Agree I would not have chosen Mayfair. It's super expensive yet soul-less.

Much of what you say is true, but I would have thought you kind of figured out before you got there that the US tends to have better appliances, plumbing, electric thn London, as well as customer service.

What is your family situation? I loved living in London in my twenties as a grad student. I loved the museums, the pubs, being able to travel anywhere in europe on a cheap flight, the international student scene, the clubs, the cheap theater tickets i could get. I loved wanering the free parks and the cool neighborhoods which didnt cost me a dime. Maybe you have kids that are keeping you from enjoying these advantages?

I don’t feel sorry for you at all. Come back when you have a real problem.

Anonymous wrote:Try being a Jew there. It’s your experience plus hate.

Elaborate? Curious because I am a Protestant American who lived there twenty five years ago and I definitely pick up on some lowkey subtle anti-semitism - it was weird because it came from people who would otherwise be considered education a liberal to moderate by American standards. Like people who'd gone to Oxford and stuff.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Like so many other cities (for a variety of reasons), there’s lots of good immigrant food. Eat that.

My spouse is a Brit. We've been to London many many times. I tried some of their other ethnic foods. Not good. Other than Indian food, I don't find their ethnic food to be that great. I don't think they have enough immigrants like we do here in the DC area to warrant ethnic-centric ethnic food. Their ethnic food is where American ethnic food was 30 years ago, that is to say, more geared to western tastes.

I'm Asian, lived in CA most of my life, so I am used to good ethnic foods.

Yes, they have muggings and knifings in the UK. But, we have muggings, knifings, and gun violence in the US.

Service: Europe is largely not a service oriented culture. If you've traveled around Europe, you'd know what I mean.

Work ethic: maybe it's changed, but my Brit spouse and their friends (who are in their 50s) found it the opposite. American workers, while working more hours, aren't as productive. But again, maybe OP you are younger, and the work culture in the younger set is different.

Yes, social life there is around alcohol. Most of Europe is like this. Pubs are ubiquitous in the UK. It's a must for any town. My spouse jokes that every village, no matter how tiny must have pubs, more than one, even tiny villages.

London is more expensive than DC, so yea, the tube is more expensive.

I think OP you thought London was this sophisticated city with no down sides. Your perception of London was built on what you read on here or watched on tv, maybe. It's probably like how foreigners think Californians all look like beach babes and spend all day at the beach.

London is an old city. Their plumbing and electrical work is awful. Many hotels don't have a/c.

I like visiting London but I'd never want to live there.

The Caribbean and African food is to die for.

Unfortunately you chose where to live very poorly. Mayfair is centrally locally and looks lovely, but is incredibly expensive and so is largely the base for US hedge funds and very rich jetsetty international types (eg Middle Eastern oil money, etc). There is no sense of community and is rather soulless. It has a weird "rich international" vibe. I cannot imagine anything more different from Takoma Park. Can you move?

A 2 million pound place in Mayfair is vastly different to a 2 million pound place in other parts of London. Unfortunately, the price tag is for the area, not the quality of the house or flat.

I have plenty of friends who live in places like Richmond, Hampstead, East London, etc which have a far greater sense of community. These places tend to have historically evolved from outlying villages based around a common or park and you see that now in how they are laid out. There tends to be a big park or common and a high street with shops, cafes, etc. My friends do Park Run in their local park on the weekend which attracts people in their surrounding community. They do yoga classes in church halls etc. They meet people walking their dogs in the local park since that tends to be the only large green space in the area.

Regarding food, you need to go further afield. 25% of London's population was born overseas so there are vast diasporas and communities there. But, as I said, Mayfair caters to an entirely different set. You need to get out of there to find good food.

Social life can be based around the pub. Part of the reason is that people often live in small residences so they tend to get out to meet up. But going to the pub doesn't necessarily mean drinking heavily. Some have quiz nights, others have music. Often, if I go to London and catch up with friends at a pub, we might only have 1 or 2 drinks. On weekends, people often take their families to pubs for a meal etc.

I lived there for 3 years OP, BTDT and I completely commiserate with you, everything you've said is true!

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.

So take advantage of the location and travel around the UK or Europe while you are there. There are so many locations that I would like to visit in England.

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

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let us all feel terrible for the person in 2 million pound flat. She's chilly sometimes!

+1 If only she could take some of her wealth and buy some blankets and a space heater. Suck it up lady.

You are welcome to live here - I’d rather be in a normal house in takoma park than be here

Then move to Takoma Park and stop whining about your life. And FWIW, I have lived in London in a flat that was far less than 2 million pounds and loved it. Why don't you go take a walk in one of London's "overrated" parks and stop whining about the mean people and your miserable expensive flat.

Anonymous wrote:Like so many other cities (for a variety of reasons), there’s lots of good immigrant food. Eat that.

My spouse is a Brit. We've been to London many many times. I tried some of their other ethnic foods. Not good. Other than Indian food, I don't find their ethnic food to be that great. I don't think they have enough immigrants like we do here in the DC area to warrant ethnic-centric ethnic food. Their ethnic food is where American ethnic food was 30 years ago, that is to say, more geared to western tastes.

I'm Asian, lived in CA most of my life, so I am used to good ethnic foods.

Yes, they have muggings and knifings in the UK. But, we have muggings, knifings, and gun violence in the US.

Service: Europe is largely not a service oriented culture. If you've traveled around Europe, you'd know what I mean.

Work ethic: maybe it's changed, but my Brit spouse and their friends (who are in their 50s) found it the opposite. American workers, while working more hours, aren't as productive. But again, maybe OP you are younger, and the work culture in the younger set is different.

Yes, social life there is around alcohol. Most of Europe is like this. Pubs are ubiquitous in the UK. It's a must for any town. My spouse jokes that every village, no matter how tiny must have pubs, more than one, even tiny villages.

London is more expensive than DC, so yea, the tube is more expensive.

I think OP you thought London was this sophisticated city with no down sides. Your perception of London was built on what you read on here or watched on tv, maybe. It's probably like how foreigners think Californians all look like beach babes and spend all day at the beach.

London is an old city. Their plumbing and electrical work is awful. Many hotels don't have a/c.

I like visiting London but I'd never want to live there.

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:Like so many other cities (for a variety of reasons), there’s lots of good immigrant food. Eat that.

+100

Best food in London - the Indian food

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.

Try being a Jew there. It’s your experience plus hate.