| London 15:24 - Jan 25 with 23040 views | MedwayR |
Is it just me or is London a bit sh*t these days???
It's largely become a big office with a pret on every corner. People come in, do their days work and go home again, it's a city that serves a purpose but increasingly little else.
Decent pubs (not gastropubs) are rare, decent but reasonably priced food/restaurants even more rare.
Homes for the rich but few else, gentrification (social cleansing) of areas is driving out any semblance of character or independent traders.
The infrastructure is at breaking point, crossrail etc is supposed to help but all it actually does is bring more people into already crowded areas rather than spread business into other areas.
Vanity projects (Emirates Air Line, Garden Bridge) take priority over much needed river crossings to the east of the city.
Venues closing all over the place, soon you'll only be able to go to the o2 to see live performances, where's the opportunities for people not on the x factor to perform.
Uber threatening to kill off black cabs.
Tourism, retail and offices make a rather bland city, and that's the direction London is taking in my opinion. It's lost character, maybe because it's an international city now rather than an English one but working and spending time in London no longer excites me, am I the only one? |  |
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| London on 22:29 - Jan 25 with 3438 views | kysersosaqpr |
Funny but I don't think gentrification has changed Shepherd's Bush as much as shifting migrant populace. The Irish have moved out to the burbs and Muslims have moved in; as is the history of many major cities. I drive down Goldhawk Road from the bush to chiswick and my old Irish pubs are all gone - either shut down or replaced by Arab smoking bars. Fair do's to them, as in twenty years time it will change again for the next wave of migrants.
Not gentrification, a mix of that and normal inner city changes. |  |
| The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. |
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| London on 22:30 - Jan 25 with 3440 views | TacticalR |
I wandered through each chartered street,
Near where the chartered Thames does flow,
A mark in every face I meet,
Marks of weakness, marks of woe.
William Blake, London (1802) |  |
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| London on 22:32 - Jan 25 with 3435 views | WilloW4 |
| London on 21:53 - Jan 25 by loftboy |
Love London, stand on the millenium bridge and look towards st Paul's,the mixture of old and new,one of the best views in the world. |
Touché loftboy.. Just looked through 'things to see and do in London' it's huge, whatever you're into there is something for everyone. There's a truth in that old adage:' you need mates and money when you live in London'.. If you've got mates then enjoy London Town.. Born n bred and I still love it.. Yes it's got tonnes wrong with it.. But grin n bear it and embrace it.. It's a nuthouse..next stop, loftus road. |  | | |
| London on 22:32 - Jan 25 with 3429 views | ShotKneesHoop |
| London on 22:22 - Jan 25 by WilloW4 |
Love that post shotknees.. Apart from the.. 'to see Yes'.. Eek! No Ta! |
I could have recommended other bands - but those three bands playing live that I mentioned took some beating. Yes were pretty good early on - got a trifle presumptuous in the 70's.
And not forgetting more about London in the 60's - the England test team winning more often than losing at Lords, cockles and whelks on sale in pubs, and crisps with blue salt bags, and buying the Late Night Final for four pence at 7.00 pm from outside any tube station with a match report from Loftus Road printed in the sports section.
All gone down the drain. (I sound like my dad in the sixties.) |  |
| Why does it feel like R'SWiPe is still on the books? Yer Couldn't Make It Up.Well Done Me! |
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| London on 22:40 - Jan 25 with 3400 views | WilloW4 |
| London on 22:32 - Jan 25 by ShotKneesHoop |
I could have recommended other bands - but those three bands playing live that I mentioned took some beating. Yes were pretty good early on - got a trifle presumptuous in the 70's.
And not forgetting more about London in the 60's - the England test team winning more often than losing at Lords, cockles and whelks on sale in pubs, and crisps with blue salt bags, and buying the Late Night Final for four pence at 7.00 pm from outside any tube station with a match report from Loftus Road printed in the sports section.
All gone down the drain. (I sound like my dad in the sixties.) |
'A trifle presumptuous in the 70's'.. Being polite there shotknees😉..once again , the rest of your post is terrific . That was then and this is now, that's just the way it is, I do miss the cockles and whelks being sold outside/inside the pub . | | | |
| London on 22:45 - Jan 25 with 3377 views | itsbiga |
| London on 19:05 - Jan 25 by Lblock |
I never thought Denmark Hill and Dulwich Hamlett would swallow up Brixton! |
Amazing huh.
I'm just glad my old man grew up in Turnham Green or I'd probably have ended up a Millwall or Scum fan.
I do follow Dulwich Hamlet as my B team still. | |
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| London (n/t) on 22:56 - Jan 25 with 3330 views | LancsR |
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| London on 23:09 - Jan 25 with 3306 views | OakR |
| London on 22:45 - Jan 25 by itsbiga |
Amazing huh.
I'm just glad my old man grew up in Turnham Green or I'd probably have ended up a Millwall or Scum fan.
I do follow Dulwich Hamlet as my B team still. |
I'm South of the River now and Millwall is my nearest team, followed by Palace. On a positive note I can use the 'if I don't get the boys to support QPR they will probably end up going to Millwall'.
I still love London, but housing is just getting too expensive. I moved South for that reason, but that was 10 years ago now and I could not afford where I live now if I had to buy again. London has always has sections with more affordable housing but they all seem to be disappearing now.
Other than that great city where you can do what you want, be who you want, eat what you like at all budgets, travel out easily and have unbelievable history and culture on your doorstep. What's not to like? | |
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| London on 23:15 - Jan 25 with 3292 views | itsbiga |
| London on 23:09 - Jan 25 by OakR |
I'm South of the River now and Millwall is my nearest team, followed by Palace. On a positive note I can use the 'if I don't get the boys to support QPR they will probably end up going to Millwall'.
I still love London, but housing is just getting too expensive. I moved South for that reason, but that was 10 years ago now and I could not afford where I live now if I had to buy again. London has always has sections with more affordable housing but they all seem to be disappearing now.
Other than that great city where you can do what you want, be who you want, eat what you like at all budgets, travel out easily and have unbelievable history and culture on your doorstep. What's not to like? |
I sold my tiny flat for 440. Silly money | |
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| London on 23:25 - Jan 25 with 3266 views | OakR |
| London on 23:15 - Jan 25 by itsbiga |
I sold my tiny flat for 440. Silly money |
Crazy, prices for period properties near me have doubled in value in 10 years, £350k to £700+. 1 bed flats now £300k+, 2 beds £400k +, it's crazy. In South-East London an area most people have never heard of, that was not even an area really 10 years ago! | |
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| London on 23:26 - Jan 25 with 3263 views | vanrrrr |
It's the same all over the world, and they call it progress. Rubbish.
Moved abroad 20 years ago and now have the same moans about Vancouver and San Francisco.kids just call me a grumpy old git , which is a good shout to be fair. | | | |
| London on 23:37 - Jan 25 with 3235 views | HollowayRanger |
gonna post my 4th comment on London see if this one gets deleted like the other 3
London no longer feels like my home it no longer belongs to me and I cant wait to retire and get out of it, too many people place is suffocating and it will only get worse
problem is if I should make it to 60 wheres left worth living
at moment its west cork or majorca |  |
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| London on 00:12 - Jan 26 with 3194 views | itsbiga |
| London on 23:26 - Jan 25 by vanrrrr |
It's the same all over the world, and they call it progress. Rubbish.
Moved abroad 20 years ago and now have the same moans about Vancouver and San Francisco.kids just call me a grumpy old git , which is a good shout to be fair. |
I hear that.
I'm in Los Ageles and its $1000 per sq ft now just like NYC and SF.
Oh well when we sell up one day and move to the burbs we can afford a mansion. | |
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| London on 00:42 - Jan 26 with 3174 views | Boston |
| London on 23:37 - Jan 25 by HollowayRanger |
gonna post my 4th comment on London see if this one gets deleted like the other 3
London no longer feels like my home it no longer belongs to me and I cant wait to retire and get out of it, too many people place is suffocating and it will only get worse
problem is if I should make it to 60 wheres left worth living
at moment its west cork or majorca |
Costa Rica mate, put some money into a little boozer, may well end up popping my clogs down there. [Post edited 26 Jan 2016 0:44]
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| London on 05:18 - Jan 26 with 3090 views | TearsOfaClown |
| London on 22:32 - Jan 25 by ShotKneesHoop |
I could have recommended other bands - but those three bands playing live that I mentioned took some beating. Yes were pretty good early on - got a trifle presumptuous in the 70's.
And not forgetting more about London in the 60's - the England test team winning more often than losing at Lords, cockles and whelks on sale in pubs, and crisps with blue salt bags, and buying the Late Night Final for four pence at 7.00 pm from outside any tube station with a match report from Loftus Road printed in the sports section.
All gone down the drain. (I sound like my dad in the sixties.) |
Tell'em the Whelks story . . . |  | | |
| London on 08:38 - Jan 26 with 2388 views | jamois |
| London on 00:42 - Jan 26 by Boston |
Costa Rica mate, put some money into a little boozer, may well end up popping my clogs down there. [Post edited 26 Jan 2016 0:44]
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I just lived there for 5 years Boston! |  |
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| London on 08:40 - Jan 26 with 2385 views | Konk |
I dunno. There’s a lot that gets me down about London, but when you tot up the pros and cons, it’s still one of the most exciting cities in the world and one of only a handful that are truly World class.
*In many places, London is a beautiful, grand city. Walking round central London you know you’re in a city that’s always mattered and always will. And there are dozens of neighbourhoods that are a treat to walk around. Some great architecture.
*You could go to a quality gig, film, exhibition or play every night of the week. We have some of the finest museums and galleries in the world.
*Unless you want to be a shepherd or a tin miner, London offers incredible employment opportunities in a million and one fields and often attracts the cream of world talent.
*London is blessed with an amazing amount of brilliant parks. Even in the most unpromising neighbourhoods, you still find the most fantastic parks. Never seen anything like it in any other major city.
*The public transport coverage is brilliant. It has its moments, it’s often overcrowded and always expensive, but it is amazing in comparison to many (most?) other major cities. The fact I get the hump if I’ve waited longer than 5 minutes for a bus tells you how fortunate we are. With Crossrail, Crossrail 2 and more suburban lines being bought into the TFL network, this should only improve. The rail connections with the rest of the country and the continent, the hundreds of destinations you can fly to directly from airports that serve London…we have it good.
*The Kinks. No-one else has the Kinks.
* I know loads of pubs are shutting, and there are some good pubs in amongst them, but there are still shed loads of brilliant pubs in London. And often places that were near moribund are being revived and used again by more than four people.
* In the last five years, the number of small breweries has gone through the roof and the fact that you can now spend an afternoon in some seriously good tap rooms is a great development.
*Shopping — whatever you want, someone, somewhere is selling it.
*Again, you can get pretty much any cuisine you can think of in town. There are world class top end restaurants and loads of very good mid-range places too. It’s a great city for eating.
*Top class club and international football, cricket, rugby, tennis and athletics at fantastic venues.
*The diversity and anonymity that mean people are pretty much free to do what they want and be who they want.
*The national and international flavour of the place — I always find it interesting working or socialising with people from elsewhere in the country or from overseas.
That said, I’m in my early forties and plan to move out in the next 2-3 years — I’ve got a one year old son, so we rarely eat/drink more than 3 miles from home — I’m not using 95% of London. And I get a bit down about:
*The insane property prices. If we sold up our 2 bedroom flat today, we’d make about £150k profit, but in the time we’ve lived in that flat, a 3 bedroom flat down my street has seen prices rise by over £300k. Cheers. So, we can either borrow more than we’re comfortable with to live in a pretty average area or we move out. I would also like my son to have the option to stay in his hometown if he chooses to when he’s older without needing to work as an Investment banker or marry one of Bernie Ecclestone’s daughters.
*The inequality gets me down. And it’s so obvious. I hate the idea of people growing-up in a city where they know (or think) that larges parts of it aren’t for them.
*The latent aggression. Even on the most lovely day, you’re never more than 10 minutes away from someone kicking-off about something.
*The fact that I’ve become almost totally desensitised to stories about 14 year old kids being stabbed to death over some minor infraction.
*The fly-tipping on an industrial scale — seriously, how many mattresses can some twa t leave propped-up against my front garden wall?
*Living on top of each other — it’s not conducive to a relaxed atmosphere.
*I fancy living somewhere a bit more “English”. Round my way, you can have days where you hear very little English spoken and to use a sh it example, I get the feeling that if England won the World cup, there wouldn’t be many of us out on the streets celebrating. I can’t put my finger on it, but when I’ve spent time in cathedral/market/seaside towns over the past few years, I’ve quite enjoyed the homogeneity of the places. I think England’s an extraordinary country and the older I get, the more I appreciate it. I think I want a bit more England in my life; which I’m not going to find in the same way in an international city like London.
I will always love London and be proud to have been born here, but I’m getting to the point where I’m quite excited about a change. |  |
| Fulham FC: It's the taking part that counts |
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| London on 08:43 - Jan 26 with 2373 views | TacticalR |
England isn't going to win the World Cup. | |
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| London on 08:50 - Jan 26 with 2356 views | Konk |
| London on 08:43 - Jan 26 by TacticalR |
England isn't going to win the World Cup. |
If Roy the boy is still in charge for 2018, we are gonna do it, easy style. Believe in Roy. | |
| Fulham FC: It's the taking part that counts |
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| London on 09:05 - Jan 26 with 2327 views | paulparker |
| London on 21:47 - Jan 25 by DWQPR |
Don't live there any more and haven't done for 25 years nearly, don't work there apart from the odd seminar to attend but love visiting, especially a walk along the South Bank. No other capital, other than Rome has such history attached to it, and none in my book has as much diversity and culture. As for decent boozers, during our Xmas lunch had a few pints in The George in Borough High Street and a few more in Old Doctor Butlers Head in Coleman Street. The place Is still full of great boozers if you want to find them and some great, affordable restaurants aswell. The city houses 12 professional football clubs, plus thus knuts down the road, two international cricket venues, numerous professional rugby grounds, a national football ground, a fantastic Olympic Park, numerous theatres, large and small, a fantastic river dividing into two, an unrivalled, believe or not transport system, which is probably a victim of its own success, great parks and some fantastic architecture, both old and new. Some great markets and even though Cooke's is now closed still plenty of Pie and Mash shops to be found. And compared to many large cities similar to London, I suspect that in comparison crime is probably quite low. London is still a fantastic city. |
Some Good points there DW , I take my daughter to London a few times a year and there are some fantastic places to go , she loves it ,
having a day out on a sunday when the sun is out and there is no finer City in the world to be
that being said i miss the gritty London of the 80's and early 90's, I hate what some parts of London have become , I think back to when my family lived in the Bush in squalor when my dad had to walk from the bush to Ravenscourt Park just to have a bath , now you have the likes of james may , Jude Law & co mincing around and rich arabs & Russians buying property like there is no tomorrow , pubs are closing and communities & traditions are now lost , its sad
also on the flip side immigration is to high , some parts of London are mini countries in themselves and that's not a good thing, when I loved near Ealing I loved that it was cosmopolitan now when I go there I don't recognise the place its gone down hill big time , I dunno perhaps ive been away from the place to long im sure someone will put me right |  |
| And Bowles is onside, Swinburne has come rushing out of his goal , what can Bowles do here , onto the left foot no, on to the right foot
That’s there that’s two, and that’s Bowles
Brian Moore
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| London on 09:07 - Jan 26 with 2327 views | Discodroids |
| London on 23:37 - Jan 25 by HollowayRanger |
gonna post my 4th comment on London see if this one gets deleted like the other 3
London no longer feels like my home it no longer belongs to me and I cant wait to retire and get out of it, too many people place is suffocating and it will only get worse
problem is if I should make it to 60 wheres left worth living
at moment its west cork or majorca |
Missed your posts Holloway, without going into details, did you reference journalist/film makers Ben Judah's Book , This Is London: Life And Death In The World City ?. |  |
| "...The monkey is never dead, Dealer. The monkey never dies. When you kick him off, he just hides in a corner, waiting his turn." |
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| London is shyte nowadays on 09:27 - Jan 26 with 2300 views | ShotKneesHoop |
| London on 23:37 - Jan 25 by HollowayRanger |
gonna post my 4th comment on London see if this one gets deleted like the other 3
London no longer feels like my home it no longer belongs to me and I cant wait to retire and get out of it, too many people place is suffocating and it will only get worse
problem is if I should make it to 60 wheres left worth living
at moment its west cork or majorca |
If you ignore the six fingered locals and Naaaarch On The Ball City, Norfolk is a pretty good place to live in, it's still got great pubs and beer - and everything is cheap because there's no work.
You can still buy a semi detached house for £140,000 - £200,000 up here. You just need a job - or a pension to pay for it. See cut and paste below:-
3 bed cottage for sale in Black Street, Martham, Great Yarmouth - £198,950.
A very rare chance to purchase a village Victorian flint cottage set on 3 floors. Many character features with fireplaces to reception rooms, kitchen with utility, 3 bedrooms, large rear garden and car standing space to rear. An absolute peach of a ...
3 bed semi-detached house for sale in Chestnut Road, Tasburgh, Norwich - £195,000
An immaculate three-bedroomed semi house occupying a peaceful cul-de-sac location in the heart of Tasburgh with accommodation including hall, cloakroom, 16' lounge with adjoining conservatory, quality fitted kitchen/breakfast room with breakfast bar ...
3 bed semi-detached house for sale in Blenheim Avenue, Martham, Great Yarmouth - £144,950
We are pleased to offer this spacious, three bedroom family house situated in the popular Broadland village of Martham. The property offers lpg central heating and upvc sealed unit double glazing. Accommodation includes entrance porch, hall way, ... | |
| Why does it feel like R'SWiPe is still on the books? Yer Couldn't Make It Up.Well Done Me! |
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| London on 09:27 - Jan 26 with 2294 views | ShotKneesHoop |
| London on 05:18 - Jan 26 by TearsOfaClown |
Tell'em the Whelks story . . . |
I couldn't bring that up, but our merchant banker brother could. | |
| Why does it feel like R'SWiPe is still on the books? Yer Couldn't Make It Up.Well Done Me! |
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| London on 09:30 - Jan 26 with 2286 views | ShotKneesHoop |
| London on 09:27 - Jan 26 by ShotKneesHoop |
I couldn't bring that up, but our merchant banker brother could. |
The whelks were so good, he ate them twice. | |
| Why does it feel like R'SWiPe is still on the books? Yer Couldn't Make It Up.Well Done Me! |
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