Does London have as much atmosphere as it used to have?

[Elpenor]

Some prices in my local co op. 7 quid for a normal sized tin of shit coffee Check the herbal tea packet for a fiver too. Then scale it out.

View attachment 447407

I guess this is a corner shop not a supermarket price

 

[Elpenor]

whether it's "proper" or not, give me those over the "proper" parts any day. Less noise, less busy, cleaner. Okay a few less places to buy an over priced coffee or meal, but i'll take that for a nice quiet clean leafy street.

entirely a "me" subjective judgement but the idea of living in zones 1-2, other than an easy commute, fills me with dread.

I don’t know. I am an infrequent visitor to London and I can’t stand the traffic, crowds and noise anywhere in the urban parts of the SE of England (probably other cities too but feel it most here)

When visiting the people I still know in London they are in zone 2 and on the tube, at least they’re connected and close to what I think are the good and interesting bits of a city compared to suburbs miles away from the centre which feel like they have a lot of the drawbacks but few of the benefits.

But it ultimately depends on the definition of your personal London.

 

[BigMoaner]

Exactly depends entirely on the person

 

[kittyP]

That picture gave me anemoia.

 

[nagapie]

You cannot beat London for the mix of people and as I'm a people, that for me is all the brilliance summed up in one.
I would hate to live somewhere with a more homogeneous population.

 

[Puddy_Tat]

That picture gave me anemoia.

you need more iron in your diet

 

[BigMoaner]

Oh and a Millwall season ticket holder since I was about 5. This helps keep me rooted here.

 

[mango5]

I think I'm in the background somewhere

 

[BigMoaner]

You cannot beat London for the mix of people and as I'm a people, that for me is all the brilliance summed up in one.
I would hate to live somewhere with a more homogeneous population.

London is best when you have an entire Saturday or day to yourself or with someone close. You wake up and the options are endless. This is when it comes into its own. I also have this private fishing lake on my doorstep that I am a member of and it’s my little slice of heaven. It’s never just about fancy meals and shopping is it.


All of the positive we have listed can be replicated elsewhere but the options thing is less easy to replicate

 

[mango5]

Options go hand in hand with large numbers of people sharing a world city. Your patch of paradise is replicated North, East, West and centre.

 

[krtek a houby]

You cannot beat London for the mix of people and as I'm a people, that for me is all the brilliance summed up in one.
I would hate to live somewhere with a more homogeneous population.

This. Miss the London melting pot a lot.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

I don’t know. I am an infrequent visitor to London and I can’t stand the traffic, crowds and noise anywhere in the urban parts of the SE of England (probably other cities too but feel it most here)

When visiting the people I still know in London they are in zone 2 and on the tube, at least they’re connected and close to what I think are the good and interesting bits of a city compared to suburbs miles away from the centre which feel like they have a lot of the drawbacks but few of the benefits.

But it ultimately depends on the definition of your personal London.

I’m not sure on that part of the suburbs, I basically live in one (we’re two mins from the London border), it’s 20 minutes to Richmond park and 40 to Waterloo. Pretty damn good place to live, cheaper to buy a house and live, lots of access to the places we love and we can drive to the country in like 20 minutes, and to Brighton in just over an hour!

 

[Kid_Eternity]

You cannot beat London for the mix of people and as I'm a people, that for me is all the brilliance summed up in one.
I would hate to live somewhere with a more homogeneous population.

Spot on. I lived in a small town near Cambridge then a small village north of Peterborough. Coming back to London felt like normality returned, no more looks and me and my wife walked the streets or the side eyes if we were talking to a fellow Black or Brown person.

The only city I’ve been too that can match London for diversity of this kind is NYC.

 

[mango5]

A new in-depth local news outfit has explored the lives of London leavers. You can subscribe for free as they get going.

The Londoner

London's new quality newspaper

www.the-londoner.co.uk

 

[ska invita]

A new in-depth local news outfit has explored the lives of London leavers. You can subscribe for free as they get going.

The Londoner

London's new quality newspaper

www.the-londoner.co.uk

this?

They wrote ‘Why I’m Leaving London’ essays, but did exiting the capital solve their problems?

Imogen West-Knights caught up with authors of viral leaving London essays and videos, years after the fact

www.the-londoner.co.uk

 

[Favelado]

Living in Madrid I miss the melting pot but it's much sadder and more downbeat than here. I don't think London has the same streetlife or buzz as New York, Madrid and a few other places I've been - but obviously it isn't totally lacking in that either. London's population density is quite low meaning a lot of the bustle is just mardy commuters rather than residents. Other places have more joie de vivre.