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 don’t think people in London worry about homicide. I think they worry about the 80,000 phone snatchings a year.
The fact that your chances of being murdered have fallen doesn’t compensate for the daily and constant fear of having your phone (and often therefore ID/banking) stolen.

I live in London and don’t spend a nano second worrying about having my phone snatched. Never mind living in ‘constant fear’

I just observe normal common sense wrt security and get in with my life.

Bully for you then. “nano second” 🤣

Literally no one, except possibly your spouse or children, gives a flying fuck what you think about London.

@FollowSpot. Hear hear

I think in your 20s and early 30s London is great.place to live
After that, a better place to visit. I think that's fine. Most of the things I want now aren't the same as in my 20s.

I’m still here at 65 🤷‍♀️ love it

I love it but some people don't. Not surprising really.

I've lived in London all my life and don't think I'll ever leave. But the idea that it was better in the past isn't really true. There was definitely a sweet spot in the 90s/early 2000s where the grottiness of the 70s/80s had gone and there was still a sense of freedom, but no one could look at the area around kings cross for example and say that it was better in the past

The story that crime is increasing is false and being spread online by those with political motivation to do so. I wish people would stop repeating it.
I’ve lived in London for 25 years, often in quite dodgy areas. Often as a single woman (who went out socialising a lot - remember the night bus before Uber made taxis more affordable??) I’ve never been mugged, robbed or assaulted. Nor have the majority of my friends.

It’s not usually Londoners whose phones get snatched, at least not those with a bit of self awareness. I live and work in central London and I only know of two people who’ve had their phones snatched, and one was a tourist. Just don’t walk around with your phone always in your hand - which is good manners anyway and will to stop you getting runover.

Do people really believe everything they read in shitty fear-mongering newspapers and paranoid Facebook reposts? Seems to be the case

No, I’ve been in london all my life too, and I don’t mean Enfield or Sydenham. And it’s crap now compared to how it was. It’s crowded, dirty, touristy, crowded, rude, tubes are crap, everywhere is packed and hyper expensive and charmless, aimed at tourists.

@DeLaRuiz What happened since August?!

How dyou mean?

You’ve completely changed your tune since you last posted on this thread back in August.

I’m sorry but the Tube is brilliant.

Certain parts of London are now unbearably crowded - Covent Garden, Oxford Street etc - but I can still walk around my old neighbourhood (canonbury) and find lots of charm.

I did move out though but that was financial and family led , but i make a point of spending maybe 2 days a month in London and I still adore it.

Oh, I bloody love the tube! It’s one of the (many) things that keeps me in London. It’s not a perfect service by any means, but my GOD it’s far superior to the transport almost anywhere else.

When there was that recent tube strike, I missed it so much and remembered how insanely lucky we are to have it. Buses are soooooo long winded. And when I stay with family in more rural areas, I always think how awful it is to have to drive everywhere:

I’ve just had to wait 12 minutes for a tube that wasn’t too packed to get on on my rush hour commute home…I was huffing and puffing to myself and then thought ‘hang on, there’s a train every 2-3 minutes on repeat and you’ve had to wait ooooh 12 whole minutes because you wanted a train with a seat. Are your diamond shoes too tight, aswell, Princess?!’ 😆

Love it so much here. Moved here after all the children grew up.

it’s so green and so friendly and public transport is amazing. I genuinely think people who complain about public transport here are mental, they’ve no idea how shit it is to drive just for a pint of milk. I can think of about ten different ways to get into town.

they’ll be carrying me out of here in a box.

(also Greenwich, which I think is the loveliest place on the planet as I live next to the park)

London is fucking perfect for me, I’ve never been happier in over 50 years of living in literally dozens of places round the Uk

tomorrow I’m off to see Susan Sarandon, I’ve just bought tickets today to see Ralph Fiennes. I’ve taken up 3 sports since moving here and I’m fitter now than when I was a teenager.

I use London Bridge for work at least 3 times a week and it is totally fine. It’s rarely as busy as somewhere like Waterloo and it far less busy than it used to be pre Covid.

This is what I want to do. Moved out of London, paid off my mortgage which would never have happened in London in a house big enough to house a family. I am fortunate in that we moved to a place where house prices were low when we bought but have risen faster than London prices. Also in line to inherit my mothers London house in the future. If I only need a flat in London I think I could afford it. All the amenities on your doorstep, free travel etc. I'd never move into the sticks as an older person as some do.

I love your post and I’m somewhat envious about your theatre tickets

I'm a west Londoner but left around 20 years ago to live overseas. I come back to visit DM regularly. It is a dump and so depressing. I wouldnt ever move back. Where I'm from is not a poor area, but you wouldn't realise that from looking at the high street. The council have got a lot to answer for, with their obvious lack of attention & spending. The streets are a mess, the shop fronts are dreadful, and so many closed down.

On the plus side, public transport is very regular. Way too many people as well.