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 😬

@jean I think it does depend on where you live and which tube line. It was a huge adjustment at first living further out, but luckily we have great transport links so I’m in central london for work and at wkends with toddler and DH. Plus we get the ‘villagey’ Feel of where we live. Win win for us.

Yep, it's all that and more.

Since that sounds like a great compromise, I work in London about 3 times a month and for me that's enough right now. I stay over see a show etc. Some places on the outskirts like you say can be a PITA but it think if I went back now I'd want to live in Greenwich or somewhere similar with the village feel

We used to live in East London (zone 2/3) and I worked in the City. Parks everywhere. The river Lea on my doorstep for running. No matter what you wanted to buy, somewhere would sell it. Shops open till decent times. Public transport available at all hours of the day or night. Easy to cycle around the city as there are bike lanes/boxes everywhere and the drivers are used to cyclists. I cycled to work and saved loads. If you wanted to try an activity there would be somewhere nearby that would offer it. Always, always something to do no matter the weather, and so much of it for free.

We moved away for many reasons, not least property prices (we lived in a 1 bed flat) and now live in a village in Wiltshire where we have a three bed house with a garden. There is no crime here. There is also absolutely nothing to do within walking distance, and even within driving distance there's very little to do on a rainy day with children. The public transport is crap so we have to run two cars, and don't bother going out much because of either having to drive and not drink, or having to pay through the nose for a taxi. It was much easier to make friends in London. Despite being in a village in the countryside there is no nice park within about 8 miles and the only place to go for a walk is round the housing estates. Everyone thinks the countryside is lovely but it's all just endless fields that just look the same. Can't cycle as it's far too hilly and roads are far too narrow. Nearest big town is about 7 miles away. My daughter is only 3 but I'm worried she's going to hate growing up here because of the sheer boredom of it all.

Things I like about living where I do: I can afford a house. There is no crime. It's a pretty short list. If I could turn back the clock I'd have stayed in London but I can't afford to go back now.

London isn't just the best city in the UK, it's probably the best city in the world. I never want to live anywhere else.

Yes. I lived there for 6 years and miss it desparately. I now live in a coastal city that I really don’t like much but we have own a home here and we couldn’t afford the London property prices for a similar place there.

Heh. My kids were picking French beans and blackberries today in Zone 3.

I'm transplanted from the countryside (grew up super rural) and have also lives in other cities including the vaunted Manchester- which while fantastic is Not The Same.

We have modest incomes (for London- civil service and voluntary sector). We're not overcrowded- 2 kids and 3 beds- we could have a big house in the North (where DH hails from) but not for us.

We do use all the amazing free stuff to do- DH had an afternoon to himself today and went to the Tate and sat on the Southbank for a bit. Last weekend the kids went to the national gallery and a free thing at Somerset house.

Yes there is more open country outside London but it's not always that accessible- my mum lives in a rural village and has to get in the car when she walks the dog as there aren't any suitable footpaths. You don't hang out at the beach every evening if you work full time. We have parks all over the place, you can bus to them all. I find rural areas cripplingly expensive too- no competition and public transport is just daft. Londoners know where to go for cheap eats and cut price culture- you would find this hard if you were just visiting.

I am very much looking forward to teenagers getting round under their own steam. And also being able to get out and do more cultural stuff again.

The main downside for me is the pollution. Westminster can get pretty hectic with tourists in summer but a wet Wednesday in November isn't so bad.

We're only overcrowded from the point of view that we have a boy and a girl, and DD's nearly 11, so should have her own room.

OP, you asked about living space. I live in zone 1 with 2 DC (in a 2BD so they share .) I realized a long time ago that people often "outgrow" houses because they acquire and keep lots of stuff they don't need. Ten years ago I was single and owned a 2500 sq ft home - which was packed to the gills with my stuff (home not in London sadly for my bank balance). Now I live in less than half that space with three other people and we do fine with clever storage and ruthless editing. Small house living can be done if the payoff is what you really want and we love living in London.

I love it - the theatre, the national parks, the fact that there is always something on. The museums. The school my daughter goes to is amazing, looks out onto a large heath, with a duck pond with quaint little shops. I live on the river thames and on warmer nights, have a drink at the local pub on the river then go home - London never sleeps, theres no place i would rather be (and im not even from here!!)

I think so. I bloody love it.

BUT I have friends and family who like it for a day, or who can’t stand it. Horses for courses!

DS and I made jam today with blackberries the kids picked in the woods behind our house. Zone 3.

How do u get milk delivered for less then a pound 24 hrs ?? This is news to me please advise

people dont realise you can get everything available in London in every other city in the UK.

as if those living in leeds or glasgow cant pop out to get a pink of milk, fresh coffee, or visit museums

It's all about where you live. I lived in London for a fair few years. I have lived in the middle of nowhere, a small town and various other places.
I live up north now. I am twenty minutes drive from theatres and cinemas, ten minutes walk from bars and restaurants. My local park has theatre performances and cinema in the summer. I can get to Manchester and Liverpool in half an hour (the same amount of time it took me on the tube in London). I have food delivered and can walk to get milk 24/7.
There is nothing I couldn't get in London. So I don't miss London at all - as much as I loved it.
It's all about what suits at the time.

I'm a born and bred Londoner. I've never left (am late 30's)

You can become quite disenchanted with London. It's noisy, busy, unfriendly, ugly - it's not for the faint hearted [and parts of London are truly awful..... I mean you wouldn't want to walk down certain streets]

BUT I would never want to be anywhere else. There is just so much here.... I would be here all night if I tried to list everything London has to offer.

London isn't for everyone, but it is for me.

I just visited the natural history museum today and there were literally thousands of people in there. You could not move or enjoy any part of it....it was a constant moving throng of people and we were sweating despite it only be 20c outside. It gave me a new appreciation for the National museum of Scotland. Went to aquarium later on today. Had to get a time slot. Slightly better than the museum but still a constant moving throng of people. In the city it is annoyingly busy. Brought up in Edinburgh so not a quiet city but can honestly say if I lived here I would rarely attend any event in the city. No thanks.

My in-laws have blackberries in their zone 1 garden

I grew up in a beautiful part of the country. Moved to London 17 years ago for work, now have two DC and another on the way. It’s only since having children that I’ve fallen for London. We did the shall we move out and commute but that really drove the benefits home. Generally good schools, good employment for mum and dad, fantastic parks within walking distance where density of population means that local authorities can invest in really good play areas, a dozen world class museums within easy access, half a dozen theatre choices for my ore schoolers each weekend if we want and dozens of activities (football, dance, music, swimming etc) within walking distance each weekend. We have found people
To be more broad minded and diverse than we have when outside of London which suits us and we can escape the city in various directions to do different things at the weekend if we want.

There are of course downsides. It’s not as outdoorsy as we probably would be if we lived outside of London and I worry about pollution. We have a house and garden but it is pretty ordinary to anyone outside of London and we both work pretty intense jobs to be able to afford it, but having grown up in the countryside and (another) city’s suburbs, I know this is a good choice for our kids.

people dont realise you can get everything available in London in every other city in the UK.

Things I love about London I couldn't get living near Manchester:

West end theatre shows (some may tour but usually not with the original West end cast)

Popping after work to world famous thinkers doing talks for free at the RSA

Cheap public transport everywhere - and often walkable

Yes there's uber and Deliveroo now up north where my dad is, but he loves coming down to London for all the cultural stuff he doesn't get in Manchester

London never stops. It's fantastic.
I don't think never stopping is fantastic at all!

I lived in London for nearly a decade. Loved it for a while, but got sick and tired of it and moved away with then DP before getting married and having dc.

I'd hate to live there with kids. I like the slower pace of life where we live, and the fact that the kids are a bit less streetwise. My two (10 and 13) don't even much like visiting cities, never mind living in one.

*people dont realise you can get everything available in London in every other city in the UK.

as if those living in leeds or glasgow cant pop out to get a pink of milk, fresh coffee, or visit museums*

This

Personally I can’t imagine anywhere I’d like living less than London, or indeed the whole south east.

The only advantage I can see is proximity to mainland Europe

I don't live in London (I'm on the very outskirts of zone 6!) but it is my favourite place in the world. I suppose it depends on your personality but I love the hustle and bustle, the different cultures, the huge amount of different things to do, the architecture, everything! I go to London as often as I can. If I could live there I would and preferably as centrally as possible (come on Lottery win!). I've been to cities all over the world but nothing matches London in my eyes.

Born and bred Londoner, albeit in the leafy suburbs. IMO it was better in the 80's, just like NY. 😂 .. it's far too busy and overcrowded these days and gentrification has made it less 'real', although obviously better looking.

I lived in zone 2 for six years. Four bed family house with an 80 foot garden, so plenty of space for the dc - we had French beans and blackberries! I liked the restaurants. I liked the diversity. We had friendly neighbours and community spirit.

But the noise, filth and general aggression of the city got me down. I hated fighting my way onto a bus every day, only for it to crawl along at a snail’s pace. I hated feeling unsafe walking home after I got off the bus when it was dark in winter (I was once woken up by the sound of someone getting mugged in the street outside). I hated the litter clogging the streets, the dog shit in the parks, the graffiti all over the stations. I hated that the only wildlife we saw was pigeons, foxes and squirrels (and the occasional rat). I hated that it would take an hour to drive out of London in any direction, in nose to tail traffic with aggressive drivers.

I’m so much happier since I left. I don’t miss it at all.