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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Going to London tomorrow - what to do :(

453 replies

pinkunicornsarefluffy · 15/09/2017 11:52

Posting here for traffic, I am going to London tomorrow, train from here to Paddington, then Euston, then Watford Junction.

Having just seen the news about the bomb, I am now terrified. I rarely go to London and this is so scary. There will be 3 adults and 3 children aged 9, 10 and 13.

If we don't go, we lose £600, but what price your life or your kids life?

We are still thinking of going and doing bus or taxi from Paddington.

Has anyone got any advice on transport ?

What would you do?

OP posts:
CamperVamp · 15/09/2017 12:49

OP, I am in central London, right now, close to one of your route points. It is sunny, relaxed, everyone is smiling and going about their business with extreme good natured normality.

In the end, London is just a town, no more or less scary than a big village really - a collection of people, shops, businesses and homes. Mostly, we like visitors, too!

So come on down, maybe get a black cab form Paddington to Euston if you feel like it, and have a great day out.

Harry Potter is fab - you really will enjoy it Smile

Vancanpan · 15/09/2017 12:49

Get the train rather then the taxi, taxi will be ridiculously expensive.

Also makes no sense from a safety point of view, far more likely to be in a car crash then a terrorism attack.

coddiwomple · 15/09/2017 12:49

The day Prince Georges is being sent to a school out of London and his family relocates, I would start to worry a bit more too.

OP, I would just take a cab from your hotel to Euston station, and a train from there (but you could check the price of a cab for the full journey).
That way you don't have to worry about directions etc, trains are pretty straightforward (when they work)

Westfacing · 15/09/2017 12:49

Your OP was melodramatic, I'm sorry. You will be fine and I hope you have a great day.

Thousands of our children in London, including those currently in schools around Parsons Green, have to get home this afternoon by tube/bus.

Original poster
pinkunicornsarefluffy · 15/09/2017 12:50

As someone else said, there are 3 adults so not just my decision. If my friend and her husband want to take a taxi, then I have to go along with that.

I suggested using overground trains instead of tube from Paddington, but she would feel happier in a taxi. We were using tube as I posted on here for advice previously, and people said the tube was half an hour quicker than the overground.

OP posts:
esophagogo · 15/09/2017 12:50

My DH survived a terror attack (life altering injuries) where there was a considerable loss of life.

We live in London. DH is at work, I'll going to go out for lunch and we'll probably go for a drink tonight seeing as it's a Friday. There are millions of people doing the same.

plantsitter · 15/09/2017 12:50

Sorry but if the OP was saying she was depressed you wouldn't tell her to 'snap out of it' (unless you were a cock).

She has anxiety. Travelling into London is quite stressful even if you do do it every day, you just internalise the stress. The perceived risk is higher because of today's bombing even if the actual risk is the same.

OP if you can afford a taxi and it's what you need to do to have a nice day, then do it.

Original poster
pinkunicornsarefluffy · 15/09/2017 12:51

pinkingshears thanks Flowers. I am glad that you had a lovely day out.

I just needed some reassurance that we are making the right decision by continuing with our trip, which is obviously the general opinion on here.

OP posts:
AuntJane · 15/09/2017 12:53

I'm currently at work in London, having got here by public transport. I can see London Bridge through one window, and Borough Market is a minute's walk away. It's business as usual.

My advice is to keep a lookout for cyclists, because you're more likely to have a near miss with one of them than be involved in a terrorist incident.

coddiwomple · 15/09/2017 12:53

Travelling into London is quite stressful even if you do do it every day

not really. (on days when trains actually work)

ShotsFired · 15/09/2017 12:53

You are making this far more than it is, therefore making it worse for you, worse for your kids.

So you are anxious. Do you want your children to grow up terrified of the world around them? Woman up, suck it up and show your family that this will not stop us (collectively) living our lives.

FUCK these stupid lame terrorists who think a burning bucket is going to put the world on its knees in fear. FUCK THEM. Pathetic. Today's nonsense barely causes a ripple in greater scheme of things.

Youcanstayundermyumbrella · 15/09/2017 12:54

Oh my goodness, OP, that taxi will be extortionate. Seriously, probably three figures.

I don't know where you're coming from but have you explored a train route to Watford that doesn't include London? Can you change in the midlands anywhere? Watford is not London and although I've never been to the studios, they are to the north of it, so not in the bit with the ring road etc (so even more in a taxi).

I've lived and worked in London all my life. I was caught up in a terrorist incident (unharmed but shaken) and was back at work via public transport the next day because I had no alternative if I wanted to carry on with life. This is why these sort of threads get such an irritated response I guess; you are making our daily lives into an optional trip.

existentialmoment · 15/09/2017 12:54

It's not so much what OP said but the way she said it, and in aibu.

PortiaCastis · 15/09/2017 12:55

Just five words for you OP

Don't let the bastards win !!!

pinkbraces · 15/09/2017 12:56

OP I think this gives you a massive opportunity to show your child that we carry on. Please don't cancel if for no other reason than the desire not to restrict your DC life because of your anxiety.

I would also suggest you get some help with your anxiety. The world is such an amazing place but your child is going to learn, from you, that it's scary.
Have a fantastic time at the play.

DancesWithOtters · 15/09/2017 12:56

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ShoesHaveSouls · 15/09/2017 12:56

Please don't miss your day out in London (esp if it is Harry Potter!) because of this. Millions of people in London are going about their daily business there right now - including my DH and many family members. I feel the anxiety too - fight it and get on with enjoying life Smile

Go tomorrow - travel however you like! - you will see how normal everything is. We went on a long planned birthday trip into central London the weekend after the London Bridge attack - it was fine, not scary. If anything people were friendlier than usual.

plantsitter · 15/09/2017 12:56

Right, Coddiwomple, when the trains actually work and they're not overpacked and there aren't crowds of tourists getting in the way of you getting to work on time, it's not stressful.

So, like, never.

chirpyburbycheapsheep · 15/09/2017 12:57

OP please ignore the snarky comments from 'Londoner's who seem to think they are morally superior to 'tourists' who only 'clutter up' the streets.

I live in London though come from a very rural isolated place. It took me years of living here before I got used to the noise, the traffic, the people. Where I grew up you could walk for hours and not meet anyone except sheep and cows so I really do understand that it is a major shock to the system even without these lunatics setting of bombs (very rarely I might add).

I would say go but if it helps simply find different ways of travelling rather than the tube. I remember finding the tube scary when I used to come here as a teenager and that was before ISIS. I think others can give better advice re transport but I wanted to offer you support with something that must feel very scary. But really, you will be fine and you will be teaching your kids resilience too.

Also, to those telling the OP that she should seek help for her anxiety - you do understand that there is no actual cure for anxiety don't you? Time and time again I hear people on here telling people to 'seek help' as if this 'help' was a) easily available on the NHS and b) was a magical panacea. I have terrible diagnosed anxiety am on medication and have been in treatment half my life and guess what, I still have terrible diagnosed anxiety. Probably always will. So I make sure I am kind to those who also suffer with it. For you OP Flowers

chirpyburbycheapsheep · 15/09/2017 12:59

I would like to add when I say there is no 'cure' I mean for some people. Some people can obviously be helped in managing it better and for others it does go etc for a portion of people it is lifelong.

GruffaIo · 15/09/2017 13:00

Plus it's the dripfeed of anxiety, etc. that you can't help but wonder if it's been added to attempt to justify the initial post and elicit more sympathy than the first set of responses.

If you have anxiety, then I apologise, but why not put that in the original post so people better understand that you might be being paranoid, rather than add it later?

Why not say 'I KNOW I am being paranoid (and this has made me realise I need treatment for my anxiety), and I am worried I will ruin my DCs' day out, so please advise me of the best way of getting to Watford without going on the underground'?

coddiwomple · 15/09/2017 13:00

plantsitter I am one who strolls around with a coffee in my hand and my sunglasses most days. I don't enjoy the commute, but I honestly don't find it that stressful. A complete waste of time however!

pinkingshears · 15/09/2017 13:00

I came into KX (rural Scotland) and went overground to Watford and then got the HP tour bus (good fun and good photos next to it).

Honestly, if I can do it, you definitely can... and it has given me more confidence to do other things too.Grin

HellonHeels · 15/09/2017 13:01

If you're getting a black cab I think you'll need two as they only take max 5 people. It will almost certainly be quicker cheaper and safer on the train than in a cab.

Can't remember if you're on meds for anxiety, can you use those to help? Spray of rescue remedy? You will be fine if you can bring yourself to do it.

Ummmmgogo · 15/09/2017 13:01

but surely whether something makes you anxious or not you suck it up for your kids? that's the whole point of the thread!

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