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I just read yet another article about someone who moved out of London and basically wanted to say what a scummy place the capital is. It’s not the first such article and probably won’t be the last, and I’m sick of it.
A thread...
A thread...
I admit I’m a Londoner, living there for 32 years before moving to Kent. I like where I live but I still miss London almost every single day. The people, the places, the buzz, the sense of community and the lifestyle. And I’m sick of people making out they’re better than London.
A common claim is that people outside of London are friendlier. It’s not true. There are just as many friendly people in London as outside of it; the difference is that there are just a lot more people who are getting on with their days and haven’t got time to say hi to everyone
If you live in a village where there are only a few hundred people, of course you’ll know a lot of them, if not everyone. That’s impossible if there are 50,000 people within a 15 minute walk. You’ll know the same number as in a village, but there will be far more that you don’t.
If you are community-minded there is something for everyone if you merely look. Want a local gardening group? There is one. A gluten-free lunch club? Probably one of those too. A sports team? There’s every sport under the sun and multiple leagues to play in. London IS community
London’s history is rich and deep, so if you’re into that then you have hundreds of places to visit, be they World Heritage Sites or simply little local landmarks that have been around since the place was a village.
The transport system is INCREDIBLE. For a few quid you can get anywhere in the city. The tube is regular, and the bus system fills in the gaps as you get out to the suburbs a bit. You can get almost anywhere for a reasonable fare by cab too, and train stations abound.
Where I live now the buses run about once an hour, cost a small fortune and go to a limited range of places. They also don’t run on Sundays. There is no tube, and the nearest train station is either a short drive or a 35 minute walk away, and runs no more than a few times an hour
Whatever food you want - it’s available. Whether you’re going to a restaurant to eat in or getting it delivered; everything from fine dining Michelin Starred restaurants to street food, and it’s available 24/7. And whatever type of pub you like there are multiple options too.
The diversity of people is intoxicating. I miss walking down the road and being surrounded by people with heritage from all around the world. Whether they’re fifth generation or have just arrived to try and make a better life for themselves...
...that diversity of background and thinking is normal to me. My life in a predominantly single-ethnicity Home County still feels somewhat alien.
Yes, during the daytime in some places it feels busy, but that is energy. It’s life. It’s you being part of a bigger thing with a beat and a rhythm all of its own. If you don’t like that, then other places in the city are beautiful and quiet and tranquil. London has the lot.
Yes, it’s expensive - that I can’t deny. You get more for your money outside London than in it, which is one of the reasons I moved away. But what you get instead is worth it.
Those who hate it the most are those who have never lived there or who moved in from a rural area and then move out again. I get it. It’s not for everyone. I would feel the same about moving to some tiny rural village as they do about London...
...it’d be alright for a while, but I’d miss the things that make me feel normal. I'd put up with it while it suited my immediate lifestyle, but given the choice I'd always yearn to go back "home".
Nowhere is perfect, but I’m sick of people knocking London life just to mark themselves out as cooler or better than those who actively choose to live there. You’re not. You want something different, and that’s right for you, but it’s not better than what others want.
You’re not better than them for deciding to move away. Nor are you worse. You’re just different.
Stop knocking my home city, which I love and miss even while not being unhappy with where I do live. Stop pretending that it’s an aggressive, unfriendly hellscape. Stop claiming that the people who live there are scumbags and criminals who don't care for other people.
London is amazing. It’s just not for everyone.
And that's okay.
And that's okay.
