Visited: March 2019
I moved to London in Oct 2017 and save for about 4 months in Toronto during that period I've been able to get a pretty good sense of the city and the UK in general. Here are some thoughts.
Having lived in London now for the better part of a year and a half I've gained some good insight into what the city and living here is about. In some ways I've been lucky having a good job and being able to live in Zone 1 - making jumping into the city easier. I have not had to struggle to afford the basics and more to enjoy the city.
On the other hand I did not move here until I was 41 (almost 42). This meant diving into life here and feeling part of the young vibrant crowed turned out to be difficult. There are plenty of people my age in the city, but the crowd at that age and general feeling lack that je ne said quoi of the being here in your 20s or 30s.
I did have a great first 6 months or so, then the challenges of living here got to me. Not because I couldn't handle the toughness of a city like this, but instead because I can't find a way emotionally to fit in at this age. Anyway this is enough about me, instead I'll give some general insight about living in London, England, UK.
Is this the best city in world?
I don't think there is a correct answer to this. Some cities, and I won't pick on any one, are clearly not the best city in the world. Feel free to think of some stinkers. London however can not be ruled out. If you are from the western world and like big cities London is in the running. Now it's tough to define this category but if you contemplate life opportunities and variety of things to do, maybe discount ease of living then I would say there are very few options to beat London. Other options in contention (and I'll list only western cities):
New York
Paris
Los Angeles
I can't think of anymore. If you include non-western cities I would add Tokyo and that's it.
For people who want to add Sydney or Chicago or Barcelona, Rome, Berlin, or even my hometown Toronto - you are crazy they haven't the depth of the previous 5 by any means. Many are multi trick ponies but just don't have the size or breadth of a top 5.
Now it's important in thinking this through to note this is not voting on the best city to live in, which I believe is too subjective. No one who wants a peaceful easy going living is going to move their young family to London on an average salary.
I cannot give London the official title. From my experience though I will say it comes down to New York or London (sorry the rest) because I believe they have even more depth and breadth of important things than even the other 3 of the top five. And why personally I pick London is because it has more history than New York and it's closer to many other great places to see both in the UK and close to the UK.
A few blog posts on the topic. I am trying not to show bias in searching for these - I'm searching for general greatness - because if you add in the best to live in factor some big ones get discounted due to cost/crime/traffic/etc...
Best cities dot org (London, Paris, NY, Tokyo, Barca)
Top 10 (London, NY, Paris, Tokyo, LA)
Timeout (Chicago, Porto, NY, Melbourne, London)
Gap Year (Tokyo, NY, Rio, London, Cape Town)
What is great about London?
Well thank you for asking
1) The history - not only does London have a fascinating history (Tribal Celtic (the area not the city), Roman, Anglo Saxon, Viking raids, Normans, Monarchs, Industry, Finance, and on and on), it has so much to see because of the length of time it's been around. Things that it produced and things that it stole are very easy to see in all the free museums. It may not be quite as good as Rome for pure history but it does a damn good job. It would be interesting to see how different the city would be were it not for the great fire of 1666.
2) The culture - a unique blend of European and British. You have the passion and fashion of Europe with the conservativeness of the UK which makes for wonderfully interesting (but at times difficult) people. I always say the Brits are the best between 2 and 4 drinks. Enough to get them to open up but not so much that they are obnoxious.
3) Location - with 5 airports and trains to anywhere in Britain you can see a lot even in just a weekend. There are hourly departures to almost anywhere you can think of and the cost is quite affordable for the most part
4) The events - there is so much to do here that it's almost overwhelming. When I first came here I would get anxiety looking at Timeout or similar due to the volume of things to do. What events? Well it can be a true event, business or general, musicals, plays, interactive mysteries, fashion, sports, tech and more.
5) The sites - Tower of London, British Museum, V&A, Natural History and many, many more Museums, Churches, Parks, touristy attractions. So much!
I feel like sharing my list of things I've done, it's just a list but I think it shows the level of drive I had to explore the city:
Parks (fun to walk around and hang out it):
Battersea
Hyde
Kensington
Green
St James
The Regent’s Park
Greenwich
Victoria
Hampstead Heath
Primrose Hill
Clapham Common
Richmond
Areas (each neighborhood or high street has its own unique touch):
Angel
Seven Sisters
Clapham
Brixton
Hoxton
Shoreditch
The City
Bermondsey
Kensington & Chelsea
Notting Hill
Hampstead
Little Venice
Pimlico / Belgravia
Westminster
Vauxhall / Lambeth
Stepney Green
Camden
Mayfair / Marylebone
Bethnal Green
Clerkenwell
Stanford
Battersea
Fulham / Hammersmith
Greenwich
Wembley
Soho / Covent Garden
Tooting
Dalston
Deptford
Stoke Newington
... and I'm sure I've forgotten some ...
Things I've seen / done:
Natural History Museum
Greenwich Observatory, Park, Maritime History Museum, Cutty Sark
Afternoon Tea
British Museum
British National Gallery
Science Museum
V&A Museum
Alexandra Palace + Guy Fawkes Night
Hampton Palace
Imperial War Museum
Portrait Gallery
Battersea Park / Power Station
Scandi Market
Soho House
Arts House
P / D / T
The Ned (+ the Vault)
Climbing Gym
Savoy Grills & Bar
Petrus
Milo’s
Winston Churchill War Rooms
Royal Albert Hall Tour
Chelsea Stadium Tour
Kensington Palace
St Paul’s Cathedral
Monument
Tower Bridge Tour
HMS Belfast
Windsor / Windsor Castle
Chelsea FC Game vs Newcastle - Jan 28
West Ham game x3
Westminster Abbey
Golden Bus
The Shard
London Bridge Exhibition
Museum of London
CNY Parade
The Ballet
The Play that goes wrong
A comedy about a bank robbery
Awate - at roundhouse side theatre
Michael Jackson Thriller - London
Games Festival London / Somerset House
Wellcome Collection
Arcade Fire Concern w/ girls
Tate Modern
Electric Avenue
Covent Garden Comedy Club
Apsley House
Abbey Road, Studio
Canada Day at the Maple Leaf
Wimbledon - saw Raonic play
Watch World Cup match at pub
Thames Boat Cruise
Southwark Cathedral
All Hallows by The Tower
Jewel Tower
Carlyle House
Bottomless Brunch - Eight Over Eight
Burlington House - Royal Academy of Arts
Notting Hill Walking Tour
Fulham Palace, Putney Embankment, Hammersmith Bridge Walking Tours
Hammersmith and Barnes Walking Tour - WWT London Wetlands Centre, Leg O’ Mutton Reservoir
Arsenal Game v Everton
Arsenal Game v Cardiff City
Standing Tix - Shakespeare Orb
Westminster Palace
London Transport Museum
Canal Walking
Tottenham game vs Leicester City
British Library
Sir John Soane’s Museum
Barbican Conservatory
The Charterhouse (Museum Only)
Roman mithraeum
What sucks about London?
Well thank you for asking
1) Rent / Renting a place - it can be expensive and the estate agents aren't the best bunch, nor is the system which requires you to go to each agency based on what they have available. Also you have to fork over a 6 week security deposit up front, pay the council tax which is like property tax and then eat a bunch of shit provisions in the tenancy contract. Basically everything is weighted in favor of the landlord.
2) The class system - for a global / world leading city and country they do a piss poor job q5 the whole equality thing. Sure you can get a good education and job, but try to get into certain schools and social groups and you'll see what happens. Nepotism is alive and well here. Just look no further than the only real remaining monarchy in the western world. E2 preaches peace and equality but doesn't practice it.
3) The weather (more neutral) - it's actually not quite as bad as claimed - at least to a Canadian. For one the winters are much milder and it rarely snows. It didn't snow in the 2018/19 winter at all. It also does not rain as much as claimed. It is cloudy and dark though a lot in the winter and not all buildings are well insulated hence it can feel cold to take showers and such.
4) Service - Service sucks in London. It's generally better around England I've found, but nothing like North America. Quite simply I think is down to the non-tipping culture, low wages and a general attitude of people don't like being told what to do / ask to do things nature. Whether it be at banks, restaurants, post office, etc.. you pretty much as to suck up to people giving you service quite often as if you get pushing they just slow the eff down - or so it seems. The other thing which is frustrating is the default here when there is an issue with the consumer buying a product or service from a business is the consumer has to solve the issue. Why would the business operate this way when the consumer is paying is beyond me but often it feels like that!
5) Traffic/Transit - Traffic isn't bad if you've been in a big city before - it's average for a big city, and I'd say there's less traffic than a big North American city like LA or NY. Ride the tube in rush hour though and it sucks. It will likely be very crowed and the old lines have trains shaped like a tube (hence the name) so if you're tall and near the doors you'll be ducking a lot. In the summer they get bloody hot - but fear not they will have A/C within 10 years! If you manage to find a place from which you can walk to work you are gold.
6) Opening a bank account. Similar to crappy service in section 4) but so annoying it needs its own section. To open a bank account you need two documents showing your UK residence address. Try getting an address without a bank account. You get the picture. Most banks don't play nice here so be prepared to jump through hoops. I got an account in 3 days which is legendary by some standards. I've heard of stories of people taking months to get one. Here are some cheats:
- Use your first location (friends/AirBnb/hotel) address and have your non-UK bank statements mailed there
- Get an employment letter from a known company in the UK with your first location address on it
- Find a nice / naive bank employee if you can't muster two of the above
- Be rich (Brits love money)
Ok that's it for today - be well everyone!
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