London - please share your experience with me!

[chicago]

Hi everyone,

After carefully monitoring all threads and posts on this site for about a month now, I am still uncertain whether I should make a move to London. So, I am asking everyone who has lived in London at one point or another please share your experiences with me. I just want to hear what you liked about the place, what you didn't like, what surprised you most, anything really to give me some ideas, otherwise I just can't make up my mind. Your input is very much appreciated!!!! Thank you!!

[rifleman]

The only question you need to ask is whether you like cities. If you do then you ought to enjoy London. It has everything any world city has, coupled with a diversity of people greater than any other place on earth.
I am a 53 year old Londoner and, whilst I have spent some years living outside of the UK, most of my life has been spent here. Still I have barely begun to explore my home town.
If you don't like cities and ethnic/cultural diversity best to stay away.

[chicago]

Originally Posted by rifleman

The only question you need to ask is whether you like cities. If you do then you ought to enjoy London. It has everything any world city has, coupled with a diversity of people greater than any other place on earth.
I am a 53 year old Londoner and, whilst I have spent some years living outside of the UK, most of my life has been spent here. Still I have barely begun to explore my home town.
If you don't like cities and ethnic/cultural diversity best to stay away.

I love cities, and actually really love London. I have travelled around and visited London twice for week-long trips each time. It just felt like the right place for me. I loved the vibe. But I just don't want to jump into something simply because I fell in love with it, after all I am not a teenager anymore and have to be a little be more level-headed here, so that is why I am asking people for input. Also, it looks like you are an expat in Malaysia, so something about London didn't jive with you, right?

[rifleman]

My status is misleading. My wife is Malaysian. We visit often and will move there when I retire.
I live and work in London.

So what is it you want to know about London from others, especially if you have been twice and loved it?

[nyclon]

I love cities, and actually really love London. I have travelled around and visited London twice for week-long trips each time. It just felt like the right place for me.

Obviously, visiting someplace on holiday and living there are 2 different things, but I think the best experience is your own and you seem to have felt comfortable in London and you like cities so I would rely on your own feelings.

[chicago]

Originally Posted by rifleman

My status is misleading. My wife is Malaysian. We visit often and will move there when I retire.
I live and work in London.

So what is it you want to know about London from others, especially if you have been twice and loved it?

Hi, thanks for clarifying your status. I actually don't quite know what it is that I am looking to hear from others, because basically I am looking for any information to add to my own experience of visiting London to make a right decision. I just met a woman from London a couple of days ago who left it because she thought people were just rude. Her and her family relocated to Chicago. She is British and was saying how nice everyone here is.. I was a bit taken back by this, as I didn't feel this way when I visited London, I thought everyone was friendly and definitely not rude, but then again, I only visited for 2 weeks and as Nyclon is pointing out this is a completely different thing than living in a place... So, what I am looking for are any sentiments people have about London... good, bad, strange, funny.. I just want to hear more. Thanks!

[chicago]

Originally Posted by nyclon

Obviously, visiting someplace on holiday and living there are 2 different things, but I think the best experience is your own and you seem to have felt comfortable in London and you like cities so I would rely on your own feelings.

Thanks for the answer. The problem with my own feelings is that they lie sometimes, so I cannot fully rely on them

[rifleman]

Originally Posted by chicago

Hi, thanks for clarifying your status. I actually don't quite know what it is that I am looking to hear from others, because basically I am looking for any information to add to my own experience of visiting London to make a right decision. I just met a woman from London a couple of days ago who left it because she thought people were just rude. Her and her family relocated to Chicago. She is British and was saying how nice everyone here is.. I was a bit taken back by this, as I didn't feel this way when I visited London, I thought everyone was friendly and definitely not rude, but then again, I only visited for 2 weeks and as Nyclon is pointing out this is a completely different thing than living in a place... So, what I am looking for are any sentiments people have about London... good, bad, strange, funny.. I just want to hear more. Thanks!

Well it is certainly true that London can seem an unfriendly place and if you don't "get" it you would consider people rude in some ways. Millions of people from all over the world live & work here. When you travel around London most people are in a hurry, don't talk to strangers, and generally aren't interested in being friendly. Meet those same people in a social context and you'll normally find them as friendly as anyone else.
Really though there is no substitute for trying it for yourself. I suppose it is a bit like Marmite, you either love it or hate it.

[chicago]

Originally Posted by rifleman

Well it is certainly true that London can seem an unfriendly place and if you don't "get" it you would consider people rude in some ways. Millions of people from all over the world live & work here. When you travel around London most people are in a hurry, don't talk to strangers, and generally aren't interested in being friendly. Meet those same people in a social context and you'll normally find them as friendly as anyone else.
Really though there is no substitute for trying it for yourself. I suppose it is a bit like Marmite, you either love it or hate it.

Ok thanks, fair enough. But I have no idea what Marmite is.. Just to sum up everything I learned from reading posts on this forum about London:


Pros:

Lots of history, culture
Very international and diverse
Good food (ok, comparing to US here
Green grass/parks everywhere
Cheap air travel to Europe

Cons:

Too expensive
People are rude/weird, etc.
Government is not good enough
Teenagers are the worst in the world (have no idea why this should matter and how this affects everyone, can anyone explain please?)
Claustrophobic, not enough space for everyone, apartments are tiny
Too much bureaucracy (my friend could not get internet in his apt. for over a month)
Lack of good dentistry
Drinking
Bad weather
Jobs are hard to get


So, from this list the ones I am mostly concerned with are: expensive, bureaucracy, drinking culture, lack of good dentistry. If anyone has anything to add or dispute please let me know. I would love to hear from you! Thanks!

[chicago]

Also, forgot to mention lack of customer service in the Cons department...Is that really true?