To think London has become a parody of itself?

[NattyBrickMember]

Everything is overpriced, gentrification is out of control, and the chaos somehow feels unbearable and iconic at the same time. AIBU to think London has become a caricature of what it used to be - like a city pretending to be itself for tourists and TikTok?

It's dead in Shoreditch, but it's not dead in London. My mate has a club called the cause in Canning Town, massive, open until 6am, full of young people, best queer night in town called adonis adonis adonis. I promise you, it's not dead, we just aren't going to the raves anymore! Also Fold near Cause. And the hackney restaurant scene is the best I've found, up there with New York. I'm a bit further east, and we have very few chains, but lots of amazing small businesses, brilliant community. I'm nearly 50, and there's parties that happen every weekend somewhere in my postcode for people of my age - dancing, fun. Plus I go to the theatre in town as often as I can to see world class shows, there's incredible music, the museums and galleries are world class.
I agree, it's too expensive, and I worry about what will happen for young creatives, and people who keep the city running, when junior lawyers and bankers struggle to buy property. Central London is not good these days, but thats partly a transition away from the high street being for retail. That's happening in every town and city. And there's nowhere late night to go in central London unless you are a soho house member. But it's been 20 years since central London was the place to go for a proper night out anyway. But I agree, post pandemic, things just haven't reopened in the same way.
The public transport system is amazing though. I can get into Oxford Circus in 20 mins, and I'm 5 mins walk from the start of epping forest.
So it's not perfect, never has been, but it's still an amazing city, you just have to get out there and experience it.

I say this as a middle aged person but everyone who says "ooh it was more vibrant, more optimistic, cooler, more cutting edge, livelier 20 years ago", do you not think that is maybe because you were also all of those things then?

If your complaint is that London isn't vibrant or optimistic enough, I'm not sure moving to a village, small market town or to the seaside is going to provide you with that sense of optimism or vibrancy instead.

Perhaps we all just got older?

Although the population of Londoners below 25 has declined in recent years due to Brexit (fewer young Europeans coming to work from a year or two in casual jobs), cost of living and higher student fees/debt encouraging more students to stay at home, it is still a much younger and more vibrant place than anywhere else in the UK.

25 years ago middle aged people were also complaining about gentrification, rising cost of housing, the Islington metropolitan elite (this was Blair's era) or Britpop recycling cliches of the 1960s and not being as cool as the punk movement was.

It's the circle of life.

Tbf this thread probably has the wrong demographic for discuss re nightlife, buzz etc

yes it's the sense of creativity which has been steamed out of it. Lots of music venues and clubs are gone.

you need youth & energy for that, new blood. That is what is being lost. I'm visiting Manchester next week to see a relative at uni, apparently that's the new London.

Yes I think this is the core of it. We are older, no longer in the scene and craving something quieter, more affordable and bigger and London just doesn’t meet those needs for many of us.
25 year olds are still having a ball in London !!

@Staringatthemoon it's an edge which gives an excitement because things are slightly unpredictable.

If I had £1 for every London/avocado bashing thread that appeared on MN, I’d be sat in my 10 bedroom Chelsea townhouse right now, sipping on Krug. Generally these posts are authored by people who can’t afford London any longer and fancy putting the boot in. Go and live somewhere else, if you are finding your life unrewarding and too pricey move house, then do us a post from your new seaside town and tell us about all the things to do there, I want details of the things open Monday/Tuesday. These London pile ons generally seem to be posted by people who don’t feel an affinity to the culture on offer, that being the case, there’s not much any large capital city could offer you.

This is exactly what I thought of!

OP. Do you actually live in London? And if you do? Where? That's quite pertinent given the size of London. Also, what do you mean by it's a 'parody of itself'. Instead of saying meaningless phrases, actually list examples.

I live in London, have done so all my life - almost fifty years - as did my parents. (As my name suggests, am in Barbican). London is constantly reinventing itself. That's the joy of it. If anything, I do find it more down at heel than it has been for a while, but that's more a circular thing - some of the City, particularly where I live, hasn't really bounced back since the pandemic.

But on a great day, London is the best city in the world, something I am reminded off every time I walk across one of the bridges on the Thames and look at the views.

London is lovely if you have money.

But.

Went to London yesterday and saw dozens of tents outside a Westminster office building - a new encampment of homeless people that wasn't there last time. It's hardly the only one either - there are thousands of people sleeping rough in London. The cost of living, the price of accommodation, the cramping of local government finance - all these contribute to this disgrace, a society that can't treat all its people decently.

https://www.streetsoflondon.org.uk/homelessness/about-homelessness

I've lived in London for 40 years and it has changed a huge amount. It's massively cleaner, better presented, better transport. It used to be pretty filthy and chaotic, and you roamed - and drove! - all over it with a sense of belonging and ownership. It felt like a hangover from the 19th century in a lot of ways. It's magnificent now but not so much for Londoners as it was.

One thing different from my childhood is less diversity. The areas I lived in had lots of different races, religions side by side, lots of immigrants whereas some of those streets are now very white British.

Yes, I was out in the evening in London just last week and was struck by how many people were out enjoying themselves. Restaurants and pubs full and bustling. Made me think that this is probably partly why the birth rate is so low in London as everyone is having such a great time socialising. Before people pounce, of course I recognise CoL etc are other factors but I couldn't help but acknowledge the fact that London is offering young people a really great standard of life if you have enough money to enjoy it all.

It’s stupidly expensive now, that’s why.

I meant to add middle class.

I don't think my parents were necessarily working class or are neighbours but they were immigrants

Edinburgh is just the same. The old town is a place for tourists, not locals.

When I was a teen those areas mentioned were no go places

I love London. HTH.

I guess I'm unusual in the I'm a born and bred Londoner aged 76. Of course London has changed but in no way is it a parody of itself! I've also lived in Manhattan and Paris. Even Paris has changed since my first visit many years ago. Places evolve. Although I avoid major tourist places London is still a fantastic place to live, work and play. So yes OP, YABVU.

I went in June. Stayed in Whitechapel and did some tourist things and some wandering. I didn’t experience any of that - except the crowding on the streets, but you expect that. Last week was half term so will have been worse than usual for it too.
I love visiting London. Can always find something new to see and do.
I am a bit perplexed by these ‘constant strikes’ though. Not sure what the OP means.

I live in outer London and visit the City/West End 3 or 4 times a week for theatre\shopping\exhibitions\classes\socialising\tweakments. As a Greater London homeowner I can't comment on the rental market but feel qualified to take a view on strikes - what strikes?
There were some very inconvenient transport strikes in 2023 but most of those were national rail strikes, not confined to London. And packed tubes - yes, tubes can be very busy in the rush hour but for most of the day they are OK. And quick and easy to use. And at the times the Underground is uncomfortable, there are still buses, trams, river buses, bikes or even walking as alternative ways to get around.

i could be biased about public transport as I am in the happy position of being a 60+ London resident so for £20 a year I get a pass that gives me free transport across the entire TfL train/bus/tube/tram network from 9.30 am until 4.30am the next day. It's brilliant.

That is everywhere - Manchester and Birmingham also have very visible tents.
Cities really are struggling post COVID

With the exception of housing costs, which I think are sort of in line with the inflated salaries,

😆 inflated salaries

I concur that whilst public transport may not be as good as other cities, compared to the rest of the UK it's amazing.

Schools are closing & merging as families run to cheaper areas to live.

And that's bad for dc staying which does worry me tbh.

The falling rolls are quite something!

You forgot to mention the swarms of “roadmen” in clad in black, travelling in packs, on scooters, pushing thru crowds talking tough wearing face covering, stabbing selling drugs, stealing phones and starting fights over nuffin.
Thats hardly the parody. Anyone who cannot afford private security on their street has moved out.