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 😬

I bloody love London 😍 we have everything we could wish for on our doorstep, theatre, shops etc. Dc’s are growing up in a very vibrant environment.
Wouldn’t want to live anywhere else!

but MrHoolieswaistcoat was responding to the poster who said there was 'no green space' in London. Obviously it's not 'countryside' , it's in London

Mainly I just worry about my son getting stabbed, tbh. I am not there atm, but he is.

I think it depends on London living and what that means. Actual central London living especially when young is exciting and great. 3 kids living in Dagenham or Dartford isn't that great IMO and you may as well move somewhere cheaper and more picturesque. And yes I know those places aren't really London but people who live anywhere within the vicinity of the M25 seem to describe themselves as living "IN London" like they live next door to Buckingham Palace

Scrub that explains it re cheap transport if under 18's are free. Is that the school journey only or weekends/evenings too?

What towns near but not in London are nice and have easy access to Central London?

There’s loads of green space in London!

Transport is great. Fantastic choice of different world cuisines. Vibrant markets with lots to see and enjoy. Plenty of free museums, galleries and exhibitions. Brilliant theatre shows. Lovely parks and woodland areas. An abundance of quirky bars, cafes, restaurants etc... Festivals galore. Favourite parts of London: Spitafields market, borough market, tower bridge, Covent Garden, Greenwich, Carnaby St, Regents Park, Southbank and so much more

Also it's not a choice between London and rural isolation. "Up North" could mean living in York, Leeds, Manchester or Liverpool City centres amongst other places. Where yes you can get milk 24 7 and there is public transport readily available

I lived in London in the "swinging 60s". It was brilliant. Then moved away. Twenty years later commuted to work in London in the 80s and 90s. Loved working there then - the buzz, the 24 hour city life etc. But also loved to escape back to my country village. Best of both worlds. I would hate to live there now.

I don't live in London but I love it. I think it'd be good to live there if you're rich but otherwise not. On my salary I wouldn't be able to afford anywhere to live (read a thread yesterday where a couple were looking to rent a flat for 2k a month and the couldn't get one near the centre!) and I would be able to afford to go to the shows, plays and concerts I'd want to go to

Fourfried I follow a (Black) woman o n IG and she frequently mentions the stabbings [sadface].

We stayed in Whitechapel once and had read on TripAdvisor that it was a 'dodgy' area at night but must admit we never felt unsafe. We were a family though walking together, are certain demographs more vulnerable than others?

i was in Holland park yesterday and it was beautiful, very tranquil, lots of lovely green spaces in london! I would move back there is a heartbeat. I live in south herts now and it's just dull, not theatres or places to go, just dull people you see all the time with quite closed minds. i think I might move back to London at some point, you just like it or you dont.

You can find something different to do with the kids every day of the year. It's very green (don't know what PP was on about), lots of great parks and city farms. Whatever cuisine of the world you fancy, you can find a restaurant or a supermarket. Public transport is great apart from tube strike days - and it's free for kids which makes it cheap for families compared to pretty much any other UK city.
You don't need a car at all but if you do, there's Zip cars. Plenty of very good schools. It's marvellously diverse. It's got a vibe and a soul of its own. Massive job opportunities.

Downsides: pollution and noise. Expensive as well but depending on your line of work wages can be significantly higher.

We moved away from London and I miss it terribly.

I pretty much always feel safe in London. If there was somewhere I didn't really feel safe at all it would be Woolwich. Felt uncomfortable walking around alone at night there. But many places have areas where people don't feel safe. My brother was mugged in Central Oxford outside a museum!

" are certain demographs more vulnerable than others? "

yes teenage boys and young men, mainly, especially if they are involved in any way in selling weed/other drugs.

My son doesn't do that, but he does buy it a lot.

I love it, but it isn’t to everyone’s tastes. I enjoy the vibrancy, the diversity and the anonymity of it.

I have got to say it’s rare we go into central London. We live in Clapton, close to the river lea and it’s incredibly peaceful and feels at total odds with peoples general perception of London

I think the public transport is really cheap - busses are £1.50 a journey which is way cheaper than when I work in Manchester or Leeds where trams and busses cost a fortune!

Also find that it feels safter at night as there are so many people around, and like others have said the ability to go and do/or get pretty much anything you want at all times makes the possibilities seem endless!

Do miss the countryside (yorkshire born and bred) and the big supermarkets/ use of a car to go to B&Q! But on the flip sides the parks and childrens areas are amazing - waterparks, petting animals, sandpits everywhere!

For the same price you could live in another city (with 24 hr shops for your milk;-)

And afford to visit London for the culture every weekend.

Can I ask those of you who live there if you are overcrowded? On the other thread a family of 4 are living in a studio flat, I cannot see how that would be desirable or comfortable, unless London studios are massive? Is that common? I know when my friend was looking into moving there they were considering a 1 bed (with 2 dc) basement flat and houseboat. Again, living by choice in a 1 bed with several dc would not be easy living for me but I suppose you learn to make the most of available space and live minimally.

Buses are free all day every day for under 18s and 18 year olds in full time education. Tubes are half price.
Student and apprentices get discounted travel. Over 60s and people with a pretty wide range of disabilities (including anything that would stop you driving) get free travel.

God I love being in London

I have everything I could want on my doorstep

I grew up in suburbia dependent on my parents to ferry me around, getting anywhere to do anything required getting in the car

I love having such a wealth of opportunities within a short tube or bus ride (I also generally walk a couple of miles every day anyway). And there's 24/7 Uber, no pre booking taxis hours in advance.

I've seen so, so many amazing West End shows - often last minute as I can nip there after work

Every world cuisine you can imagine - and right to my sofa as more and more are on Deliveroo.

I like yoga - there's 4 different yoga studios within a mile or so from my house, get on a tube or bus and there's tonnes more. So I can do a class pretty much any time I like - I don't have to try and make the one class a week at the church hall.

My friend decided to try Circus school. She now goes to trapeze classes every week after work, just round the corner from her office.

It's having so many different options so convenient even just of the everyday stuff. That's before you even get to all the wonderful cultural opportunities.

And the parks! London parks are just glorious.

I'd hate to live there on my salary but I would absolutely love to live there if I could afford a flat on my own and decent disposable income. Unfortunately that would mean more money than pretty much anyone my age makes.

We lived in London til we were in our forties with small children. I think after a while the buzz of the busyness and culture rubs off somewhat. I think if we lived in a fucking great house/ flat in Hampstead/ Kensington or whatever we would have stayed, but generally speaking boxy flat living with kids while ageing is grim and we were also craving a slower pace of life.

Redneck you said there is ‘no green space’ not ‘there is no countryside’. I just don’t get why people feel the need to slag off Londoners. These threads come up with boringly predictable regularity.
I understand why lots of people would hate living in London. Thankfully, nobody is asking you to move here so why the need to make constant digs at those of us who like living here?
Sadiq Khan tentatively talked about London becoming independent from the rest of the U.K. in the light of the Brexit vote. Personally, I would back this as it means we can keep all the revenue we create which subsidises poorer areas and everyone can shut the fuck up moaning about us.

For some of us London is also just home and where our family and friends are!