To think I’ve missed out on an exciting life by never living in London?

[uuuuup]

Just that really. I can’t get it out of my head. I’ve lived in a large city and loved it and it makes me wonder how much I would have loved London. I’m all settled now with a child elsewhere. I feel I’ve missed out on so much?

I always hated London, but I had the opportunity to live there for a while with work, and I made my peace with it. It’s definitely like no other city in this country. It is special (as long as you stay in zone 1!) and getting to know it on an intimate level is brilliant. I never thought I’d like city life, and certainly not London. I wouldn’t want to be there forever as I feel you sacrifice quality of life to be there, as you’ll be house sharing or living in a small flat unless you live outside of zone 1 (or unless you’re stinking rich!) but I’m definitely glad I did it.

I live in zone 4 and yh do agree it's a bit shit. But all the fun stuff is in zone 1/2 so just take the tube

This! 👏👏 Grew up in central London and, even with the bad bits, it was pretty cool.

Now live further out and, while I still enjoy going into town for work and play, doing anything in London always seems much more of a faff these days, so I'm always content to leave it behind.

Nope!! I lived in London for 2 years on shite pay and it was absolutely awful. It’s just SO expensive. Didn’t have a penny in disposable income. The job was awful too (I moved for the job) I don’t know if it was just my industry but no one had any work boundaries at all and worked every hour god sent (or went off to the pub… with their colleagues)

I came back up north with my tail between my legs and about £10k worth of debt and have never, ever looked back. Fabulous city to visit now but I’d never wish to live there ever again.

This.

Most of the people I grew up in London with have fled the overcrowding and the house prices for somewhere more livable,

🙄
If a poster wrote this about Manchester/Glasgow/Cardiff it would probably get deleted.

No. I’m a born and bred Londoner who moved out to the Home Counties 20+ years ago and would never move back.

Central London is great for a night out - we regularly go out out in Shoreditch, Brick Lane, Farringdon etc but I’m always pleased to be in the late night train home to my more peaceful home town

I don’t miss living in London at all. All of my mates have moved out too and we all feel the same.

I love London and mini break there often. I would love to live there but only if I was wealthy. The cost of houses makes my head hurt and to pay £1500 for a 1 bed flat is not something I could afford or want. I genuinely don’t know how people manage.

So if I could afford to live in the vicinity of Kings road I’d move tomorrow but I can barely afford a meal there never mind a house! I do love London it’s my favourite city in the world

I was brought up in London. Partied 5/7. Acid house all over town. Had the best time. Culture. Clubs etc.
Moved to zone 3 when I had my daughter, then moved to zone 5 for better schools. Then zone 6/kent.
My kids have had the best of both worlds.
Now I move away. London is my past, not my future. An easy, beachside I welcome you

Did I love growing up in London?
Do I now no longer live here

TBF I grew up in zone 2 and did all that.

I loved living in London in my 20's but it was too expensive. It was an amazing experience with so much opportunity. I lived in a great area with Notting Hill a five minute walk and Portobello Road at the end of my street. If I could afford it, I would move back in a heartbeat.

You have options op, you could visit London more often. You could consider moving there. You could also learn to be happy with your lot. Living in London you'd still need to work (presumably) and take care of your child (children?) and navigate life. It might not be as exciting as what you have built up in your head. Was there an opportunity to move there when you were younger that you are now regretting not having taken up?

Its not about free stuff stuff, its the cost of basic stuff like housing.

Personally I don't mind the odd day out in London but would hate to live there. I think it depends what sort of person you are. We live in a small market town in open countryside and I just feel claustrophobic in London. Too many people, not enough space. Plus London is EXPENSIVE!!

I absolutely love living in London (apart from housing costs). It's an amazing city and when i do get to go out and explore it's wonderful. But tbh most of my life is fairly boring. Like living anywhere, most of my time and energy is hoovered up by work, chores, obligations... most evenings I'm just tired at home in front of the TV! So id say come here for holidays and just enjoy :)

I moved here at 22 and will be carried out in a box. I love it. DP loves it too. We're both from a rural area. My retirement plan is moving to zone 1. We've lived in a couple of other capitals for work and it doesn't compare.

I think people often hate on it because they come as tourists, ram onto the tube at peak tourist season, and bleed money through the nose eating in central London because they don't know the cheap spots. London is more like a series of villages. Londoners don't spend all their time going to west end shows.

I find most things lots cheaper as well than the areas we are from (competition) and there are free things on, or pay what you can, every day.

It's the housing that's the total killer though, it's insane. We live in a much smaller house than we would elsewhere in the country. It's worth it for us though.

Lots of green spaces further in have been built on.

There are spaces where I grew up and hung out that weren't built on until I was in my 30s and early 40s.

I wonder what is prompting your regret that is pointless because you can't go back.
My brother lived in London and visited when young. I liked it but had no desire to live there, plus I was off to uni anyway. I enjoyed Camden and Covent garden.
Now I can get the quick train in, from Surrey see a show with friends and be back home tucked up in bed just after midnight. I like the bus and tube but wouldn't want to do it every day.
You can visit. Stay overnight?

Thanks! I feel better reading these posts. I think the poster hit the nail on the head when they said it’s more about feeling trapped with a child. I think that’s it. It’s like the opportunity has gone. I know I COULD move with my child but it would be crazy to do that when they have a large home and garden and easy life where we are. I suppose I feel im really old now and time has passed to do lots of carefree things. London represents carefree to me.

But you still have the opportunity to be carefree in the future?

I lived and worked in London in my 20s and 30s then moved away to bring up kids.
Planning to move back to London once the kids all on their path, and as centrally as possible.

It's the greatest city in the world, the history, the culture, the buzz!

To be honest, part of what makes London great is that so many people leave. The area I live in is now fashionable because there has been a complete change of population. 95% of the people who grew up there pre 2000 have moved away to what they consider "better" areas in the home counties. Then young people from all over the world moved in, stayed, have had families, and the area changed. The energy of London comes from who leaves as much as who moves there and who stays.

I love where I live. But if I ever had to move then it would be to London. It’s the complete opposite to where I do live but the history, the parks, the museums etc would keep me busy for the rest of my life.

I visit London around 4 to 5 times a year …..always find something new to see….something different to do…..I wouldn’t want to live there though…..always happy to get back on the train and go home

This is easy. Yes you have. Same would be true of some other places: e.g., Paris yes, Birmingham no.

I hate London. Filthy place. Every time I go there I can't wait to strip off and get into a shower.
Can't hold a conversation whilst walking in the street cos of the traffic noise. Breathing in fumes at every turn. Inhuman attitude to homeless people.
What a hole.