Been there on more than one occasion . Surprisingly hospitable place , been there with female colleagues who even got up to pole dance for a laugh .Originally Posted by Sinnlover
Lived and spent many years working around London.
I like wandering around markets looking for watches etc and London has some great antique and flea markets of all descriptions. Places like Leather Lane, Petticoat Lane, Spitalfields, Covent Garden, Bermondsey, Brick Lane, Greenwich and of course Portobello Road.
Great way to lose a few hours.
Cheers,
Neil.
Absolutely love living in London.
Born in Chelsea, the industrial end, in the shadow of the power station, as are most of my family going back many many generations to the early 1700's. They looked after horses in the fields.
Mum still lives in Chelsea, i'm out in the sticks, Putney.
Lived and worked in Tampa/Miami in 1978/9 and in LA 1981. Enjoyed LA and Miami.
Spend most weekends in Soho area, there's still a few bars/pubs where locals hang out with no tourists or day visitors/trippers., Bradleys Spanish bar, Trishas, Blue Post berwick street (especially with it's secret bar upstairs for regulars :D,
Eat any type of food at any time, and all good quality. Eat breakfast in the Wolseley, lunch in a Spanish restaurant, evening meal in an Italian, inbetween visit art galleries, markets, exhibitions or events happening on that day. For instance, theres the Classic Car Boot fair in Kings Cross 7th/8th august, bars, food, dancing. And then out somewhere entirely different afterwards
I enjoy places outside of London, but do get fed up looking at the same old field with a cow in it, especially when i'm meant to get excited if it's moved from where it was standing yesterday. And look, there's a tree....
Last edited by steptoe; 29th July 2021 at 13:47.
I love London. Have worked there on and off for 19 years and lived in Fulham for 5 of those. My daughter is on a week long course near Southwark next week. I'm looking forward to going in with her and having a walk around and see a few of my favourite places.
We just moved offices to the Queen Elizabeth Olympic park and whilst i love London, this new area is really fun to explore. Lots of walks and the park itself is so relaxed. You can walk to Canary Warf and back into the City.
Lots of shops and bars.
Yes, apparently London is very good for visiting London landmarks, they dont have many of them elsewhere ;)
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Were you a big game hunter Mick?
Quick trip to Tesco express
"Can I get the change in pound coins please?"
Last edited by wileeeeeey; 29th July 2021 at 16:10.
I used to work in Chancery Lane and a walk to 'The Griff' to spend a leisurely afternoon back in the 'good old days' was de rigueur.
Used to love my meetings with Sainsbury’s & then not quite getting directly back to the tube station
Seems like half of TZ-UK's been in The Griffin.
Oddly, I was thinking about it a couple weeks ago and could not recall its name
So the next TZUK get together location is a sorted then?
If we get enough of a heads up we can all go to the bank for one of the big bags of £1 coins they have.
I'd rather be back in Dublin.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
Did any of you Londoners attend the "church" at the Greyhound in Fulham Palace Road way back in the day (1980's) with the reverend Fred conducting the service on a Sunday morning. "Giro, ger Giro, daylight come and me gotta sign on"
Strippers, up and coming comedians (many of whom literally got canned) and a riotous time had by all - jeez that used to be a sesh and a half.....particularly when you were still sobering up after Saturday night
The Church was in Kings Cross Goods Yard when I used to go.Did any of you Londoners attend the "church" at the Greyhound in Fulham Palace Road way back in the day (1980's) with the reverend Fred conducting the service on a Sunday morning. "Giro, ger Giro, daylight come and me gotta sign on"
Strippers, up and coming comedians (many of whom literally got canned) and a riotous time had by all - jeez that used to be a sesh and a half.....particularly when you were still sobering up after Saturday night
The only 'club' I have been where they used to squeegee the dance floor in between the entertainment. All beer was sold as cans in a carrier bag full of ice, so the whole floor was soaking.
Always straight into Walkabouts in Covent Garden when The Church turned out. The wise knew to clean mess off their shoes before approaching the Walkabouts doormen on arrival....
Used to go to the Church and Bagleys, more or less next door IIRC. That part of London has had a proper tidy up since those days.
Frustrating on the daily commute with 20mph zones everywhere though. you're either ragging it in 1st or it feels like you're about to stall it in second.
Hopefully at some point I get something like an R9T and use it to go get a coffee on the weekends, give me something to do!
I love London. Lived and worked there for around 10 years or so but in the end I was finding the relentless hedonistic lifestyle was not doing my health any favours.
Besides, I met my wife and she had horses - which are not particularly compatible with my old Clerkenwell flat, so something had to change.
I still massively miss London now, but would not want to live there, especially as a married couple. If I were to be single again, it suspect it would be a toss up between London, Edinburgh, Vancouver or Melbourn, but the divorce costs would likely mean I would be heading to Great Yarmouth.
When traffic isn’t moving 20mph is better than sitting still in a metal box or smelling somebody’s armpit on the tube. Used to travel from Crystal Palace and then Beckenham to W1 (soho) every day. It would take 20 mins on a Saturday morning at 7am or 45 mins during rush hour. Great fun:)
Bikes used ranged from fire blade (totally useless) to KTM 950 Adventure which was great due to high position and loads of noise. For commuting though a Honda Dominator 650 single was superb:)
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Last edited by Stilgoe1972; 29th July 2021 at 17:11.
Yep, that's the place - they had several homes over the years. I've got vague recollections of having to also make my way out to Willesden at some points.
The Greyhound (post church when it moved to Kings Cross) was my go too, between the ages of 20 and 23, I had a mate who lived the other end of Greyhound road. I grew up the Hammersmith end of Kensington High St near Olympia. So it was just about staggering distance home. It was always quicker to climb over the fence to the cemetery behind the hospital and walk through, many a summer night I fell asleep on a grave as I couldn’t manage the stager home. The Greyhound along with the Red Back in Acton, brings back memories.Did any of you Londoners attend the "church" at the Greyhound in Fulham Palace Road way back in the day (1980's) with the reverend Fred conducting the service on a Sunday morning. "Giro, ger Giro, daylight come and me gotta sign on"
Strippers, up and coming comedians (many of whom literally got canned) and a riotous time had by all - jeez that used to be a sesh and a half.....particularly when you were still sobering up after Saturday night
Oh and if you fancied a guarantee pull we would head to the Walkabout Shepherds Bush Green. That was a fun place.
Last edited by Sinnlover; 29th July 2021 at 18:03.
I went full idiot and commuted in daily on a R1200 GSA Triple Black will a full titanium Akra de cat system. Filling up from empty on the way home was a treat when you felt in summer with the cold petrol all around your thighs and balls but there was always a never ending paranoia of the 30L of petrol that high up in the winter.
I think once you include getting in and out of your astronaut suit and putting three locks on and off your bike each day the commute is probably the same time but my travel card was £3.4k per year and I was happier putting that into a bike than the train and tube.
You can beat London, A5 Cricklewood, M1 North and out of there :)
Nice :) …I know the feeling , I had a GS1150 Adv which when I filled up weighed an absolute ton and was way too wide . I was fortunate to get free underground parking at work which was pretty lucky on reflection.
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Last edited by Stilgoe1972; 29th July 2021 at 18:56.
Live in sleepy Suffolk and always enjoy a break in town, love it.
We generally have a weekend in The Langham each year although last years I cancelled (weekend before Boris’s chat) due to business and risk management.
We were hoping to head next month but Mrs P broke her 5th metatarsal at Latitude on Thursday night, so that’s put pay.
I always find the London threads great on G&D
Pitch
One of the best things about living in London is how it gets up the noses of people who don’t ‘get it’ usually from the top half of the country, a fact they wear on their sleeve with pride.
I don’t dislike anywhere with a passion apart from my home town but that’s from 15 years exposure to it not a day trip or two which emptied your wallet and was difficult to navigate around.
The over riding sentiment towards London, from people who have actually lived in the Capital is that property prices drive them away.
Over my 30 years I know loads of people who have left London. In fact most of my friends and acquaintances along the way have. Most of them not because they wanted to, but because as a family came along they had to.
They could not afford the transition from a 2 bedder in a cosmopolitan but edgy area - great for when they had no kids - to a 4 bedder in a leafy area.
Lots of bullshit around getting out of the smoke, saying and is much nicer in the country, and I don’t mind the 1.5 hour commute each way.
But, the fact is, it is mostly because they could not afford a 4 bedder in a leafy, cosmopolitan low crime part of London. They are forced out.
Then they look back and say the countryside is much nicer than their 2 bed flat in Kensal Rise. What a shithole etc.
Not knocking it. Just what I have found over my 30 years.
Pretty accurate in n my experience too. In fact I was the last of my family and close friends to leave. The difference is I moved jobs to the sticks too, so no commute for me. Looking back it was the daily commute that really did for me over the years - wearing a suit in the summer on a hot tube was dreadful. I do think a lot of the ‘edgy affordable’ areas became steadily more crowded and congested - edgy is one thing, paying a fortune for a postage stamp and trying to convince yourself it’s an urban village with a weekly stabbing never really did it for me tbh!
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They brings back memories for me also when I lived in Ealing before moving to Islington.
I think most folks oop North would appreciate London as a fantastic place.
A little bit weather dependent for me too.
Crappy weather and there's lots to do but lovely sunshine and I'm desperate for the coast.
Agreed, this was the point I tried to make in my post, with possibly the requirement for good schools also adding to the equation.
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Who cares what anyone else does? It's all about the quality of life you choose. I'm happy with a 12 minute train ride up to Newcastle, coast in 15/20 min by car, open country in 10 minutes on a bicycle and the banks of the Wear in 5 mins on foot. Get on with what you like instead of worrying that others might have it better or worse, in your perception.
F.T.F.A.
For some reason after reading though all the posts this came to mind lol
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Seems if you were born in London then you tend to love it and reluctant to leave. eg. swambo
My perspective on London has changed since the lockdown. I have more of an appreciation for it now.
There are some really nice spots as long as you know how to find them.
I'm enjoying going back now.
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Timely thread this as next week, I am moving from London where I have lived for the last 7 years to Glasgow for a work opportunity for a year. Not at all driven by a desire to leave London nor a desire to move to Glasgow in particular and I am keeping my property in London as there is a reasonable chance I will move back after that.
I can do my job to a greater or lesser degree in any large town or city so not particularly tied to London in that regard. Having said that, I have certainly enjoyed living here and don't have a great desire to move elsewhere. However, it does annoy me that I couldn't afford to buy a reasonable sized house either in the area I live now or somewhere local to work without a massive mortgage despite owning a property for years whereas in basically anywhere else in the country, I could buy a very nice house with a small or medium mortgage.
2 recent annoyances are that the traffic is significantly worse than it ever was before, 45 mins to go 4 miles early last Sunday afternoon being a low point and prices of everything are becoming silly, restaurants are lot more expensive than pre pandemic with no good deals now and walking through Angel, one enterprising seller was selling brownies at £5 each... Whilst I realise inflation isn't a London thing, a recent trip to Glasgow suggested prices are rather more sensible.
As Ryan said in a previous post I think a lot of the lock down new life in the country Londoners will get movers remorse, this will free up some nice country homes where I prefer to live and could also push up London property.
London is nice for a visit but I prefer darker skies, one of the things I enjoy most in London is Mudlarking, and once the tide comes in go for a pint in the aptly named MudLark..
Prices on pretty much everything were already toppy enough pre pandemic...5 quids a steep price for a single brownie even when consumed basking in the glamour cast by London, unless it's been ahem, enhanced... You might yet have the authorities sticking a post covid recovery tax on hospitality/ food and beverage, it's happened in New York they've added an additional 10 per cent tax on food and drink to rip off the tourists/ recover from the pandemic.
Here in North Norfolk property prices have gone bananas of late, lots of previously closed pubs are now opening having had their historic guts ripped out and replaced with trendy interiors totally out of keeping with the building. £5.50 pints and car parks full of huge 4x4’s with Roger and Jasper discussing their annual bonus over the bar. Reminds me why I left London in the first place! - All the locals think there will be red faces all round come winter time, nobody local spends that sort of money on food and drink, half the year they’ll be stood empty alongside all the holiday homes. I feel sort for the local youngsters, no way they’ll afford a property now - I really hope a lot of the new arrivals realise their mistake once it’s dark by 3.30pm, their shiny car is coated in sugar beet residue and all the pubs and shops are closed by 4pm! - and the nearest Mongolian Barbecue is the one they used to visit in London :)
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Always fancied having a go at this lark, do I need a license?
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
I resemble that remark. :) The only difference is that I'm pretty honest about why I moved. I would have preferred to stay central but gradually migrated from zone 2 to zone 4, zone 6 and now Kent. I miss a lot of the city lifestyle but wouldn't have been able to afford a family home in a preferred leafy area. My wife, however, is genuinely happier outside the M25. We have some friends who reside in said leafy areas and she wouldn't swap with them.
Yes, you need a Thames foreshore permit, last time it was around £70 for 3 years but looking now its £90 and cant see the length of time - maybe annually.
Got to to know the areas too, no larking in front of the Tower of London even though it must be loaded with history but plenty of other good areas to go, have a look at mudlarking on Instagram/facebook, its amazing whats found..
It looks huge fun, I may have got it wrong but I don't think they're issuing permits at the moment :-(
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
We went to north Norfolk last year and it resembled a Kensington 4x4 car park we sat next to a couple of Londoners in a pub in salt houses complaining that the holiday home they were going to buy didn’t allow sub letting
Yes it does say that, cant see why they are limiting numbers unless they have had hoards of people during lockdown?
It is a buzz when you find something very old, also amazing the condition of items that have been in the Thames that long, beware it is London so anything can be found, knives, guns, drugs, body parts, you name it its in there!!
How could I forget schools. It caused us to move from Zone 3 - SW18, to a bit further out.
I lived in London for a few years, great times great city.
Well after my last post (the very first reply in this thread) I find myself booked on a train to London tomorrow with the wife and our 13 year old daughter
Any recommendations for reasonably priced (figuratively speaking) hotels near Paddington?
We will be arriving tomorrow afternoon and leaving Monday afternoon so we will have all of Sunday for sightseeing.
Also some suggestions for nice places to eat and visit would be very much appreciated.
Working in the Big Four it was like second nature to head to London once qualified. Never for me - I love a weekend trying new restaurants or out on the drink (something I’m doing this weekend actually) but the idea of living there never appealed.
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