To ask if London living is all that?

[nellyolsenscurl]

Inspired by a thread where posters are saying things like 'unless you live in London you couldn't possibly understand the benefits' and 'London living is one of the best things a child could have' (paraphrased, but you get the poi t). One poster said that her dd's friend didn't have a bedroom, she had a bed in the hallway but this is worth it for London life etc.

I've visited and yes it does seem amazing, but I was surprised at how busy the underground was at rush hour, I didn't think public transport was that cheap and in some parts the signs about knife crime/murder was daunting. Obviously as well extortionate house prices/rents mean more likelihood of living in a smaller place.

So London Livers (TM) please tell me about the great things (and any negatives) In my dreams when my dc leave the nest I will buy a lift conversion in Neal's Yard with those lovely coloured facades 😬

" d's has quite a few Londoners in his class who moved here in order to save money on school fees "

those aren't normal "Londoners" though.

Some of SE London is really nice! East Dulwich, Surrey Quays, Greenwich for example.

But we can get milk delivered for less than a pound within an hour at any time of day or night in London. Can you do that up north?

Hmmm, not sure. But .... I can walk to the all-night shop in 10 minutes: no delivery charge

I live in London with a 2.5 year old and it is fantastic. For me the exposure to all the museums, festivals, classes etc for children is unprecedented. A lot of it is free too. I also love that he is exposed to a variety of people and cultures.

Also love the convenience of London, great public transport (though annoying with a buggy), late opening hours, deliveroo etc make being a parent easier in many ways imo.

Downsides are the pollution which I worry about, and the overcrowding. Commuting can be hard when doing nursery pick ups. I do worry that when he’s older he will struggle to afford to live where he grew up but I will do my best to help when the time comes.

I’m not sure it’s worth your child not having their own space though, particularly as they get older. I am fortunate to have a house and garden in zone 3, if I could only afford a tiny flat I would probably move out further.

It quite simply lifts my heart. Having loved North, South, East and West, I’m currently 15 mins from the centre of town and have the best of both - trees, silence and peace and then the throbbing heart of the city. I’ve lived here all my life (bar three years spent in New York and Copenhagen) and I still walk down streets I’ve never before seen, find pubs on streets I’ve walked down a million times, see building change and grow.

I know how to get the best and even love it at its worst.

Samuel Pepys had it right.

I adore my Capital. Even at its worst, it’s lifted me.

But we can get milk delivered for less than a pound within an hour at any time of day or night in London. Can you do that up north?

That is such a strange thing to brag about. I’ve never needed milk at 3am so cant say not having a 24/7 milk delivery is something I worry about often.

London schools are excellent.

I love visiting family there but I also always breathe a big sigh of (fresh air) relief when I get back to the town I live in, surrounded by forest, lake and fields. I love the vibrancy and amenities of London, especially the amazing nightlife but I find the constant tube-hopping and small apartment/house living tiring and a bit claustrophobic. I've lived in cities and also rurally and enjoyed both, but these days I relish the relaxation of the countryside for day-to-day living, and child rearing. But each to their own!

Everything Mummadeeze said. Redneck no green spaces? What about Hampstead Heath, Wimbledon common, Epping forest. Lee Valley Park where you can walk for 15 miles along the river, Wanstead flats, Nunhead cemetery (which is also a nature reserve),Hyde park, Battersea Park, Clissold Park, Finsbury Park, Mile End park, Dulwich park, Greenwich park, Peckham rye park, Springfield Park, Victoria Park and about 100 other parks.
There are loads of places where I have no desire to live and some that I positively dislike. However, I don’t feel a need to start threads asking people to justify why they like living there. It’s only Londoners who get asked this.

OP no one drives because it's impossible to park and takes forever.

also the buses take forever.

so if you don't like the Tube, that's a problem.

Mummadeeze has written a lovely post saying what she likes about it. It's a good summary of what I hate about it and why I can't wait to leave.

I used to love London - I was born and raised here. 30 years ago it was lovely. Now the overcrowding, children everywhere, impossible to drive, pedestrianised, hell hole factor is much much bigger.

I live in Zone 5 but avoid central London unless I have to go for work. I saw another poster - different thread - saying only people who live in Central London are in central at the weekend - I didn't find that at all.

it's just fucking heaving all the time.

quite why anyone would want to live atop Neal's Yard is beyond me - but if you want to, then go for it! I am just hoping that London keeps getting pricier and outside of London doesn't - that way we get more from our money when we move out!

PS If I lived in Hampstead or something I'm sure I'd feel differently - there's a place you could actually live but you'd need a few million for a house and garden.

or probably 1 million for a flat!

What's amazing about living in all that pollution?

Nothing.

I also love that there's always something new to discover. today I discovered that I could get milk delivered at 4am if I had the urge 😂

London schools are excellent

Every single one of them?

Or is it rather like everywhere, some great schools, some average and some poor?

If you do an advanced search you'll see this gets discussed over and over and over. Funnily enough, people are different, have different needs, different priorities, different incomes and therefore different opinions.

I don't live in London but my sister does and I see the appeal. I was actually born in London but left when I was about 18mo. My parents lived there in their 20's and 30's and consequently they took us about once a month when we were children/teens. Every time I go back it feels like I'm going home. The look of the buildings, the street signs, the smell, the buzz, people sitting outside the cafes and bars in the street, the eclectic mix of people and interests, street performers and so much more. I always feel a little sad when I leave. I went last week with my children and it felt like I was back in my groove.

Oh and it always, always, gets heated

Quite like visiting but I wouldn't want to live there.

@ImAGoofyGoober It was in response to the comment that everything is the same up north. It isn't. We have everything available elsewhere and more, with the added benefit that London never shuts down.

When I lived in the countryside, life stopped in the early evenings. Sundays were a non-starter! Buses every hour, nothing to do, all the shops shut.

It's great if you're a night owl or if you work shifts - the city is always awake.

Or is it rather like everywhere, some great schools, some average and some poor?

I'm guessing that ..... it's rather like everywhere

DH and I lived in Islington when we were first married and loved the art galleries, museum, restaurants etc that we had access to. But when we decided to have children we moved out. Partly for cost but also because I couldn't imagine having a baby in London. We don't regret it. Our nearest station has several trains an hour to London with the fastest taking 35 minutes. So we did regularly go the with the dc for outings, museums etc. However we also have the countryside on our doorstep and we prefer that.

DC are now adults. DS1 says he wouldn't ever want to live in London, Ds2 says he'd love to live in a big city (currently at uni in a fairly big city). Different things suit different people

It's great to live near rather than in. I always like to be within easy reach distance of London but like to live somewhere less full on. I love the ease of transport, how a trip to one place can become lots of places and the variety. I love the feel of different neighbour hoods. But I then like to retreat!

OP: London schools, on average and in general if compared like for like against intake, outperform schools nationally. There are all sorts of stats as to how much more likely you are to be sending your child to an ‘Outstanding’ school inside London than elsewhere.

U16s and U18s in full time education get free bus travel and half price on everything else. Nobus fares to school, ever. U10s are also free on tne tube. So London teens have huge opportunity to travel far and wide.

I am always really shocked at the prices in the Budgens that serves my Mum’s town compared with London supermarkets.

I was brought up in provincial suburbia, and I love living in London and bringing up my kids here. We escape to Kent and Sussex for weekend camping trips for our peace and quiet fix.

Hoolieswaistcoat there was a thread recently asking why people would want to live in my town, so it's not just London.

Lighthouse I must admit I haven't been to Neal's Yard, but it looks idyllic on Instagram

MrHoolieswaistcoat

Yes London has 35,000 acres of green space but it’s not countryside