Trout

iTrader: (1)

A thought for all the lemmings who are about to rush from these shores as we have it so bad here

Over the past couple of years when I have met with people around the world I have been surprised by the increasingly consistent view that the greatest international city in the world is London. This is from New Yorkers, Parisiens, Indians and even the odd Australian.

The Americans think that New York has now lost out by being too sanitised and not as international as it used to be.

The view consistently is that London is vibrant, truly international, the finance hub that was once dreamed off is now becoming reality as a number of key US investment houses have now moved their key operations from the US to London (unimaginable ten years ago).

It is now regarded a cultural and media capital by many.

There was an excellent article by a New Yorker this morning in the Times reiterating many of these points (although some are anecdotal and some from recent business pages).

Strange that so many residents just can't wait to leave

Personally I love it even though (because) I don't live there but spend three days a week there.

Rannoch

KiwiGTI

It's a total ****hole inhabited by transients, rude people, gangs, poverty stricken locals and wide boys.. Most of the people who work there commute in from nicer places. I live in possibly the nicest area and I can't wait to get out.

While it has great history and institution it is not a nice place to live.

Clarebabes

I would never live in London, ever. It's OK to visit once a year, but I would never live there or think of living there.

I had a friend from school who moved to London. Suddenly she forgot she was from Essex and started talking like she was brought up in Sloan Square. I couldn't quite understand it.

CasuMarzu

Sloane

Clarebabes

Whatever.

Clarebabes

<--- forgot to add

Freak

Lived there for years, in one of the better areas (Angel).
Never again.

Its a ****ing dump, & needs levelling and starting from scratch.


I have never been anywhere more culturally diverse and accepting than New York. Its a melting pot of all sorts of cultures.
Side by side there is literally no comparison in every possible category.

P1Fanatic

Dont think much of the place tbh. Can count the number of times I visit in a year on 1 hand and Paddington is 30 mins on the train.

Other than concerts and motor shows (and Krispy Kreme Donut Outlets) I dont really bother. Lots of others make such a fuss about going there but I just dont see the attraction. Its mostly crowded, over priced, dirty, tacky and full of weirdos. Oh and every other shop seems to be a Starbucks!

If youve got lots of Wonga to frequent the top restaurants, hotels etc then its probably has more of an attraction but for average joe like me I just dont see it.

Simon

Triggaaar

That says more about your friend than London.

There are some really nice places in London. Being the size it is, it's best if you know where the nice places are, because there are plenty of not so nice areas.

Chip

London is great. Already had 2 weekends up there so far this year. So much to see and do!

Chip

KiwiGTI

Great capital city. Shame about the awful BBC-Comment-Columnists-Gerard Baker-TimesOnline

At least he does agree with the residents perspective.

Quatto

London is great...If you live in Surrey, or your other half fancies a shopping spree LOL.

There are better places on the globe, that's certain.

unclebuck

LOL - not quite the same as living there.

I did - for four years. Bang in the centre. That was enough.

Trout

iTrader: (1)

That was my view too...and yet even the New York press now has it's nose pressed up against the glass looking at London...

...and the Finance Sector isn't just looking it is moving here

gotmashed

The few times ive had to go there i could not wait to leave. Hate the place

Suresh

Bet she stuck her white bag and matching stilettos up on e-bay too, the snobby cow

Seriously though, London is brilliant to visit , but a horrible place in which to work or live from my experience.

Clarebabes

Too true!

AudiLover

Angel is ok, but is surronded by sh!te.

Freak

Caledonian road- ghetto tastic.
Feel safe in the bronx and harlem at 4am compared to there

Captain Jack

A filthy, stinking, grotty, festering carbuncle upon the landscape. A pox upon London and its inhabitants.

Scoob99

iTrader: (1)

Moved out 30 years ago it's a S**t hole would never move back, and I was born and bred there, I have relatives who live on the outskirts but even that is getting bad too.
Cheers
Colin

Leslie

I come from near London and I used to work in it as well. It wasn't bad then.

Would always avoid it like the plague now.

Les

Paul3446

I was in London this week on a course and thought I'd take a trip down memory lane and visit Carnaby Street, for the first time in 20 odd years.

What a disappointment, it used to be a place full of independent shops selling all sorts of stuff that you'd never see anywhere else, (where else would I have found a U2 War Tour jacket) , the whole place was a real eye opener when I was young. Now it's full of designer shops that you see in every town, and there's a Starbucks, a Boots, Whittards, etc.

Seems to sum up everything that's bad about our towns, they are all just clones of each other.

GCollier

I've worked in London for 10 years and think it's a fantastic city - great career opportunities, great nightlife and a near infinite number of things to see and do. I wouldn't want to work anywhere else.

The big downside is the cost of housing though. If I had £2million+ to spend on a house I'd probably live in central London too. But no way would I swap my nice house 30mins in the commuter belt for the grotty equivalent I'd probably get in London for the same money.

Gary.

silent running

One slight technical hitch - all the 'lemmings' might not live in London or have anything to do with it. They might just dream of leaving because wherever you go in England, it's ****.

Mitchy260

Complete ****hole imo also.

Im not a racist, but its spot the white man or guess which person speaks native english.
I was reading an article a couple of weeks back stating that 48.5% of school kids in London are of non white race or ethnic minorities, compared to around 11% everywhere else in the UK.

London needs its own show on bbc's crimewatch, the rest of the country doesn't get a word in.

The gang culture is worrying. Can you honestly say that you would want a kid of your own growing up in this area? Again im not racist, but there's a lot of black gang culture. 12-13yr olds roaming the streets and estates with knives and guns

I certainly dont want kids of mine growing up like this where being in a gang with guns is cool

Then you've got all the stuck up ***** that work in the city and tell you how much they earn every 5 minutes. I mean get a life FFS You need to pay £50 a week to park your car also

If only someone could enclose London and drop an atomic bomb on the place, would do wonders for this country

Utter shi*hole.

Original thread starter, you must be completely mad or visit/work in an area that keeps your eyes blinkered. Try walking down an estate in peckham and report back to us what you think of REAL London

Smiler

Wakey wakey. It's the 21st Century. No longer is the UK a 100% white Country. Hasn't been for years. London has about 8 million people living in it, that's one in seven people in the UK.

You have a link to that article? 48.5%

As stated previously, London has 1/7th of the UK population so simply according to the law of averages it will have 1/7th of the crime.

What planet are you on? Are you saying you don't get gangs outside London? Or are you watching too much TV . Is there a lot of black gang culture? What about white gang culture? Or doesn't that exist?

If you do have kids then lets hope they don't have such a bigoted view of the UK. Are you seriously saying it's only gangs in London that have guns?

Again, in all Villages/towns/cities you will always get the *****. Not just London.

Gee. Look into the simple economics of this happening.

Varboy

lived in London for 6 years during my early 20s, loads of clubs, (with lots of naughty things) and I loved the feeling of being in the middle of things, you can almost feel the energy

hated the traffic and the crime, was SO glad to move out to the country where things are a bit slower paced

bartmanuk

most of my work for the last ten years or so has been in london and most of the place is proper *hit, but ive also worked the nicer parts like chelsea and kensington, knightsbrige etc etc. if i had the money to buy a place in one of those sorts of areas then i would have a big place out in the country somewhere.

BM