"Not so bad, for England." a London Travel Page by mrjemm

I've never lived in London, and I would certainly not want to, but I have been visiting theplace regularly since I was young, and since being not so young, I have stepped up my appearances there to a fairly frequent traveller level. Usually I have been quite content to be there a few days and then rush on out of town, it is not my favourite place. I have always said that about 4 days is my limit here,with a maximum of a week when pushed.
My last visit has rather changed this feeling though, with the help of some inside knowledge and the benefit of good company, I have found there is actually more fun to be had here than I previously realised. Of course this can be the case with anywhere, but some things really stood out this time.
Just to be on the safe side though, I hope I can enjoy the same company next time I go there.

It's a big dirty city.

Thankfully it's not completely typical of England. It actually has some influence from other places. OK, so most streets still have the obligatory Boots, Dixons and Virgin Megastore that make up every town in this country, but it's got the odd other place thrown in. Seems to be one of the only places around this nation with a decent market for a start, although the produce is still leaving a lot to be desired compared to Tesco's, let alone a French or Spanish market. There's even a decent cup of coffee available in some places.

Quite a few of my friends got sucked into this place, so I like to get down here sometimes, and usually I have a good time. For the first couple of days; then that's it, enough, get me out. And don't even think about saying it's the pace or congestion- look at my other pages and guess my 2 favourite cities- they leave London WAY behind. The only chain besides the MacHole (that I somehow blank out) they have seems to be 7-11; and you cannot complain about 7-11. No way. Actually, Bk has Boots, but NOT ON EVERY BLUDDi STREET!

Sorry, I was meant to be saying I rather like the place. Erm, let me think...

I left that previous chapter in here as a sample of the venom I felt for London earlier. I still have many of the same feelings, only a good deal milder. The shops in general are still primarily chain stores- particularly intourist trap areas like Oxford Street and Covent Garden, but there are the best small specialists and unique shops to be found in the UK here too. Also, presumably due to the fact it is the capital and biggest city of the UK by far, it has the best selection of places to eat, even cheaply, and best galleries, public spaces and most everything else.
Such a shame then that the other side to being so big and important is the payoff in being the filthiest, busiest and most expensive place in the UK. It is still a nightmare to navigate and spend time in, but the possibilities to escape the stress, grime and crime are impressive.
Also all good things come to an end and we must all go and live our lives. Many are here, our's aren't.