Travel Guide : London

[AnneClair]

Hey there

Im goin to london next weekend, I really want to buy a pair of bape sneakers, I´ve checked their website, but they said they only have the Men articles, and since my shoe number is 5, i would like to know, if is possible to buy bape shoes for girls, and by this i mean, smaller numbers.

And since im here, can you tell me the best shops to buy Nike shoes too?

And pa:nuu?


xx

 

[loverunway]

Wow soo long since anyway posted!

 

[Fabulyss]

Can someone tell me what area is the best value for the money (to live) in London? I'll be moving there in the fall and I'm absolutely clueless.

 

[Meg]

It depends what kind of area you want to live in, etc. There are a lot of good value areas that tend to be slightly further out, or only accessible via train. Don't let taking a train put you off. where I used to live in London, it was zone 2 (so second most central zone) but the tube just didn't stop there. It was a ten minute journey into London bridge and loads of night buses that took you in central London. Do you know if you want to live North, South, East, West?

 

[loverunway]

Yeah it's really hard to answer a question like that.
I'd reccomend not zone 1 as that's bound to be expensive. I live in zone 2 in a nice neighbourhood near central London, then again the house was bought 13 years ago and was really cheap then... The good thing about London is that wherever you live, there's somewhere lovely and also horrible nearby. If you live in the grandest street in London there will still be somewhere horrible nearby and vice versa. So even if you live in a cheap, undesirable area, there will still be a nice area nearby

 

[Meg]

^
So true. That's why when people say 'you should live in this area' it's like 'yes - but watch out for XYZ Street!' No area is perfect. My sole exception to this rule is New Cross/New Cross Gate. That is properly the worst area in London (imo). However, one time I was lost with a friend in another area of SW London (we were so lost, we didn't even know what the place was) and it was the scariest place ever. It was dark at night. Few lights on the street. There were whole council estates boarded up. Run down boarded up apartment buildings and homes. A tumbledweed literally passed us by. No taxi's. No buses. It took us ages to get away. I wish we had a camera on us to document it!

 

[loverunway]

That sounds really bad! I generally steer clear of S London anyway! I've lived in N London all my life and know N,W,E and C London very well, just not south!

 

[Mindbear]

Street Life London Scene Nightlife just freaked me out!

http://www.thefashionspot.com/sidewalk-cafe/street-style-london-scene-2013

That's my club night! I had no idea that TFS had sent a photographer down, and those photos were mostly taken inside my club!!

Thanks TFS, i'm incredibly flattered, I work hard at my job so it's nice to see my club getting recognition!

 

[Party.in.Paris]

^What is the name of your club ?

 

[Mindbear]

My club is called Bite and I have to say, it was quite a surprise for it to turn up on this website where I am pretty anonymous. What a strange coincidence!

^
So true. That's why when people say 'you should live in this area' it's like 'yes - but watch out for XYZ Street!' No area is perfect. My sole exception to this rule is New Cross/New Cross Gate. That is properly the worst area in London (imo). However, one time I was lost with a friend in another area of SW London (we were so lost, we didn't even know what the place was) and it was the scariest place ever. It was dark at night. Few lights on the street. There were whole council estates boarded up. Run down boarded up apartment buildings and homes. A tumbledweed literally passed us by. No taxi's. No buses. It took us ages to get away. I wish we had a camera on us to document it!

How dare you I live in SW london and I love it here! It's not scary at all, it's rather posh in my bit, and I've never felt scared here. Now, where I used to live, thats somewhere to feel scared, far out in west london.

I have to agree about New Cross. It's the most disgusting place on earth. The only place I can think of that's worse is Norbury, which I hate so much I have to take another route to my local Ikea so I don't have to go through it. Last time I did there was just....fire....random fire, in the road, and no one cared. How hopeless is that!?

 

[cosmicangel]

Help!!

Hey all,

Im going to London with my best friend for a one week vacation starting June 25th, we were thinking of renting a flat as some friend used to study in London recommended gumtree.com for us.
We found lots of cheap one bedroom flats but the thing is we have no idea where these addresses are, as its our first time in London
Can anyone who lives in London please recommend areas or streets for us that are SAFE as we are two girls by ourselves and CLOSE to everything (shopping, clubs, places to hang out..etc).

thanx for any help
xx

 

[loverunway]

The thing with London is that there is no one that is particularly safe or particularly not safe. But I really wouldn't worry. I've been to dodgy areas on my own and nothing has ever happened to me. Unless you go out at night you are actually safer in London as girls because boys are more likely to get mugged etc. I think places near central London are safer than the outskirts as there are always people around and it's nearby to everything.
I think North London is better than South London too, but that's personal preference. I can't really recommend just one area as there are so many. Also, i'd say that it doesn't matter about being in central london just for the reason of it being near to things because the tube is so fast anyway, so getting from one part of London to another is always quite quick [as long as it's not in zone 4-6]

If you want you can PM me if you find a particular place on gumtree and tell me what the area is and I can tell you what that area is like. But I wouldn't worry about the safety factor TOO much as London ,despite popular belief, is quite safe.

 

[Fabulyss]

Thank you everyone who responded with advice to my query! I suppose I should have been more specific as "inexpensive and safe" is somewhat vague. Here's the deal...

My fiance and I have been planning all year to move to London this fall/winter. We graduated college in summer of '08 and we'll have about $10,000-$15,000 saved by the time we want to leave.

What we are doing is a HUGE risk because neither of us have jobs in place. We decided to make the move because the US is completely barren of any jobs at the moment (he has a masters degree from one of the most prestigious universities in the country and he cannot find a job - he also has numerous friends with masters, doctorates and law degrees that are out of work). I understand Europe is just as effected by the economic crisis as America but I think even in the US the unemployment rate is vastly underrated. The numbers are far higher than they are willing to report. Plus, it's always been our dream to live there (he is British by the way).

Anyways, our hope is to find at least SOMETHING in London even if it is waiting tables until we find proper steady jobs. We do not need to live in the wealthiest area but surely there are areas that are considered "the best value for your dollar" in London.

I'm getting the impression from my research thus far that most areas in London cost more or less the same with the exception of the completely uninhabitable ghettos. This is truly frustrating. Surely there must be some areas that are better deals than others, you know, the 'best kept secret' areas that are on the verge of up and coming (I don't mind where as long as there is easy access to public transport to the city).

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[Margot Stylebaum]

Thank you everyone who responded with advice to my query! I suppose I should have been more specific as "inexpensive and safe" is somewhat vague. Here's the deal...

My fiance and I have been planning all year to move to London this fall/winter. We graduated college in summer of '08 and we'll have about $10,000-$15,000 saved by the time we want to leave.

What we are doing is a HUGE risk because neither of us have jobs in place. We decided to make the move because the US is completely barren of any jobs at the moment (he has a masters degree from one of the most prestigious universities in the country and he cannot find a job - he also has numerous friends with masters, doctorates and law degrees that are out of work). I understand Europe is just as effected by the economic crisis as America but I think even in the US the unemployment rate is vastly underrated. The numbers are far higher than they are willing to report. Plus, it's always been our dream to live there (he is British by the way).

Anyways, our hope is to find at least SOMETHING in London even if it is waiting tables until we find proper steady jobs. We do not need to live in the wealthiest area but surely there are areas that are considered "the best value for your dollar" in London.

I'm getting the impression from my research thus far that most areas in London cost more or less the same with the exception of the completely uninhabitable ghettos. This is truly frustrating. Surely there must be some areas that are better deals than others, you know, the 'best kept secret' areas that are on the verge of up and coming (I don't mind where as long as there is easy access to public transport to the city).

Any help would be greatly appreciated

The credit crunch is also affecting the UK, definitely. But if you don't mind starting with any job, like waiting tables I encourage you to do it, you'll find something...but I reccomend to print many CVs and search everywhere because it's not as easy as it used to.
About finding a place to live...well, you'll also have to search a lot but I'm sure you'll find something. But be prepared because usually you have to pay a deposit (usually 6 weeks but it varies) and a month in advance. There are areas in zone 1 or zone 2 that aren't probably the most beautiful areas in London but are cheaper, have good communications and aren't far away from the centre (eg. Wapping, Bermondsey...).

 

[Fabulyss]

^Thanks a million! After much research I actually came upon the idea of living in the Richmond or Kingston areas as they have relatively little crime...does anyone know how far away these areas are from central London?

Would it be practical to live in the 'suburbs' like this without a car and simply commute in each day?

 

[cosmocat]

^That would be be completely practical I'm sure, people commute much further than that.

I'm getting the impression from my research thus far that most areas in London cost more or less the same with the exception of the completely uninhabitable ghettos.

I definately think there are differences in prices i.e generally, the closer you are to central, the more expensive it will be. I guess you have to make sure you are comparing like with like when it comes to prices/rent and this may only be possible in person.

I also have to say, from my experience, there are no 'uninhabitable ghettos'. As a student, I have lived in both nicer and 'not so nice' areas and have had absolutely no problems with the latter. To be honest, I have more of a problem with the snobbery from some people towards such 'ghettos'. Obvously there are far from 'uninhabitable' for the people who make there home there.

 

[Mindbear]

^Thanks a million! After much research I actually came upon the idea of living in the Richmond or Kingston areas as they have relatively little crime...does anyone know how far away these areas are from central London?

Would it be practical to live in the 'suburbs' like this without a car and simply commute in each day?

Right, I live near both these areas and I can tell you that it's not quick at all to try and get anywhere from Kingston. However, there are clubs and lots of life in Kingston, so if you don't care about central london, you'd be fine there. Richmond is easier to get places from, as long as you get the last train on the district line, which is slow as anything. Otherwise it's the nightbuses, which are ****.

Personally I'd go for Southfields perhaps, Putney, Clapham, Battersea, Chelsea, that kind of area is much easier for central london. Not VERY easy though. If you want very easy, you need to go further in, which is ****tier, and more expensive.

 

[Fabulyss]

^That would be be completely practical I'm sure, people commute much further than that.

I definately think there are differences in prices i.e generally, the closer you are to central, the more expensive it will be. I guess you have to make sure you are comparing like with like when it comes to prices/rent and this may only be possible in person.

I also have to say, from my experience, there are no 'uninhabitable ghettos'. As a student, I have lived in both nicer and 'not so nice' areas and have had absolutely no problems with the latter. To be honest, I have more of a problem with the snobbery from some people towards such 'ghettos'. Obvously there are far from 'uninhabitable' for the people who make there home there.

My apologies for any offense. I suppose I should have just left it at 'crime ridden areas'. Though of course I'm getting all of this from crime statistics and reviews off of the internet. However, I was born in Detroit and I've lived near South Chicago so I'm not completely naive.

 

[fashion_boi_01]

Where could I find good middle-Eastern food near Bloomsbury?

Also any other recommended restaurants in that area? (anything except seafood!)

 

[cosmocat]

My apologies for any offense. I suppose I should have just left it at 'crime ridden areas'. Though of course I'm getting all of this from crime statistics and reviews off of the internet. However, I was born in Detroit and I've lived near South Chicago so I'm not completely naive.

No offense taken! I was making a more general point, probably a sore point for me. I'd just say that, as I'm sure you know, these crime statistics may not paint an accurate picture of what it is like to live there. Obviously if you can afford to avoid such areas, you will. But it's not all doom and gloom. I think it's hard to make decisions like this from a distance, and work out whether an area could work for you or not.