London is HORRIBLE

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Major world cities such as NYC, Tokyo, Seoul, London, Paris, Madrid, etc ALL suck. They appeal to too many hollow soulless jerks who think they just HAVE to live in a famous city or else they will be worthless.

NYC is awesome
Tokyo is awesome
Seoul is deracinated
Paris is meh
Madrid is awesome
London is hot garbage

Pithy!
Anything for Frankfurt, Singapore or Toronto?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I lived in London, then DC, then London again, and now back in DC, so I feel very qualified to comment on this.

London is much more like NY than DC. It is much bigger and much older, with all the advantages and disadvantages that come with that. Here is my analysis:

Public transport is often crowded and expensive, but you can get anywhere on it, unlike DC.
Driving in London is a nightmare compared to DC.

People: much better sense of humor on average in the UK, and generally less self-important and work-obsessed. More variety of people across the board.

Standard of living: no doubt DC is much higher. Plumbing, fridges, size of flats/houses, cars, air con. No question.


Mini-breaks: from London you can be in Seville or Berlin or Ghent in an hour or two. Plus with the greater vacation time you can take advantage of it all. DC’s options are much more limited/less interesting.

Weather : I don’t need to say it. Though it never gets as hellish as DC in July/August, nor are the winters quite as cold. It is the lack of sunshine that is the real problem.

Restaurants/food/nightlife: London has something for everyone. High end Indian cuisine, great Italian and French, cheap Malsy eats. The quality of food in Waitrose is much higher, and food much cheaper, than Wholefoods. Great pubs, beer gardens, clubs. London has a clear advantage.

Overall, DC is better for convenience and lifestyle, London for cultural life/fun.

I used to live in London and find your analysis to be spot on.

[Anonymous]

Better than you, I’d think given that S&P not so important when you have a guaranteed pension. I have a dual citizenship but really cannot fathom the levels of xenophobia and exceptionalism and provincialism this entire thread is so full of - what has England ever done to you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I lived in London, then DC, then London again, and now back in DC, so I feel very qualified to comment on this.

London is much more like NY than DC. It is much bigger and much older, with all the advantages and disadvantages that come with that. Here is my analysis:

Public transport is often crowded and expensive, but you can get anywhere on it, unlike DC.
Driving in London is a nightmare compared to DC.

People: much better sense of humor on average in the UK, and generally less self-important and work-obsessed. More variety of people across the board.

Standard of living: no doubt DC is much higher. Plumbing, fridges, size of flats/houses, cars, air con. No question.


Mini-breaks: from London you can be in Seville or Berlin or Ghent in an hour or two. Plus with the greater vacation time you can take advantage of it all. DC’s options are much more limited/less interesting.

Weather : I don’t need to say it. Though it never gets as hellish as DC in July/August, nor are the winters quite as cold. It is the lack of sunshine that is the real problem.

Restaurants/food/nightlife: London has something for everyone. High end Indian cuisine, great Italian and French, cheap Malsy eats. The quality of food in Waitrose is much higher, and food much cheaper, than Wholefoods. Great pubs, beer gardens, clubs. London has a clear advantage.

Overall, DC is better for convenience and lifestyle, London for cultural life/fun.

I used to live in London and find your analysis to be spot on.

You are deluded. DC is not better on anything and I lived in both.

[Anonymous]

Yep. We sold our lovely flat in London and fled to the countryside. The good years in London were fab. But it’s over now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Better than you, I’d think given that S&P not so important when you have a guaranteed pension. I have a dual citizenship but really cannot fathom the levels of xenophobia and exceptionalism and provincialism this entire thread is so full of - what has England ever done to you?

Ummmmmm and exactly How Much is your precious pension annually? Care to share? I think the average in Uk is 9k GBP. Amazing!!! But sure go back to the UK in your 70s. and when you need hip replacement you can stand in line for 3.5 years.

[Anonymous]

Statistically, I won’t need a hip replacement. That’s American pastime. You don’t like stairs or walking and there we have it.

Anyway, what are you arguing about?

London is amazing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Statistically, I won’t need a hip replacement. That’s American pastime. You don’t like stairs or walking and there we have it.

Anyway, what are you arguing about?

London is amazing.

London is overrated and foul.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I lived in London, then DC, then London again, and now back in DC, so I feel very qualified to comment on this.

London is much more like NY than DC. It is much bigger and much older, with all the advantages and disadvantages that come with that. Here is my analysis:

Public transport is often crowded and expensive, but you can get anywhere on it, unlike DC.
Driving in London is a nightmare compared to DC.

People: much better sense of humor on average in the UK, and generally less self-important and work-obsessed. More variety of people across the board.

Standard of living: no doubt DC is much higher. Plumbing, fridges, size of flats/houses, cars, air con. No question.


Mini-breaks: from London you can be in Seville or Berlin or Ghent in an hour or two. Plus with the greater vacation time you can take advantage of it all. DC’s options are much more limited/less interesting.

Weather : I don’t need to say it. Though it never gets as hellish as DC in July/August, nor are the winters quite as cold. It is the lack of sunshine that is the real problem.

Restaurants/food/nightlife: London has something for everyone. High end Indian cuisine, great Italian and French, cheap Malsy eats. The quality of food in Waitrose is much higher, and food much cheaper, than Wholefoods. Great pubs, beer gardens, clubs. London has a clear advantage.

Overall, DC is better for convenience and lifestyle, London for cultural life/fun.

This. Well said (from someone with similar tenure in both cities).

I’ll add that London truly is an international city and is incredibly vibrant. There are people from everywhere and all walks of life. And you’re always rubbing shoulders with them as everyone walks or takes public transport.

[Anonymous]

Wow most you guys are real ***holes.

[Anonymous]

Op is miserable and depressed and lonely and is blaming london bc it’s easier. My mother did it for years - she could have written this post. It really bothered me as a kid. I loved london, I loved growing up there, I loved my friends and my life. I realized eventually that she was sad and lonely and her marriage wasn’t too t great and her career wasn’t going great so it was easier to hate london and blame it than to make really hard choices like move back when it would hurt my dads career or get divorced or what have you. I can tell op that they are full of sh*t and like any town london has problems and amazing things - but it won’t help bc it’s easier for op to try to start some kind of bizarre and doomed thought leadership that one of the best cities in the world is actually terrible, than to take a long hard look at their life and in the mirror and figure out what’s actually wrong.

[Anonymous]

Op - I’m also a brit and I don’t want you to hate london. Here some ideas:

- volunteer at one of the galleries: my friends mother did that (also at the zoo with the gorillas!) and made a ton of friends (she made friends at the gallery not at the zoo 😂

- my friends still in london have this club where they go cold swimming. Sounds awful to me but they like it and they hang!

- financial times has a book club and weirdly a lot of ppl I know made friends through that

- yoga retreat

- the pub! I love lansdowne and engineer in nw1, wells in hampstead, the cross keys in Chelsea.

-next time you hate it, climb to the top of primrose hill, look at the view then take yourself to lemonia - super yummy Greek food right there with lovely proprietor that you literally cannot hate.

- gl - I am rooting for you to love my home town one day like I do

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op is miserable and depressed and lonely and is blaming london bc it’s easier. My mother did it for years - she could have written this post. It really bothered me as a kid. I loved london, I loved growing up there, I loved my friends and my life. I realized eventually that she was sad and lonely and her marriage wasn’t too t great and her career wasn’t going great so it was easier to hate london and blame it than to make really hard choices like move back when it would hurt my dads career or get divorced or what have you. I can tell op that they are full of sh*t and like any town london has problems and amazing things - but it won’t help bc it’s easier for op to try to start some kind of bizarre and doomed thought leadership that one of the best cities in the world is actually terrible, than to take a long hard look at their life and in the mirror and figure out what’s actually wrong.

I kinda agree, but I also think the darkness in winter can be very depressing. And that is part of London.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Better than you, I’d think given that S&P not so important when you have a guaranteed pension. I have a dual citizenship but really cannot fathom the levels of xenophobia and exceptionalism and provincialism this entire thread is so full of - what has England ever done to you?

Let’s start with asking the Native Americans?
And then let’s get educated on the Triangular Trade Route
Also India wants the Crown Jewels back

[Anonymous]

I just returned to DC after having lived in London and elsewhere in the UK for a few years.

Life in DC is easier, but getting around is easier in London. Yes, the housing is run down, and any plaster wall built before the year 2000 should be assumed to contain asbestos. (Don't drill a hole in the wall.) They have to house 66 million people in an area the size of Oregon, so it is tricky.

Yes, the work ethic is not as strong, but the flip side is that work-life balance is better. There are tradeoffs.

We did find the racism, antisemitism, and homophobia to be worse in UK public schools (and workplaces) than in DC. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a big problem statistically, and no one talks about it.

So, yes, there are issues. There are also things that the UK does very well, though. The bookstores of London are great. Gardening is pretty easy, because the rain means that everything grows. The garden centres (nurseries) are religious experiences, with plants, koi ponds, and attached cafes. Even if all you have is a window sill for plants, they are worth a visit.

There are inexpensive musical performances at the music colleges and the churches.

If you find Regent's Park too manicured, try Epping Forest, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, or Richmond Park. Eel Pie Island in Twickenham is a fun place, as is the London Wetlands Centre. Guildford and Box Hill are short train rides and are really beautiful.