Premier Rock Forum

The brief time I spent there was life-altering. Not Crap!

not crap. The Tube rules. the museums are cool. especially the Science one in Kensington. the beer is plentiful. There is always something going on. The London Eye is touristy but well worth it. Curry on Brick Lane. Proper breakfasts! Salut!

After much consideration.. Not at all crap. Always things to do, so much to explore. Every kind of music to see on any given night. Some places like Shoreditch and Brick Lane feel very comfy to me for a giant city. I feel right at home there. Even Soho and Greek Street feel a bit like Chicago to me. In fact I hope to be living there in the not so far future.

Agree with all the aforementioned positives. I learned on my last trip that there are amazing Italian restaurants there. That was the last hook that sold me. Now if it were only a lot less expensive..

i really want to visit some day...i almost wound up living there at one point...

In a few weeks I'm shipping off to London for a fall semester study abroad program. Anyone have any suggestions for venues, local bands, less expensive than usual food, bars, stuff to check out ect? It would be greatly appreciated seeing as I've never been there before.

You know how people a couple of years ahead of you in school would tell you what was cool so that the bullies would leave you alone?

Wear an American flag prominently at all times. You'll be made to feel so very welcome in Britain. Kind of like how that would play in Santa Cruz.

Gonna go crap. I had some fun times when I was younger, but London is a boring town full of the worst people from the South of England.

I'm not going to vote, because there are things I love about the city, described by tmidgett and steve and others above, and I even almost moved there temporarily when it looked like my wife was going to get a consulting gig that would last six months or so. But during the five or six times I've been there over the years I have had three really annoying experiences. I'm not sure if it's fair to say that they reveal something "crap" in general about London, but still.

I grew up in a place whose entire economy is based almost solely on tourism, so I'm aware of how irritating tourists can be, as well as the resentment that just their presence can cause, particularly the complex resentment of knowing that your livelihood is dependent on these people. I want to make this clear, because I like to think it's made me a good traveler, and sensitive to what my presence means to people who live in a place I'm visiting.

These are the three things.

1. I'm on the tube, on my way to Camden I think, when I realize that I had mistakenly thought that Camden was in zone 1, which means I haven't paid enough of a fare. I assume that as with other cities with trains that have tiered pricing, there must be a way to add to your fare when you reach your destination. When I get to the station, it looks like I could just walk out and nobody would be the wiser, but instead I explain to the guy on duty what happened, and ask if I can add to the fare. He calls a cop, who calls me into a room and immediately starts writing me a ticket. I explain that I wasn't "caught," that I just wanted to add to the fare, etc. He says that the maps are quite clear, it's my own fault, etc.

I had to pay a fine right there, as he was making noise about confiscating my passport. I knew this was all bullshit, but it was my last full day in the city, and I didn't want to spend it in some sort of bureaucratic hell, so I just paid it.

2. I'm walking around somewhere (can't remember the area), when I notice a cafe with coin-operated Internet terminals. I decide to check my email, but realize I need change. I approach the man at the counter, and have an exchange roughly like this:

Me: Excuse me, could I have change for--

Him: We don't give change.

Me: No, see, I need it to use your terminals.

Him: They're not ours.

Me: Whose are they?

Him: [nonsensical answer about how the cafe doesn't actually own the terminals or something.]

3. I'm in a small record store, with a stack of things I'm thinking of buying, when the guy announces that the store is closing soon. Now, I've worked in record stores, so I know the shittiness of working retail, as well as the unique annoyances that come with working in record stores. So I quickly sort through my stack, put back in their places a few things I've decided not to buy, and walk to the counter with probably about ten records. Too late, the noticeably smug guy tells me. We're closed.

I don't know if all this says anything about the city. Maybe I'm an annoying tourist and just don't know it. But I've never had these sorts of experiences anywhere else.

A young man sitting next to his girl against a shop in London asked me if I had any change. I said, "Sorry, no." He said, "I'm sorry for you." I said, "I'm sorry for her." She laughed. He got up and threatened to cut me. I walked away.

Is there any reason at all why Londoners all appear to be so arrogant, self-important and obnoxious? Maybe there is, and i've just never been made aware of it. At least you can hear them coming well in advance and move out of the way before they push or accost you. I'm sure there's some reason why they have to make you feel like you owe them something every time they speak at you, unfortunately I just don't have a clue what it could be.

When I say all Londoners, bear in mind i'm making an observation on the place from visiting Londoners themselves. So, pinch of skag... but I can't say that the place holds any appeal for a yokel such as myself.