I've spent most of my life in London and I think I'm outgrowing it.
Today my train was cancelled. So it took me 2 hours to get to work. 2 hours for a journey that is 8 miles into the city,
I arrive in the city and I pop into Sainsburys and they have no cold food as the fridges are broken. I go to tesco and the fridges are also broken.
Nothing works here. Ok today may not be a typical day but here are my reasons I want out.
Rent and housing prices are ridiculous,
Everything seems more expensive,
Roadworks everywhere they have had my street closed for 3 months causing a very long diversion every time I want to go anywhere.
Transport is awful and horrendously overpriced and doesn't work sitting (if you are lucky) on old trains, I consider my self a bit of a tube geek but bored of it.
It's full of horrible people.
Doesn't feel safe anymore
anytime you go out you have to keep an eye on the time otherwise it takes forever to get home, even with the 24 hour tube it's not really that helpful.
Maybe it's because I am getting older but perhaps I'm not the only one.who feels like this.
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Everything is over priced, and its nearly impossible to get a one-bedroom house anywhere.
The people are rude and unhelpful, and you get looked up on as weird if you talk to someone on the tube.
Even some of the bands here are up their own arses. Can't play very well at their instruments, shite songs and sloppy live. Yet they prance around with their cool haircuts and skinny jeans thinking they're the next Oasis.
There's too many people here as well, hard to get any space to yourself.
Driving into Central London (or just driving in general) is a nightmare. Buses and big ass lorries taking up tonnes of road space, roundabouts people are wankers and you really have to be in it for yourself to survive.
We would have left sooner but the idea was to leave some money in London tied up in property to give us the chance to move back in for work if need be.
Now we are out I doubt anything could persuade me to return to the London grind, no matter how much money was on the table.
The music scene here in Oxford is much better, band members are nicer and the level of musicianship is better too.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
They closed my road where I live which was supposed to take 3 weeks,it's been now 3 months so anytime I just need to go shopping it takes 30 minutes just to get through all the traffic it's causing.
And all I want is a bit of space to play my guitars. I have them crammed up in the corner, can't play at any sort of volume. as my flat is small I either play on the couch or on the edge of the bed. I'm 35 I had more space when I lived at home and at the same time I refuse to pay any more rent than I actually am for a bigger place as it's getting quite insane.
All I want is a bit of space and a bit of peace and quiet.
Think I saw an article of someone lying in the road after being injured in a hit-and-run, with all the preceding motorists driving around the body ignoring it.
I think a city can get too big and too full of itself. Relatively rich people buying their expensive snacks and coffees, from low-paid people who can barely afford to travel in every day.
I'm not surprised the situation hasn't just imploded; no poor people left there to staff the shops, just rich people unable to buy their first world "stuff" anymore.
Anyway not my problem as I wouldn't live there, even for double my current wage.
My wife and I both have ok paid jobs, we save what we can but we are still struggling, we don't have any kids, When I say we are struggling I mean we have nice things, we go on holiday, but we are stuck in a trap, we want to buy a home but it's impossible so I am looking at options and they are all in undesirable areas out side of london and any money saved on buying outside of london will be lost on ridiculous train fares.
It's a no win situation. I've been waiting for the bubble to burst but it doesn't seem to be anytime soon.
plus nobody lives near anyone. so if you want to meet a friend it's a big performance to set up a date. then nobody can be bothered to go to central london on a weekend. Plus a simple night out to the pub costs a fortune. I don't know how people do it. couple rounds of drinks and something to eat. £100 easy. it's insane.
Remember, it's easier to criticise than create!
For me, that completely validates my choice to avoid the place like the plague.
I don't commute; I ride a pushbike everywhere; I'm lucky enough to rent cheaply.
Other places can be wonderful to visit... but all too often, after only a few days, the small-town attitudes, pettiness, gossip and intolerance to multiculturalism make me glad to leave.
Yes, there's a lot to put up with. It can be a bit New-York-in-the'80s. But it's not dull.
I love the tranquility of my location but also being no more than 40 minutes tube from the buzz of Soho .I live half a mile from the last stop on the Piccadilly which gives me best of both worlds.
That is also a completely insane thing to say! London doesn't have a monopoly on tolerance! If you think it does, walk through Tower Hamlets at 2am in the morning and see how you're treated.
I tried it a couple of times, didn't like it, won't go back.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
But the concept of earning more in London is a false economy unless you're in one of the few jobs earning 100k+ or already own a place, in which case everyone hates you.
Most good places to go are full of twats already and anywhere new that's nice to go is full of twats before you can say "five stars on TripAdvisor".
I miss visiting London, and I miss my friends who still live there, but I don't miss living in it for a second.