Tales from London

[Mad Doug Biker]

But TBH I wouldnt have been happy using a BB as I saw a guy having difficulty riding it.

??? Why??

As others have said, I've seen plenty of peeps using them no bother, are you REALLY going to base your opinion on the experience of one person and bike?? Not very logical methinks.

Anyway, yes, I LOVE London too, the place is so vibrant and dynamic, and there is always SOMETHING going on somewhere! It might seem big and intimidating at first, but once you get to know your way around, it isn't so bad.

That said, I don't think I could live there for any great amount of time (but I'd like to try).

Haha. We went looking for another one but they were all full to the brim with people and seemed to be very high-class and snazzy around St Paul's Cathedral.

That's the middle of the City, so you'll get all the bankers there. I'd suggest bashing some of them, but... Erm.... That would just sound wrong.... right?

That said, of that area, I stayed in the Youth Hostel round the corner from St Paul's a few years ago, and you would be woken up by the wonderful sound of them practicing ringing the bells, and what's more, I found a few places in the back streets which were actually quite cheap (by London standards) for food (everyone always complains London is too expensive, but certainly round the city there were some great little places).

Not necessarily

Dounreay for example has a lot of civil engineers and it's about as far away from a city as you can get

From what I hear of that place, you had better make a family first before working there!!

 

[Matthew_T]

??? Why??

The main reason being that I dont like the feeling of using a new bike. I dont feel strong on it. I like to use something that I know well and have trust in.

 

[Crankarm]

Haha. We went looking for another one but they were all full to the brim with people and seemed to be very high-class and snazzy around St Paul's Cathedral.

When I read the title of your post I thought "Oh no, this can only mean on thing - Matt has got himself in to serious trouble this time on the streets of London". Glad you survived and made it home safely.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

The main reason being that I dont like the feeling of using a new bike. I dont feel strong on it. I like to use something that I know well and have trust in.

To me, if a bike is set up properly and it fits, then there's no problem.

 

[PK99]

As a born & bred, I'm always a bit surprised by outsiders' descriptions of the hell-hole that is my home-town. I don't find London hostile or unpleasant in the slightest. The worst you can say about it is that people tend not to engage with others. Understandable given the number of 'others' any Londoner encounters on the average day. But I find the prevailing culture very much 'live & let live', and that suits me fine. I've lived here man & boy for over 50 years, and the number of genuinely unpleasant/nasty/violent incidents I've witnessed in that time can be counted easily on the fingers of one hand. For a city the size, density and variety of London, I think that's pretty remarkable.

I've been in London 30 years, and still love it and still discover new bits regularly. Shepherd market in Mayfair last summer (the original site of the May Fair and now a delightful oasis of calm in the quadrant between Piccadilly and park lane. Just today i linked my mental maps of Covent Garden & Holborn by walking between them!

The mistake many people make is seeing london as one place - it isn't, it is lots of towns and villages without the roads in-between.

 

[mcshroom]

??? Why??

As others have said, I've seen plenty of peeps using them no bother, are you REALLY going to base your opinion on the experience of one person and bike?? Not very logical methinks.

Anyway, yes, I LOVE London too, the place is so vibrant and dynamic, and there is always SOMETHING going on somewhere! It might seem big and intimidating at first, but once you get to know your way around, it isn't so bad.

That said, I don't think I could live there for any great amount of time (but I'd like to try).

I lived and worked in London for two years before my job got relocated to Berkshire. I think London is a nice place but i prefer visiting to living there.

From what I hear of that place, you had better make a family first before working there!!

If the dose at Dounreay is a problem, anyone living over granite rock (like Cornwall) is really screwed

 

[mcshroom]

I've been in London 30 years, and still love it and still discover new bits regularly. Shepherd market in Mayfair last summer (the original site of the May Fair and now a delightful oasis of calm in the quadrant between Piccadilly and park lane. Just today i linked my mental maps of Covent Garden & Holborn by walking between them!

The mistake many people make is seeing london as one place - it isn't, it is lots of towns and villages without the roads in-between.

Felt more like a collection of dormitory suburbs round a central city to me, but each to their own and if people enjoy living in London then great

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

I've been in London 30 years, and still love it and still discover new bits regularly. Shepherd market in Mayfair last summer (the original site of the May Fair and now a delightful oasis of calm in the quadrant between Piccadilly and park lane. Just today i linked my mental maps of Covent Garden & Holborn by walking between them!

I remember being there a few years back with virtually no money (don't ask), not enough even for a tube fare*, so I just walked everywhere, and believe me, I think I learned more about Central London than I ever did any other way!!

The mistake many people make is seeing london as one place - it isn't, it is lots of towns and villages without the roads in-between.

No, no, the mistake most people make is only going to the most touristy bits...... And then they wonder why it's so expensive and busy!


* - I had had a bed pre booked in a Youth Hostel, so I had a bed at least, and they provided breakfast every morning too, so I would simply gorge myself with food for the day (I'd take food with me, and then forget about it, usually until the next morning, hmmmm).

People do 24 hour fasts for charity to simulate what it must be like in Africa. I did it for several days running without any sponsorship (damn, I could have made a bit of money there! )!!

 

[gaz]

Haha. We went looking for another one but they were all full to the brim with people and seemed to be very high-class and snazzy around St Paul's Cathedral.

Of course they where, it's a friday, people have go out for a drink.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Of course they where, it's a friday, people have go out for a drink.

It'll be the City too, so they'll be out celebrating their latest mahoosive bonuses before going home to leafy Surrey or whatever.

 

[defy-one]

I have lived in west London most of my life and worked in the city for the last 23 years - i really don't understand why anyone would be scared of or not like London, and what it has to offer. It is the biggest melting pot of people from every part of the world and that diversity makes it an amazing place to live and work. I learn and continue to learn something new each day.
I see London at all hours of the day and night,and have yet to experience any crime or trouble. In fact it has to be one of the safest places to be walking around in the wee hours (something i do all to frequently when on call)
Yes it's expensive and can be daylight robbery if you use the tourist bars and diners ...... But hidden off the main roads are some delightful pubs and cafes.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Yes it's expensive and can be daylight robbery if you use the tourist bars and diners ...... But hidden off the main roads are some delightful pubs and cafes.

Indeed, that's what I found. I try to tell people this about London too, but, hey, I guess people love to have something to moan about (the cheapest bottle of water I've EVER seen and bought, was from a small shop at London Bridge. 30p it cost me, THIRTY PENCE!! .....The bottle had Cyrillic writing on it, so it was probably from Pripyat or something! ).

Incidentally, it is also where I first discovered Japanese food, and even came across Japanese takeaways and snack bars (London, not Pripyat)

 

[Matthew_T]

Yes it's expensive and can be daylight robbery if you use the tourist bars and diners ...... But hidden off the main roads are some delightful pubs and cafes.

For dinner we went to an Italian called Le Strada. It actually wasnt too badly priced* and the food was quite nice.

* Mains varied from £11 to £15 starters and dessert were £6 which I see as reasonable considering I expected it to be a lot more (£20 for main).

 

[ASC1951]

I really don't understand why anyone would be scared of or not like London, and what it has to offer..

Too big and too built up. From my house I can walk into the centre of a decent sized city in twenty minutes - plenty enough cinemas, theatres, dance, eateries, pubs and ethnic diversity - and in ten minutes in the other direction on my bike I can be bowling along between drystone walls.

 

[Ron-da-Valli]

Us londoners will push past those who are taking too long. We have places to go, people to see and important business meetings to get to. I don't have time for tourists standing on the right of the escalators!

As Mickey Flanagan would say, " Us Cockneys are double busy"