Oh London town...

[AlexisInfectious®]

So I go back to London over Chrimbo to see the folks.
I lived in south London for my first twenty years of life but haven't lived there for about 14 years.

What a horrible place.

Within minutes of getting off the M1 I was sick of the driving conditions.
People cutting me up left, right and centre.
Driving is not a contact sport.
And then on new years eve I'm packing the car with bags of prezzies when four "youths" run past me making odd jiggling noises.
I look up to see them disappear round a corner.
Something smells fishy methinks.
Turns out they had just robbed the local shop my Mum visits every morning.
Held up a lone pregnant woman no less.

Why do people live in London?

I know it has theatre's and galleries and whatnot but that doesn't help with the day to day quality of life.

 

[Edo]

London is a hole. I only live 20 miles north of it but avoid it, apart from when I train there on Thursdays.

I would never choose to live there.

 

[KurtB]

Yeah, because US cities dont have areas that suck

 

[BarbG]

Sad to say but i think most cities are heading that way in UK.

 

[annab]

Bwaaaaaaahaaaaaaa!

I used to live right outside of Wash DC when it was the Murder Capitol. The "Beltway Snipers" started popping people about 2 miles from where I grew up. I took Police Firearms Training in the middle of SE Wash DC (Cait knows about Annacostia ). And let's not start about how bad the drivers around the Washington Beltway can be. I could get into Orlando, Florida but that is another story all together.

 

[chives93]

I now live in a small rural Yorkshire village. Nice people. Everyone says hello and looks after their houses. Nearest thing I've seen to a crime was some ne'er-do-wells breaking a window three years ago.
It baffles me why more people don't live like that.

 

[superchick30823]

Why did I think you were American? My apologies.

 

[UnaBlogger]

ah yes, the murder capital! oh, and the beltway snipers! i remember that, a little too vividly! and yes, best just to not mention Annacostia... and the roads have only gotten worse - they've not built any roads in the 20+ years i've lived here, even though the population as quadrupled. it's lovely.

 

[LeightonE]

LOL... well I've been in London for 4 years now never been in a place where I've met a wider variety of people. It's really not all that bad... it's got it's good points and it's bad points just like every city but I'd chose London over any other English city I've visited. Generally not driving a car I think helps but well that's easy because you can walk most places or public transport apart from the usual complaints is everywhere. And PA I'd likely be one of those people that couldn't hack a life in a small town for too long...

 

[SandiBeach]

If find lots of British cities to be damp, dark, depressing and generally dilapidated. London is not exception. It also smells. But, it's good for stuff like multiculturalism and all the good things that go with it. It's hard not to get caught up in some sort of buzz there.
However, there is a feeling there, when wandering around, I ask myself "can *this* really be the centre of one of the world's largest economies?". It makes little sense at times.
Still, you could always say: London - 8 million people can't be wrong!*

* Plus those illegals hiding under the carpets

 

[SaraConners]

I like London. It's hard to find a place with so much diversity. Not only in people, but simply from area to area. Just a short bus ride or walk can take you into a completely different world. There are so many different people you can potentially know and, being so jumbled up, it is possible to have an enormous variety in the types of people and places you send every day with.

 

[am_dalton81]

You can smell London from about 30 miles away - gross!

 

[devorak]

Sorry, that might be me.

 

[javber26]

Of course, London has its problems, like pretty much everywhere, but overall I like the place.

I simply couldn't do life in a small town. Now way. Maybe when I'm old and retired but right now I need quick and easy access to anywhere and everything.

 

[fuzzballjean]

I don't mind it but then I've lived here all my life, so I suspect I'm used to it. Plus I don't live too near any particularly scummy areas.

That said, I've met several people recently who were born and grew up in London, moved away for several years, came back and found they couldn't stand it any more. I suspect if I ever leave I'll feel the same way.

 

[goislam17]

I think that's it, if you live in a big city you're use to it. All the amenities close to hand. Why would you ever need to leave London? No other city in the Uk is like that.

 

[PedroQ]

Born and Raised and I have worked in the city now canary wharf since i was 15, the main reason I can't just upstakes and leave is my job it's not really something done outside of the financial markets, I would actually enjoy moving out so I am going to move a few miles from where i currently reside to a slightly nicer area, where i live is 2 miles from barking 1 from ilford you can guess the other not so nice areas close by, they don't seem to have had an adverse effect on my area yet! but I think they will in the end.

 

[silentnonrev]

I really enjoying visiting London, being a gallery type person. I had the opportunity to study there at Goldsmiths College but I couldn't really cope with the idea of moving there on my own and dealing with it. A lot of my old uni friends have ended up down there,but I don't fancy living there. Suppose I'm a real northern lass at heart I'm happy with visiting and enjoying it then escaping back up north again.

 

[KarisF]

Yep, but with your job you could work in many places around the world. why stay in London?

 

[almightyanswerere]

Always spoken to London based clients, if my clients ended up being in HK or Tokyo I would be gone in an instant, HK would be perfect then I could train there in the same MA always wanted to visit both places, but my job has always kept me here.