn't want to bring up my kids anywhere else.

HettyB · 02/10/2016 09:17

I live in London. Frankly I'd rather live just about anywhere else (though I appreciate many love it here), but we have to be here for work.

Yes, house prices are crazy, it's busy and noisy and dirty (where we are, anyway), but we wouldn't be able to find equivalent work outside the capital.

Some of us don't want to be here, we have to.

formerbabe · 02/10/2016 09:25

I live in zone 3 (always have). It's the perfect place for me...not too busy, still quite suburban and I can get to the west end in 20 minutes.

I wouldn't live in central London if you paid me to. Horrendous traffic, parking, too busy, faceless...no way.

AndShesGone · 02/10/2016 09:30

I think it's very easy when you are wealthy enough to afford two places to not understand what it's like to live in just the one place (the busier one)

If you have a house in the country then you're not 'popping' much either. I live half an hour from London and it's not a 'pop'. It's a ball ache and it would be nicer to live centrally.

TaterTots · 02/10/2016 09:30

Formerbabe - Do you get sick of Zone 1 and 2 folk acting like Zone 3 is the back of beyond? I can be in the West End in half an hour and pay less in mortgage than many people I know do in rent - yet some of them act like I'm halfway to rural Shropshire.

formerbabe · 02/10/2016 09:43

TaterTots. Yes I know exactly what you mean!

miserablesod · 02/10/2016 10:33

Because i was fucking born here 😂

Shakey15000 · 02/10/2016 10:46

worra can't believe you haven't got a country pile ShockGrin

I loved living in London. West End on my doorstep.

Not sure what you're hoping for with this thread OP. It's not like someone who lives in London is going to have a road to Damascus moment and move elsewhere on your say so.

Barefootcontessa84 · 02/10/2016 10:49

Frankly the people are so much more worldly and interesting!

Batteriesallgone · 02/10/2016 10:53

It's difficult isn't it OP. Like people who drink water and you ask - haven't you heard of champagne? Let them eat cake, that's what I say.

Town is wonderful for the season but one really needs to get away from it all with a shooting party in order to find zen again.

Still if all these plebs stay in London that's one less trespasser to shoot when you see them on your land.