Brooklyn NY to London--Where should we live?

[BklyntoUKmom]

Hi Everyone,

My family (me, DH, one year old son and 2 geriatric poodles) are moving to London in January. We are very excited (especially as DH is British and has been away for 15 years) but totally CLUELESS as to where we should consider living. DH is working near Green Park Underground Station and I was hoping that we might find an apartment or house to rent that is less than an hour commute for him. In addition, I am hoping to find a neighborhood with lots of other stay at home moms and young children.

In a word, I am looking for a place that accepts my mommy vibe and all that comes with it: the glamour of overloaded strollers (pushchairs), dirty diapers (nappies), pureed food chunks in the hair and inappropriate screaming at any moment.

I appreciate any advice you might have to share with a very bewildered American as she begins her thrilling journey into the land of Londonalia!

Come to Bromley. Half an hour to Victoria, nice walk through park to hubby's work and lovely area to live in. Lots of babies, pushchairs and inappropriate screaming. Great shopping centre, lots of parks for doggies.

What is your budget ? IMO that will probably have the most bearing on which areas you choose from.

What about schooling ? Do you need an area with good state schools or will you be taking the fee-paying option (or maybe home-schooling)?

Clapham is a great place to live. Great park, loads of mums with babies, cafe's, child friendly cinema. Hubby can commute in 20 minutes

Herne Hill?
Fab big park, Lido, gym, lots and lots of sah mums and babies activities, cafes, toyshop, bookshop, lovely bakery, deli, easy journey to Green Park, easy access to Central London.

Do either you/your dh plan to drive a car, or will you be reliant on public transport?

Will your dh need to travel/fly for work?

also, does DH still have family in the UK and would it be feasible to visit them on a weekend (may affect which side of london you want to live). Agree with blu that herne hill is nice , also greenwich or blackheath (always seem to be a lot of US expats in blackheath, suspect that they may all be rich CW-based investment bankers though - overspill from notting hill / holland park!)

West Hampstead's the place for you.

We've just taken on someone relocating to the UK (we're also close to Green Park tube) and they've settled with their family (SAHM and two little children) in West Hampstead. Commute is about half an hour, if that. Straight in on the Jubilee line.

The place is crammed with mummies with buggies and his wife commented to me the other day about how much there is to do for small children (it's Camden borough who do a lot in terms of drop-ins and sing & sign sessions and stuff). I live in Westminster but my one year old mainly goes to Camden for this stuff because it's much better.

Also proximity to Hampstead Heath and Regents Park is nice. Expensive to get a house though.

yes, west hampstead a good suggestion, I used to have a friend there who liked it very much. I suspect the cost factor is going to be critical - and also whether you know anyone in London (as you might want to be near them).

Wowee! I am so impressed to have gotten so many suggestions in just a few hours! I walk away from my computer and when I return, I am greeted by a wealth of suggestions/information. Thanks everyone!

To answer some of the questions posed, here goes:

Budget: we were hoping to keep it within 500-600 pounds per week for a 2 bedroom flat or house...is this realistic? I know that London is terribly expensive.

Family: DH has brother in Wimbledon which is a very nice area. We are hoping to live a bit closer into the city because DH's job will probably demand fairly long hours and, if he has a shorter commute, I might actually get to see him once in a while.

Transportation: While I aspire to someday become bold enough to drive on the left side of the road, we aren't planning on getting a car quite yet. At least in the beginning, we are hoping to be able to get around on public transportation primarily. We are public transportation veterans as we lived in NYC for 11 years and never owned a car! Now that we finally have a car (we convinced ourselves that it somehow legitimized us as parents), we only use it on the weekend for trips to the country. So, I suppose that I would need a location that is quite "walkable" on top of all my other esoteric requirements!

Again, thank you so much for all your input. I sooooo appreciate it. I can't wait to hear what you say next. Dare I sit idly by and stare at the screen as if gazing into crystal ball? No, no must go play with baby...

Are you bringing the dogs?
Lots of rentals specify no pets

You could come to Putney. Close to Wimbledon, and your DH could get the mainline train from Putney to Vauxhall (about 10 minutes), change onto the tube there and three stops on the Victoria line to Green Park.

And there's a very active W London Mumsnet group who meet up regularly, so you would "know" lots of people more-or-less in the area .

Yes. Must bring the dogs...they were my first children before I had the child. They are quite small, low energy and apartment savvy (i.e. housebroken). Sadly, it seems that dogs are often a sticking point in rentals regardless of the city. However, life wouldn't be the same without their companionship.

Check out www.kfh.co.uk and try searching. In Putney, for example, £500 per week would get you a very nice 3-bedroom apartment.

Putney's very nice by the way!
(from someone who used to be able to afford Putney..!)

Agree it's about budget - but also about politics, in London.

Let us know where you are on the scale from Very Right Wing to Middling to Very Left Wing and you'll get good advice about where you'll be happy.

Generally, the www.Primelocation.co.uk website is a useful tool. You can map search too.
Here's one in PUtney

www.primelocation.com/uk-property-to-rent/details/id/DOUL999000205/

Smallwhitecat, you should join in the West London group . We don't bite... (although since Mumsnet introduced this Mumsnet Local malarkey we're much harder to find... lurking here

Yikes! Politics! I can't really say where I fall on the British political spectrum. I mostly enjoy your politics for the salacious tabloid scandals that allege the involvement of various MPs.

All I can say about my own personal politics is that the president that I voted for is now a Nobel Peace Prize Winner...and sadly, not the president.

Thanks for the link! I am still a bit new to this mumsnet thing and was having difficulty finding the local links. Lauren (formerly of W London and now in Singapore) is the friend who told me to post my London questions here. She wasn't wrong...it has been so great to hear from everyone!

OK, that's clear..

I think you'll be happiest in North London.

Highgate/Islington/Hampstead/Camden (Primose Hill end) /Belsize Park/ are all very very posh areas but with a left-leaning history. And there are lots of other areas around the peripheries of these which would also suit.

Stoke Newington/West Hampstead/Tufnell Park/Crouch End are slightly less crazily posh (but still pretty pricey) versions of the above.

maybe I should have asked about your politics with small p: from philipina wetnurse to full-on eco-extended breastfeeding till 6 years old??

4 bed house in Merton Park, next door to me, is empty and available for £2200 a month?! (Most people haven't heard of Merton Park, but it's SW19, like Wimbledon). Close to district and northern lines, tram into Wimbledon and overground trains into London

when I say left-leaning I mean 'liberal' (just in case you think I mean Communist)

small "p" politics would put me firmly in the middle of the pack: breastfeeding vegetarian mommy who secretly relishes the day (sometime soon) when her boobies are once again her own....

How is the commute to Green Park from North London for DH?