If you have ever been to London....?

Question

... what did you think of it? Did you like it or dislike it, and why? It would also be useful to know where you are from :-)

I am asking because I am conducting some research, so all opinions will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

xx Emmie

As a few people have asked, I'm from Birmingham (UK).... there is an ongoing feud about which is a better city to live in and which people are more friendly... I'll keep schtum about my vote! ;-)

Answer 1

I love London. There is so much to see and always something happening. The whole place has a buzz to it. I am from the UK.

Answer 2

Hey Emmie, London is my favorite city in the entire world. Not only is it gorgeous but it's also easy to get around. While I found some of the tube stops hard to locate the Londoners were more than happy to help us find the tube station. The city was very clean, the people were friendly and there was so much to do.

The only downfall is the cost of things. While many of the attractions are free, others (such as the London Eye) are not and are quite costly. A ride around the Eye cost me about 30 USD. The difference in pound and the USD add up especially when we would hit the bars at night. Perhaps in the long run the fact many of the historical places are free helps balance out the amount I spent on liquor :X

Answer 3

Hi Emmie,
I'm from the continent, when I first moved to the UK I lived in London. I lived in different parts at different times and loved it. Each area has its own face, its own character. Each area is like a village of its own and London seems to just be a network of villages connected together. The underground, the streetmarkets, the sights, the shops, the nighlife - it seemed to be on a buzz! You can also have "nature" in the midst of London. For instance there is Hamstead Heath, a very large park with woodland and meadows, and muddy ponds for swimming in. If you liked swimming in natural waters but preferred something slightly less muddy you could go to the Serpentine in Hyde Park. You could walk along the Regent's Canal all the way from the Hackney Marshes to Regents Park.
What shocked me about London: all the homeless people sleeping in subways and begging in the underground stations.
What I disliked about London: all the plastic bags in the trees. Never come across that before. Bizarre!
What I hated about London: the fact that I felt trapped in a huge city. Despite there being many nice parks, I always sensed that I was surrounded by roads, cars, buildings... One couldn't leave on foot to go to the countryside. It takes an hour or more to drive out of Londong by car...
I much prefer living in the country side now.
chirpy

Answer 4

I find London to be very interesting. I do like the cultural landmarks and the diversity of the people living there. In terms of friendliness, it feels a bit more like any other big city in America. For instance, in the London Underground, I walked on the wrong side of the walkway and people gave me a hard time getting back to the correct side. I also find the double-decker bus drivers to be somewhat unfriendly. I asked one driver about the whether the bus goes to Paddington Station and he ignored my question only to get the simple answer from a fellow passenger. However, I also met some polite, helpful people as well, which makes London more friendlier than any U.S. city.

Answer 5

we just spent 2 weeks .... 1 touring the Cotswolds and the other in London. We can't wait to go back (we're from Nashville, TN) I was also told by a British friend that I probably wouldn't like the people- that we would think them "cold". When we met up during the trip I let her know that we were having a great time with the people, that everyone was wonderful to us and very friendly and helpful. We travelled with 3 generations from 50-something grandparents, a 30 something and 2 boys, ages 11 and 4. We ALL loved London and found tons of interesting and fun stuff to do. Like I said, we can hardly wait to go back- hopefully in '09.

Answer 6

The main reasons I have been to London is either the Proms, at the Royal Albert Hall; or Buddhist teachings, mainly at a place in Kennington. I'm hoping to go to London in October because some Buddhist relics will be on exhibition in Kennington, and I'm hoping to do some early Christmas shopping in Piccadilly.

I am from Portsmouth, so London is only around 90mins on the train. I like London, but I could not live there because it is too big and seems to go on and on, but I did live in Hornchurch in the 1960s during my childhood and London seemed really exciting then.

Answer 7

Work in London but live a long way away, recently had to stay in London for 3 nights in a row prior to going on holiday in the West Country. The stay in London was the best part of the holiday, saw the sights, had a great time.

Answer 8

I come from London. Left 25 years ago. Only go back to visit family now. I enjoyed London when in my 20's but as time went by and it got dirtier and more polluted and congested I moved up to the North of England.

London is good for young people. Plenty of interesting jobs if starting a career and you don't mind crowded or expensive (or both) accomodation, plenty of nightlife, a big melting pot of people from over a hundred countries and history dating back over a thousand years.

But in the end, it's still a city, one of the world's biggest and most congested and for me, not a place to live permanently.

Simon

Answer 9

We loved it. Been there twice. Firs time we were there we came into central London after motoring around the countryside. pulled up to the hotel to unload the car, while my wife delt with the checkin I asked the doorman where I had to return the car to the rental agency. We spread a map on ther roof of the car right in the middle of the street & he proceeded to show me where to go. Later in that same visit I was leaving the Imperial war museum, got a cab & had a lovely chat with the diver about his boyhood WW11 adventures. One of the best italian meals I've ever had was at an italian restaurant right down the Strand from our hotel. I found the Londoners very friendly & tolerant of us "Yanks". My brother-in law, whose British, warned me when he knew we were going over there, that his countrymen were rather, "cold & standoffish". When we returned, I told him that we found just the opposite to be true. Everyone met were warm and friendly. We had a great time. I could regale you with many more stories of unexpected & unique adventures we had over there, but enough said.

Answer 10

I've been to London lots of times. Absolutely love it there. If you're a tourist there you will enjoy The Tower of London and the Dungeons. Madame Tussuad's is also a good place to go, though it can get a bit crowded at times. There is lots more to see there, too many to tell you about. Hope your research goes well. I'm from Dublin. Ireland. How about you ?