To fall out of love with London

[LoveToGiveAdvice]

I have moved out a few years ago, originally I thought it will be temporary and I would want to move back. But now, I can't see the appeal of London at all. I mean yes, there are museums, theatres, restaurants but it is not like I have time /money to go there every week.
Other observation is that salaries are not much different outside of London when you account for housing costs.

I love it , but it did ring true when someone said that for many ‘you are paying a very high price for a life you aren’t having ‘ at that time it was all work, childcare, domestic stuff, certainly wasn’t galleries, talks, shows , restaurants - so I did kind of get what they were saying.

Nope. I’m 55 and happily living in inner London with lots of friends a similar age who all still live in London too. The only ones talking about moving are actually planning to move more centrally into London now their kids are almost finished at uni. None of us grew up in London as we all moved here as graduates so it isn’t a case of staying because it’s where we grew up.

My retired age 60-something cousins came to stay recently and completely fell in love with London life and would love to move here if they could afford it. Their reaction to London was “OMG you’re never moving back home, are you?! Neither would we!” 😂 It was really lovely for me to see how much they enjoyed everything we did and they said by being with me they “saw the real London and how people actually live”. And they loved it.

@Crikeyalmighty I think that's it, a lot of people aren't living the life here that people imagine they would be and pay a lot for it so get somewhat disillusioned.

Most of the time I go out in my own little part of London in terms of restaurants, theatre etc as opposed to central every week. I don't even work in town anymore thank god.

@EmeraldRoulette very interesting post 👏

It's very sad so many schools are closing though as that does change a city, the numbers are pretty mind blowing.

@hangerup if you live near Clapham junction you might be able to? I would need to check though

Nope that's z2

Zone 4 SE London. Central London is 20 minutes away, thank you lizzie line, the Kent coast is 90 minutes away on a bad day.

Oh do you mean to get to Brighton from CJ? It would still take me more than hour as I don't live minutes from CJ.

Zone 4 SE London. Central London is 20 minutes away, thank you lizzie line, the Kent coast is 90 minutes away on a bad day.

Did you actually read my post? 😆

I said I can't do central in 15 door to door or 1 hour to the coast, nor can you..

I lived there for 10 years. Loved it at first, but by the end I was over the busyness. Didn't realise how much the constant noise of the place was bothering me until we moved in temporarily with my parents, who live in the country, after we left London.

It was a shock, but such a nice reset.

But we left the UK when we left London.

I never count a journey by just the train or tube time, for me it's always door to door and why I pay a premium to live under 10 mins from a station.

Really? Whereabouts do you and all your friends live? It sounds as though you are in Chelsea, or live overlooking Hampstead Heath? Or perhaps Barnes? Wimbledon Village?

GFY

Im not sure what point is

Adore London. It’s so much more than museums and galleries and grumpy commuters

I’ve never known any grown up want to live in London by choice.

What on earth do you suppose is keeping us all here?

God no!! Chelsea or Barnes would have me running away screaming. So so incredibly dull. To me those are places for people who don’t really like London. 😂I live in Spitalfields. My friends are all over the place from Mile End to Chiswick to Palmers Green.

Reading some comments where people live in SE London and have a good commute to the centre and quick escape to the country side.
And perhaps that would have been a good compromise for me.

For those asking what's the point of my thread - it's a good question. There is no point of it, just posted.

Spitalfields what a slum. Who the hell wants to live there.

Gosh yes, it’s really dreadful. Nothing to do. And can’t get a decent meal or drink for love nor money. Those damn artisans and creatives everywhere ruining things with their bloody ideas.

So glad I’m not alone in noticing!

Nah. London ‘TIl I Die!

I lived there all my life till a year ago. I always swore blind I'd never leave, especially as we bought when housing was just about affordable.

I found though I wasn't really utilising it, especially as I got older and then lockdown happened. Plus the Internet meant I didn't need to use Oxford St etc. I used to love big shopping centres, now places like Westfield leave me cold. I don't go in for expensive restaurants and while I love live music I hate big venues like the O2.

Last year I moved to Frome in Somerset and have embraced small town life. There's much more of a community feel here. I've made friends and love knowing it's easy to meet up with people here. I love small venues like the Cheese and Grain.

I miss London a bit. Frome isn't very diverse. For instance I lived in Haringey which has a high number of Turkish people, and there is an area called Green Lanes which has a number of good value, high quality Turkish restaurants. Aside from a couple of take away kebab shops, Frome only has one decent Turkish restaurant, which due to a lack of competition is £££.

Public transport including cabs is pretty rubbish in Frome which means it's harder to get round especially in the evenings when you want a drink. Plus I don't drive (long story, in brief I think I'm dyspraxic, and struggle with practical tasks like driving) though my husband does. I really miss TfL and Uber!

Aside from that, I've not regretted it and miss London far less than I thought I would!

oh I see. 👍🏻

I lived in London for several years while doing my masters and doctorate. I really enjoyed my time there and I'd love a magic portal to all my favourite bits so I could spend an afternoon browsing the bookshops in Bloomsbury, or the galleries and markets but I wouldn't want to live there again. I'm not bored of it at all but I prefer life in Scotland.