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.

This is not true. Some cities are wonderful. Have been to Paris? Barcelona? Amsterdam? These cities are stunningly beautiful, manage to feel green and natural despite being dense and urban, and offer extraordinary food, art, and architecture it is genuinely hard to find outside of a major city. I would live in any of those cities in a heartbeat even though I also like suburban and rural settings, and love nature, specifically because I find those cities balance nature and city life incredibly well.

I would never live in NYC or London, but when I visit, the museums are so special. I do envy people who can go to the Tate or MoMa on a random afternoon (and the museums in DC are a major thing I love about living here and something I struggle with giving up if we move).

Cities often have a "vibe" that just feels good to me. I can also get a good vibe from small towns or suburbs, but I can get it from cities too. Paris for sure has this, just this good feeling I get when I'm there because I can feel that I love a lot of things that other people who live their love -- fresh vegetables and quality clothing and classic architecture and very beautiful music and art. It feels good to be in a place where people love what you love, where many of them are engaged in making the things you love or sharing them.

The idea that people only live in cities because they have some weird obsession with being a city person or think living in a suburb or small town or even just a smaller city would make them worthless is so weird to me. I think it says more about you than about people who live in cities. And I say that as someone who loooooves suburbs and small towns, and has experienced the desire to move to places like Knoxville or Albuquerque after visiting them, so not exactly hot urban meccas.

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.

Anonymous wrote:I can’t wait for another recession so you Amuricans stop flying over to Europe

- bicontinental family

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A few other things from living there that also suck OP

Train Strikes
NHS doctors, actually the whole NHS system
The fact that they use sort codes instead of Venmo
Their version of Pizza and Mexican Salsa is disgusting
The way they say Nike, Amazon, and Pasta is fu**ing grating

Find the Irish in the city, they are so fun and love Americans!

+1,000
Their entire speech affect is so pretentious and whiny.

These two PPs are racist. You do not criticize another country's speech patterns. American accents are known in other parts of the English speaking world as inelegant. Are you offended when this is pointed out to you? Then stop criticizing other people's speech.

Wtf it isn’t racist to call out Brit’s for pronouncing a word incorrectly. It’s just plain ignorant to refer to a company name incorrectly. Both Nike and Amazon have investor relations calls. And they call their companies NIK-EY and AMAZ-ON. Not “Nyke” and “Ama-zin” ! Nike was coined from the Greek Mythology of Nike (which you Do know how to say correctly right?!) And Amazon was coined from the friggen rain forest in South America, the Amazon (and again you know how to say this one right?!)

And pasta is from Italy where they call it pah-sta.

And filet is from France where they call it Fil-ay. Not Fill-it.

The Brit’s may seem elegant but they are actually uptight dumbasses.

are you KIDDING me? Talk about a glass house. AYEraq/ LaCROY/ parMEEJAN/ NOTER DAIM/ BAYTON ROOJ/ crussaunt - i could go on.
but sure, go off.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A few other things from living there that also suck OP

Train Strikes
NHS doctors, actually the whole NHS system
The fact that they use sort codes instead of Venmo
Their version of Pizza and Mexican Salsa is disgusting
The way they say Nike, Amazon, and Pasta is fu**ing grating

Find the Irish in the city, they are so fun and love Americans!

+1,000
Their entire speech affect is so pretentious and whiny.

These two PPs are racist. You do not criticize another country's speech patterns. American accents are known in other parts of the English speaking world as inelegant. Are you offended when this is pointed out to you? Then stop criticizing other people's speech.

Wtf it isn’t racist to call out Brit’s for pronouncing a word incorrectly. It’s just plain ignorant to refer to a company name incorrectly. Both Nike and Amazon have investor relations calls. And they call their companies NIK-EY and AMAZ-ON. Not “Nyke” and “Ama-zin” ! Nike was coined from the Greek Mythology of Nike (which you Do know how to say correctly right?!) And Amazon was coined from the friggen rain forest in South America, the Amazon (and again you know how to say this one right?!)

And pasta is from Italy where they call it pah-sta.

And filet is from France where they call it Fil-ay. Not Fill-it.

The Brit’s may seem elegant but they are actually uptight dumbasses.

what brit calls it 'amazin' ya weirdo? and i never in 30 years of living there heard anyone call it 'fillit'. have you actually been to london or just listening to a couple randos on IR calls?

Anonymous wrote:Unfortunately even living in the most beautiful place in the world can be a lonely experience if you don't make friends or find people to connect with. If you are unhappy then it becomes very easy to focus on the negative.

If you are leaving in 2025, I imagine it might not be possible to move from Mayfair. So, I urge you to find ways to connect with people (I know, easy to say, harder to do). Here are some suggestions:

Find some courses you are interested in. For example, a friend of mine is doing an online art history course where the students get together every month or so to visit an art gallery or museum and have lunch. She also started a ballet class (for older people). Is there a language you would like to try? A cooking class?

Find some way of volunteering. For example, a friend volunteers with Childline in East London. That is very full on and involves doing an overnight shift every two weeks but there must be other things. Maybe you could volunteer at a gallery. The Wallace Collection must be close to you.

Is there any sport or physical activity you enjoy? Maybe find a runners group. If you are a beginner, look for your nearest Park Run as that is very low key and community-oriented.

Maybe a craft? Find a knitting or crochet group. It doesn't really matter if you don't love the activity, it's way to find people you might have something in common with.

If you are not working, how about a part time job if your visa allows it? It would get you out of the house and talking to people. I would love to work a few shifts at Daunts books on Marylebone High St every week. Such a lovely vibe. There's one close to you.

You have to be robust finding new friends in a busy city. Push yourself to do something even if you don't feel like it. Sometimes, it's hard when you are keen on establishing a friendship but the other person isn't for whatever reason (eg too busy, already got a lot of friends).

I have moved to four different countries. I guarantee if you find people you are happy with then you will care much less about those things that are bugging you.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most of these things wouldn’t bother me — I find the British polite rudeness hilarious—but I think many Americans don’t anticipate the issue with the daylight (even worse for Americans that move to Edinburgh). All of Europe has fairly dodgy housing as far as insulation, appliances, etc.

I was shocked how dirty the trains on the tube are and the seats are wildly uncomfortable. It makes wmata look elegant in comparison. I’d been to London before and didn’t notice this but it was striking on my last visit, so I guess they haven’t upgraded in a while. And of course the stations are terrible for disabled people, unlike DC.

I was also a little disappointed by some of the cheaper shopping — I remembered being able to get some real finds at M and S but now it just seems kind of meh. Globalization comes for all of us, even London. I went to harrods and it was just ridiculous — drippingly wealthy foreigners snatching up extremely expensive designer goods. Great people watching but not really shopping. And a little window into what I think has happened to the real estate.

I thought the parks were still quite nice though and didn’t have any problem with the food. I think everything we had in London was pretty good except for (surprisingly) the Indian place we tried inn Kensington which was well rated but seemed pretty basic.

My only issue with the food is the inexplicable British preoccupation with beetroot.

Born in America hot dog and Jello-eating American here. I enjoy eating beetroot. I actually got used to eating beets because in my midwest city the diner-type restaurants serve beet chunks on the Greek salads. Apparently it's Prince George's favorite vegetable. People should be more open-minded!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A few other things from living there that also suck OP

Train Strikes
NHS doctors, actually the whole NHS system
The fact that they use sort codes instead of Venmo
Their version of Pizza and Mexican Salsa is disgusting
The way they say Nike, Amazon, and Pasta is fu**ing grating

Find the Irish in the city, they are so fun and love Americans!

+1,000
Their entire speech affect is so pretentious and whiny.

These two PPs are racist. You do not criticize another country's speech patterns. American accents are known in other parts of the English speaking world as inelegant. Are you offended when this is pointed out to you? Then stop criticizing other people's speech.

Wtf it isn’t racist to call out Brit’s for pronouncing a word incorrectly. It’s just plain ignorant to refer to a company name incorrectly. Both Nike and Amazon have investor relations calls. And they call their companies NIK-EY and AMAZ-ON. Not “Nyke” and “Ama-zin” ! Nike was coined from the Greek Mythology of Nike (which you Do know how to say correctly right?!) And Amazon was coined from the friggen rain forest in South America, the Amazon (and again you know how to say this one right?!)

And pasta is from Italy where they call it pah-sta.

And filet is from France where they call it Fil-ay. Not Fill-it.

The Brit’s may seem elegant but they are actually uptight dumbasses.

what brit calls it 'amazin' ya weirdo? and i never in 30 years of living there heard anyone call it 'fillit'. have you actually been to london or just listening to a couple randos on IR calls?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A few other things from living there that also suck OP

Train Strikes
NHS doctors, actually the whole NHS system
The fact that they use sort codes instead of Venmo
Their version of Pizza and Mexican Salsa is disgusting
The way they say Nike, Amazon, and Pasta is fu**ing grating

Find the Irish in the city, they are so fun and love Americans!

+1,000
Their entire speech affect is so pretentious and whiny.

These two PPs are racist. You do not criticize another country's speech patterns. American accents are known in other parts of the English speaking world as inelegant. Are you offended when this is pointed out to you? Then stop criticizing other people's speech.

Wtf it isn’t racist to call out Brit’s for pronouncing a word incorrectly. It’s just plain ignorant to refer to a company name incorrectly. Both Nike and Amazon have investor relations calls. And they call their companies NIK-EY and AMAZ-ON. Not “Nyke” and “Ama-zin” ! Nike was coined from the Greek Mythology of Nike (which you Do know how to say correctly right?!) And Amazon was coined from the friggen rain forest in South America, the Amazon (and again you know how to say this one right?!)

And pasta is from Italy where they call it pah-sta.

And filet is from France where they call it Fil-ay. Not Fill-it.

The Brit’s may seem elegant but they are actually uptight dumbasses.

what brit calls it 'amazin' ya weirdo? and i never in 30 years of living there heard anyone call it 'fillit'. have you actually been to london or just listening to a couple randos on IR calls?

Anonymous wrote:I have friends who live there and love it. They've lived near the American School of London for over a decade. The parks are magnificent. Disagree on the parks. Haven't lived there so don't know the rest.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A few other things from living there that also suck OP

Train Strikes
NHS doctors, actually the whole NHS system
The fact that they use sort codes instead of Venmo
Their version of Pizza and Mexican Salsa is disgusting
The way they say Nike, Amazon, and Pasta is fu**ing grating

Find the Irish in the city, they are so fun and love Americans!

+1,000
Their entire speech affect is so pretentious and whiny.

These two PPs are racist. You do not criticize another country's speech patterns. American accents are known in other parts of the English speaking world as inelegant. Are you offended when this is pointed out to you? Then stop criticizing other people's speech.

Wtf it isn’t racist to call out Brit’s for pronouncing a word incorrectly. It’s just plain ignorant to refer to a company name incorrectly. Both Nike and Amazon have investor relations calls. And they call their companies NIK-EY and AMAZ-ON. Not “Nyke” and “Ama-zin” ! Nike was coined from the Greek Mythology of Nike (which you Do know how to say correctly right?!) And Amazon was coined from the friggen rain forest in South America, the Amazon (and again you know how to say this one right?!)

And pasta is from Italy where they call it pah-sta.

And filet is from France where they call it Fil-ay. Not Fill-it.

The Brit’s may seem elegant but they are actually uptight dumbasses.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A few other things from living there that also suck OP

Train Strikes
NHS doctors, actually the whole NHS system
The fact that they use sort codes instead of Venmo
Their version of Pizza and Mexican Salsa is disgusting
The way they say Nike, Amazon, and Pasta is fu**ing grating

Find the Irish in the city, they are so fun and love Americans!

+1,000
Their entire speech affect is so pretentious and whiny.

These two PPs are racist. You do not criticize another country's speech patterns. American accents are known in other parts of the English speaking world as inelegant. Are you offended when this is pointed out to you? Then stop criticizing other people's speech.

Wtf it isn’t racist to call out Brit’s for pronouncing a word incorrectly. It’s just plain ignorant to refer to a company name incorrectly. Both Nike and Amazon have investor relations calls. And they call their companies NIK-EY and AMAZ-ON. Not “Nyke” and “Ama-zin” ! Nike was coined from the Greek Mythology of Nike (which you Do know how to say correctly right?!) And Amazon was coined from the friggen rain forest in South America, the Amazon (and again you know how to say this one right?!)

And pasta is from Italy where they call it pah-sta.

And filet is from France where they call it Fil-ay. Not Fill-it.

The Brit’s may seem elegant but they are actually uptight dumbasses.