| London 15:24 - Jan 25 with 23039 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 11:45 - Jan 28 with 2774 views | Hooped_Pullie |
I came to London to live in the summer of 1988 having visited the city twice - as a child & a teenager - and fallen head over heels for the place. I was born & raised and lived till my early twenties in another European capital - Dublin - and whilst I grew up loving home, London seemed to have it all for me : QPR (whom I'd supported from afar), beautiful girls, great cheap booze , lovely English food, iconic places to be around and - very importantly for me - a cinema on every corner.
I arrived a young man…and London delivered. I lived north, south, east and west (and a few more besides) and whilst never being in a particularly high earning job I still managed to have a pretty wonderful life throughout the late '80s, all the way through the '90s, to the early 2000's.
Then, I sensed, something began changing about London and it's gone on changing ever since. A growing cultural poverty - even Central London has tragically lost most of its cinemas, with others set to disappear very soon - and a focus on wealth which has gradually become more and more exclusionary, sweeping up not only the picture palaces but the great value places to eat (Stockpot & West End Kitchen gone) whilst as for property prices…if you can or want to pay £450,000 for a tiny studio flat in the arse end of Deptford then I haven't met you yet.
As regards the apparently 'controversial' element of this thread…I personally think that the UK needs people to come and live here from overseas, not just the wealthy, but those with many different aspects to offer, in a spirit of contribution and with the plan of making a life for oneself. Atrocious urban/central/governmental planning, however, has focused too much of this country's resources on London and that has been enormously damaging for London and enormously damaging for the rest of the country as well. The tragedy is that we'd all be much better off if the jobs and the wealth had been spread evenly across the land.
Mrs.Pullie and I have discussed moving away, at least as far as Kent (ok, not very far) where at least a little sanity may still prevail in the property market, though that may not last for long.
We'll see. But yes, London is sadly not what it used to be, not by any means. |  | | |
| London on 14:21 - Jan 28 with 2672 views | WilloW4 |
| London on 11:45 - Jan 28 by Hooped_Pullie |
I came to London to live in the summer of 1988 having visited the city twice - as a child & a teenager - and fallen head over heels for the place. I was born & raised and lived till my early twenties in another European capital - Dublin - and whilst I grew up loving home, London seemed to have it all for me : QPR (whom I'd supported from afar), beautiful girls, great cheap booze , lovely English food, iconic places to be around and - very importantly for me - a cinema on every corner.
I arrived a young man…and London delivered. I lived north, south, east and west (and a few more besides) and whilst never being in a particularly high earning job I still managed to have a pretty wonderful life throughout the late '80s, all the way through the '90s, to the early 2000's.
Then, I sensed, something began changing about London and it's gone on changing ever since. A growing cultural poverty - even Central London has tragically lost most of its cinemas, with others set to disappear very soon - and a focus on wealth which has gradually become more and more exclusionary, sweeping up not only the picture palaces but the great value places to eat (Stockpot & West End Kitchen gone) whilst as for property prices…if you can or want to pay £450,000 for a tiny studio flat in the arse end of Deptford then I haven't met you yet.
As regards the apparently 'controversial' element of this thread…I personally think that the UK needs people to come and live here from overseas, not just the wealthy, but those with many different aspects to offer, in a spirit of contribution and with the plan of making a life for oneself. Atrocious urban/central/governmental planning, however, has focused too much of this country's resources on London and that has been enormously damaging for London and enormously damaging for the rest of the country as well. The tragedy is that we'd all be much better off if the jobs and the wealth had been spread evenly across the land.
Mrs.Pullie and I have discussed moving away, at least as far as Kent (ok, not very far) where at least a little sanity may still prevail in the property market, though that may not last for long.
We'll see. But yes, London is sadly not what it used to be, not by any means. |
Excellent post Hooped_Pullie..."I arrived a young man...and London delivered"..." If you want to pay £450,ooo for a tiny studio flat in the arse end of Deptford then I haven't met you yet'... Wonderful writing.! As a footnote, my Irish buddy has always said very similar.. We had a ball in London in the late 70's/ 80's and 90's.. He then said ' I want to leave London before I hate it'...it made sense then and makes even more sense now. |  | | |
| London on 14:50 - Jan 28 with 2642 views | kensalriser |
I reckon the only green in Willesden is that which sells by the quarter. |  |
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| London on 15:00 - Jan 28 with 2633 views | Hooped_Pullie |
| London on 14:21 - Jan 28 by WilloW4 |
Excellent post Hooped_Pullie..."I arrived a young man...and London delivered"..." If you want to pay £450,ooo for a tiny studio flat in the arse end of Deptford then I haven't met you yet'... Wonderful writing.! As a footnote, my Irish buddy has always said very similar.. We had a ball in London in the late 70's/ 80's and 90's.. He then said ' I want to leave London before I hate it'...it made sense then and makes even more sense now. |
Thank you, my friend !
A lot of heartfelt stuff in there for me. I empathise with your friend as well, the 70's were probably even better ! | | | |
| London on 15:35 - Jan 28 with 2590 views | Hayesender |
| London on 11:45 - Jan 28 by Hooped_Pullie |
I came to London to live in the summer of 1988 having visited the city twice - as a child & a teenager - and fallen head over heels for the place. I was born & raised and lived till my early twenties in another European capital - Dublin - and whilst I grew up loving home, London seemed to have it all for me : QPR (whom I'd supported from afar), beautiful girls, great cheap booze , lovely English food, iconic places to be around and - very importantly for me - a cinema on every corner.
I arrived a young man…and London delivered. I lived north, south, east and west (and a few more besides) and whilst never being in a particularly high earning job I still managed to have a pretty wonderful life throughout the late '80s, all the way through the '90s, to the early 2000's.
Then, I sensed, something began changing about London and it's gone on changing ever since. A growing cultural poverty - even Central London has tragically lost most of its cinemas, with others set to disappear very soon - and a focus on wealth which has gradually become more and more exclusionary, sweeping up not only the picture palaces but the great value places to eat (Stockpot & West End Kitchen gone) whilst as for property prices…if you can or want to pay £450,000 for a tiny studio flat in the arse end of Deptford then I haven't met you yet.
As regards the apparently 'controversial' element of this thread…I personally think that the UK needs people to come and live here from overseas, not just the wealthy, but those with many different aspects to offer, in a spirit of contribution and with the plan of making a life for oneself. Atrocious urban/central/governmental planning, however, has focused too much of this country's resources on London and that has been enormously damaging for London and enormously damaging for the rest of the country as well. The tragedy is that we'd all be much better off if the jobs and the wealth had been spread evenly across the land.
Mrs.Pullie and I have discussed moving away, at least as far as Kent (ok, not very far) where at least a little sanity may still prevail in the property market, though that may not last for long.
We'll see. But yes, London is sadly not what it used to be, not by any means. |
Excellent post.
My mum arrived in London in the early 60's from a small town in Ireland and made it her home.
Yes she had to work bloody hard, and put up with shitty landlords and bosses, but she gritted her teeth and won.
She had to move back to Ireland in the 90's to look after her own mother, and now spends half her time there, and half her time over here where she still has a house in the bush.
But she quite often says to me this isn't the London she grew to love.
Progress? You can shove it |  |
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| London on 16:59 - Jan 28 with 2620 views | londonscottish |
| London on 14:50 - Jan 28 by kensalriser |
I reckon the only green in Willesden is that which sells by the quarter. |
Oi! Willesden Green here. It may not be very green BUT the only green in Kensal Green is that scabby patch of grass by the tube and the only green in Kensal Rise is a posh estate agents. And the bit where the winos sit outside the bookies on Chamberlayne Road. |  |
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| London on 17:47 - Jan 28 with 2581 views | Discodroids |
North Chingford is beautiful with wide open spaces and was in fact classed as Essex until 1965 .
dont touch that dial for further offbeat kooky facts.
As luck would have it , Wayne Lineker has opened a Bar called 'Essex house ' in my local high street who attract every would be celebrity hive of joey essex replicants in a ten mile radius. Joe cole is a regular.
I cant help it, its like picking at a scab, but I read wayne Linekers twitter a/c every day , and all the c unts that post on it acting as if there the centre of the f ucking universe as if there the studio 54 crowd or something, Or the original Hacienda tribe.
My Mrs goes mad at me cause it really fackn well sets me off every night when im reading Waynes latest philosophical musings , stroking my cat maurice and shes trying to watch facking Celebrity masterchef or some other abortion of a program.
What with that , Towies Micky Norcross of the Sugar Hut and his PMA tweets , the fackn Evening Standard every night going on about LGBT migration patterns and FGM like we give a f ucking f uck , its all to much for me these days.
Thus ; im allowed to read the evening standard twice a week . Ive been banned from watching question time for ever, wayne linekers and micky norcross's twitter accounts must be read during the day when im not sending latvians back to prison.
i Dont know what happened there, it started as a London post but fell apart like suckling pig .Please forgive me .
I have no idea who the geezer is with Wayne Lineker , possibly Jimmy somerville on steroids [Post edited 28 Jan 2016 17:50]
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| "...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 on 18:39 - Jan 28 with 2542 views | Boston |
| London on 17:47 - Jan 28 by Discodroids |
North Chingford is beautiful with wide open spaces and was in fact classed as Essex until 1965 .
dont touch that dial for further offbeat kooky facts.
As luck would have it , Wayne Lineker has opened a Bar called 'Essex house ' in my local high street who attract every would be celebrity hive of joey essex replicants in a ten mile radius. Joe cole is a regular.
I cant help it, its like picking at a scab, but I read wayne Linekers twitter a/c every day , and all the c unts that post on it acting as if there the centre of the f ucking universe as if there the studio 54 crowd or something, Or the original Hacienda tribe.
My Mrs goes mad at me cause it really fackn well sets me off every night when im reading Waynes latest philosophical musings , stroking my cat maurice and shes trying to watch facking Celebrity masterchef or some other abortion of a program.
What with that , Towies Micky Norcross of the Sugar Hut and his PMA tweets , the fackn Evening Standard every night going on about LGBT migration patterns and FGM like we give a f ucking f uck , its all to much for me these days.
Thus ; im allowed to read the evening standard twice a week . Ive been banned from watching question time for ever, wayne linekers and micky norcross's twitter accounts must be read during the day when im not sending latvians back to prison.
i Dont know what happened there, it started as a London post but fell apart like suckling pig .Please forgive me .
I have no idea who the geezer is with Wayne Lineker , possibly Jimmy somerville on steroids [Post edited 28 Jan 2016 17:50]
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The Only Way Is Droid. | |
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| London on 18:49 - Jan 28 with 2527 views | Brightonhoop |
| London on 17:47 - Jan 28 by Discodroids |
North Chingford is beautiful with wide open spaces and was in fact classed as Essex until 1965 .
dont touch that dial for further offbeat kooky facts.
As luck would have it , Wayne Lineker has opened a Bar called 'Essex house ' in my local high street who attract every would be celebrity hive of joey essex replicants in a ten mile radius. Joe cole is a regular.
I cant help it, its like picking at a scab, but I read wayne Linekers twitter a/c every day , and all the c unts that post on it acting as if there the centre of the f ucking universe as if there the studio 54 crowd or something, Or the original Hacienda tribe.
My Mrs goes mad at me cause it really fackn well sets me off every night when im reading Waynes latest philosophical musings , stroking my cat maurice and shes trying to watch facking Celebrity masterchef or some other abortion of a program.
What with that , Towies Micky Norcross of the Sugar Hut and his PMA tweets , the fackn Evening Standard every night going on about LGBT migration patterns and FGM like we give a f ucking f uck , its all to much for me these days.
Thus ; im allowed to read the evening standard twice a week . Ive been banned from watching question time for ever, wayne linekers and micky norcross's twitter accounts must be read during the day when im not sending latvians back to prison.
i Dont know what happened there, it started as a London post but fell apart like suckling pig .Please forgive me .
I have no idea who the geezer is with Wayne Lineker , possibly Jimmy somerville on steroids [Post edited 28 Jan 2016 17:50]
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:-) Didn't he have a Bar in Malaga? Another general reason I avoid Malaga. There are many places on earth to remind us despite everything, perhaps London aint so bad afterall.  |  | | |
| London on 20:20 - Jan 28 with 2475 views | enfieldargh |
Just taken me 3 and a half hours to drive from South Croydon to Enfield. Only 1 hour and ten from Enfield to Lingield leaving at 8AM this morning.
could have driven to Manchester!!!
Mind you took my mate 3 hours to drive from Reading to Milton Keynes this morning...give me London over those two places anytime |  |
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| London on 21:04 - Jan 28 with 2450 views | WilloW4 |
| London on 17:47 - Jan 28 by Discodroids |
North Chingford is beautiful with wide open spaces and was in fact classed as Essex until 1965 .
dont touch that dial for further offbeat kooky facts.
As luck would have it , Wayne Lineker has opened a Bar called 'Essex house ' in my local high street who attract every would be celebrity hive of joey essex replicants in a ten mile radius. Joe cole is a regular.
I cant help it, its like picking at a scab, but I read wayne Linekers twitter a/c every day , and all the c unts that post on it acting as if there the centre of the f ucking universe as if there the studio 54 crowd or something, Or the original Hacienda tribe.
My Mrs goes mad at me cause it really fackn well sets me off every night when im reading Waynes latest philosophical musings , stroking my cat maurice and shes trying to watch facking Celebrity masterchef or some other abortion of a program.
What with that , Towies Micky Norcross of the Sugar Hut and his PMA tweets , the fackn Evening Standard every night going on about LGBT migration patterns and FGM like we give a f ucking f uck , its all to much for me these days.
Thus ; im allowed to read the evening standard twice a week . Ive been banned from watching question time for ever, wayne linekers and micky norcross's twitter accounts must be read during the day when im not sending latvians back to prison.
i Dont know what happened there, it started as a London post but fell apart like suckling pig .Please forgive me .
I have no idea who the geezer is with Wayne Lineker , possibly Jimmy somerville on steroids [Post edited 28 Jan 2016 17:50]
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I am immensely proud to say I have know fcking idea who those pair of tossers are in that photo.. And bizarrely even after reading Dd's appraisal I still have no fcking idea who those pair of tossers are.!! So fcking there.!! | | | |
| London on 21:07 - Jan 28 with 2444 views | BazzaInTheLoft |
| London on 21:04 - Jan 28 by WilloW4 |
I am immensely proud to say I have know fcking idea who those pair of tossers are in that photo.. And bizarrely even after reading Dd's appraisal I still have no fcking idea who those pair of tossers are.!! So fcking there.!! |
One of them geezers has nicked his jacket from Michael Jackson. [Post edited 28 Jan 2016 21:07]
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| London on 21:38 - Jan 28 with 2414 views | Boston |
| London on 21:07 - Jan 28 by BazzaInTheLoft |
One of them geezers has nicked his jacket from Michael Jackson. [Post edited 28 Jan 2016 21:07]
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Oh yeah, underage drinking still a go over there then? | |
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| London on 22:42 - Jan 28 with 2376 views | e4ranger |
| London on 16:18 - Jan 25 by RBlock |
No problem with UBERs. The black Cabbies priced themselves out of the game. Also refused to adapt with technology, creating the gap that UBER exploited. I agree with the sentiment of your post however. Still great places to go and eat/drink and sights to see but it hasn't got the same character as other northern cities. |
Black cab drivers don't set prices tfl do.Black cab drivers had an app (hailo)about 2 years before uber were in London.Uber is a multi billion dollar company that have come to London and other European cities and pay very little tax (about 22 grand last year) | | | |
| London on 14:44 - Jan 29 with 2270 views | kensalriser |
Enough with the repeated Wayne Linekers already!
Never heard of the bloke before this. Now I have I don't feel my life is enriched. Indeed, he looks like a bit of a sleazeball. | |
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| London on 19:34 - Feb 28 with 2099 views | TacticalR |
'I have often amused myself with thinking how different a place London is to different people. They, whose narrow minds are contracted to the consideration of some one particular pursuit, view it only through that medium. A politician thinks of it merely as the seat of government in its different departments; a grazier, as a vast market for cattle; a mercantile man, as a place where a prodigious deal of business is done upon ’Change; a dramatick enthusiast, as the grand scene of theatrical entertainments; a man of pleasure, as an assemblage of taverns, and the great emporium for ladies of easy virtue. But the intellectual man is struck with it, as comprehending the whole of human life in all its variety, the contemplation of which is inexhaustible.'
James Boswell, Journal, (1763) |  |
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