All the time I've spent in London there has never been a lack of water pressure. For god's sake they flush about 15 gallons with each flush of a toilet over there. I'd check to make sure you have HOT water instead. Have had the early morning cold shave before. Not fun.
I know nothing of renting, or working in London, but did stay with a friend off Cleveland Street and Eauston Street. Plenty of tube stops nearby, but also a doable walk after a late night down at Leicester Square. Not sure an arch salary can keep up with that neighborhood or nightlife. For a couple weeks as a 22 year old it was sure fun.
Anything with a 1 is central-ish, East 1, West 1, North 1, North West 1, South West 1, South East 1, East Central 1,2,3,4, West Central 1,2. After that it goes alphabetically:
East 2 is Bethnal Green, East 3 is Bow, East 4 is Chigwell, East 5 is Clapton etc.
Luis is right, get a bicycle.
DEGW is just by the canal behind KingsX. There are many acres of quite slummy housing on the Caledonian Road, mainly occupied by the skunk-smoking bicycle thieves who operate a little higher up the hill in Islington. It is on that hill that you want to be, In Barnsbury you will be able to stroll into work, along the canal, in five minutes. Barnsbury consists of glorious georgian terraces in london brick, Elegant garden squares, superb gastropubs. Also have a look at Exmouth Market, EC1, and the Finsbury (different from Finsbury Park) area has lots of council/social housing. Walking into the West End is also pleasant-ish, but really, get a bicycle.
Living in Kings X itself, or on any main street in the area is a slow suicide through air pollution. Every bus and taxi emptying lungfulls of noxious-ness straight through the cracks in your window-frames. Also when walking out of your door your are immediately in-the-rush. This could put you off the city.
If you follow the Caledonian Road North, past the Caley Road estates there are fields of enormous georgian semi-detached houses inbetween Caledonian Road underground station and Holloway Road underground station. This is Lower Holloway, N7 (neighbouring Camden NW1). This puts you further from the action of Islington but you gain a garden, clean air and wide traffic-less streets.
As per the above, Hoxton/Shoreditch is still, kinda, happening. The boom was around the time of the millenium, the momentum keeps it rolling into more gentrified urbanity. The cycle/walk/underground ride to DEGW from here would be a lot less pleasant, with a pay-off on the nightlife.
The (expensive) half-way house would be Angel / Clerkenwell / Farringdon, walkable to work and Shoreditch.
fellow i know just bought a flat for 5 mil, not far from the queen's home. very nice. now THAT is how one should live in london.
i used to live not too far from psyarch's suggestion above...nice enough area. well, that is, where he suggests is nice, if i am thinking of same place. myself i was on holloway road and watched the police chase young middle-eastern men down the street every day cuz they was selling illegal cigs out in the open like. wouldn't live there with my kids, but great if single.
have yet to meet an architect that can afford zone 1 (except the principals).
water pressure was not an issue. buses that didn't show up, and trains that sat in tunnels for an hour (or didn't show up) were a constant pain. made meeting clients by train an uncertain choice at best. am told is better now.
Jump, I live in Shoreditch, zone 1. There are loads of places anyone could afford in zone 1. Just don't expect a back yard and be prepared to kick homeless guys out of your doorway! I love this town.
Old Fogey, why did you get a taxi to Heathrow, there is a direct train to paddington or the tube goes from every terminal???
To be fair it only looks bad on paper because a) London is one of the most expensive cities in the world right now and b) the US economy is on the downslide to recession making it wonderful for us earning pounds to travel in the US (had a great time in San Francisco last month). You'll find things a lot cheaper once you get out of the big smoke.
As for Battersea, they are still planning to develop it into apartments and a big mall but the company which owns it are having some internal 'issues'. They were having guided tours last year but I didn't make it unfortunately. I don't think you can get anywhere near it right now (i may be wrong).
Back in 1999 I went from London to Prauge. Talk about going from rags to riches without earning one additional cent. Those exchange rates are a crazy thing. On a side note the Euro has made traveling Europe so much less fun. I loved currencies keeping me on my toes trying to figure out how much a beer cost across different countries.
sure sign that i hav become too old, all the places i looked at in zone 1 were not suitable for inhabitation to my eye, especially at the askin price. maybe i was just unlucky when lookin. my boss lived in quite nice flat in zone 1, but incredibly expensive if he hadn't bought it before the market went nuts...
Got in to London yesterday. Did my Bunac orientation, got a bank account, got a cell phone, etc. For those of you who want to entertain me, its 0798 485 4769. Still homeless, so I have lots to do.
tomasz3838, I know of a couple firms that are hiring, PM me and we'll talk.
Justavisual, I'm living in Camden Town, a good 12 min walk from my office in King's Cross. Good Stuff, give me a holla, however I'll be gone this weekend in Edinburgh.
It seems like that list is almost completely useless. It doesnt seem to compare your buying power relative in any given country or city but compares it to the dollar. If the lowest paid worker in Oslo could hypothetically afford to buy 2 porsches a month then that city wouldnt be the most expensive city in the world. Only if you were to take your dollars earned in New York.
I wonder is there's a better list that compares local buying power relative in each locale. That way the relative weakness of the dollar to the euro/pound/etc wouldnt be a factor.
oo i'm moving there too! working at foster in the fall ... (don't shun me) but I actually heard from a girl who is in the exact position as me that she got real experience and found it a really great firm to work at....... (but it's beginning to look like we should form a self-help group for underpaid foster employees, though out of 3 gigs this is the highest i've been paid)
any reccomendations for how previous employees (or those who also worked on the other side of the thames) how they got to work? I see the closest tube is a mile and a half away? silly. i'll work here
how is the biking climate in london? I love biking, it's how I got to my first internship every day a couple years ago. But it seems like no fun to ride your bike around the city in new york, mostly just a big headache since there's always people and cars and no bike lanes. Is it different in london (obviously there are still people and cars but is there room for a bike)? I'd love to be able to bike again without hating the journey :D
London cycling is all a man/woman needs. That is apart from eye candy, money, and ball-aching sex. These are easily found in London. The fact that London cycling only happens in London makes the city infinitely more attractive than any other.
Cars in this city are hampered by expensive parking and congestion charges within the very central zones. Buses, taxis, and the ubiquitous white van proliferate in the centre. Rush hour can be quite cramped whether your transport is public or personal, motorised or carbon-neutral. Even pavements get uncomfortably busy. Sometimes a zen approach is required, as much on bicycle as on the tube: They didn't really mean to obstruct or frighten you. Or they suffer so much elsewhere in their life that their outburst deserves pity rather than revenge.
The city is full of spaces you will only see through the tiny windows of a taxi, glimpse from the London Eye, catch in pictures, unless you cycle. You will get fat, or the gym owners will get fat on your cash, unless you cycle. You will spend approximately £1000 on transport per year and be left with nothing to show for it, unless you buy (and insure) a bicycle. You will wake every morning unsure of how long it will take you to get to work, and how ennervated you will be on arrival, unless you go by bicycle. People will not comment on your early tan and good posture, unless you go to pilates at stand-and-tan.
London [i]is[/is] Cycling.
For those who have recently arrived, who's holding the barbecue?
Feel free to get in touch. As the great Bill Withers said: the city ain’t no bigger, than the friendly faces that you meet
Moving to London
I agree, but sometimes it's still the fastest. Time is pints.
all about the handbeers ... six for a fiver ...
back to the shower, i like a hot pressured shower, but I do shave my head, so rinsing just takes someone spitting on me.
All the time I've spent in London there has never been a lack of water pressure. For god's sake they flush about 15 gallons with each flush of a toilet over there. I'd check to make sure you have HOT water instead. Have had the early morning cold shave before. Not fun.
I know nothing of renting, or working in London, but did stay with a friend off Cleveland Street and Eauston Street. Plenty of tube stops nearby, but also a doable walk after a late night down at Leicester Square. Not sure an arch salary can keep up with that neighborhood or nightlife. For a couple weeks as a 22 year old it was sure fun.
The postcodes:
Anything with a 1 is central-ish, East 1, West 1, North 1, North West 1, South West 1, South East 1, East Central 1,2,3,4, West Central 1,2. After that it goes alphabetically:
East 2 is Bethnal Green, East 3 is Bow, East 4 is Chigwell, East 5 is Clapton etc.
Luis is right, get a bicycle.
DEGW is just by the canal behind KingsX. There are many acres of quite slummy housing on the Caledonian Road, mainly occupied by the skunk-smoking bicycle thieves who operate a little higher up the hill in Islington. It is on that hill that you want to be, In Barnsbury you will be able to stroll into work, along the canal, in five minutes. Barnsbury consists of glorious georgian terraces in london brick, Elegant garden squares, superb gastropubs. Also have a look at Exmouth Market, EC1, and the Finsbury (different from Finsbury Park) area has lots of council/social housing. Walking into the West End is also pleasant-ish, but really, get a bicycle.
Living in Kings X itself, or on any main street in the area is a slow suicide through air pollution. Every bus and taxi emptying lungfulls of noxious-ness straight through the cracks in your window-frames. Also when walking out of your door your are immediately in-the-rush. This could put you off the city.
If you follow the Caledonian Road North, past the Caley Road estates there are fields of enormous georgian semi-detached houses inbetween Caledonian Road underground station and Holloway Road underground station. This is Lower Holloway, N7 (neighbouring Camden NW1). This puts you further from the action of Islington but you gain a garden, clean air and wide traffic-less streets.
As per the above, Hoxton/Shoreditch is still, kinda, happening. The boom was around the time of the millenium, the momentum keeps it rolling into more gentrified urbanity. The cycle/walk/underground ride to DEGW from here would be a lot less pleasant, with a pay-off on the nightlife.
The (expensive) half-way house would be Angel / Clerkenwell / Farringdon, walkable to work and Shoreditch.
Or just buy a flat in the Barbican. Yeah.
Rock'n'toil, welcome to the City.
mad prop psyarch.
fellow i know just bought a flat for 5 mil, not far from the queen's home. very nice. now THAT is how one should live in london.
i used to live not too far from psyarch's suggestion above...nice enough area. well, that is, where he suggests is nice, if i am thinking of same place. myself i was on holloway road and watched the police chase young middle-eastern men down the street every day cuz they was selling illegal cigs out in the open like. wouldn't live there with my kids, but great if single.
have yet to meet an architect that can afford zone 1 (except the principals).
water pressure was not an issue. buses that didn't show up, and trains that sat in tunnels for an hour (or didn't show up) were a constant pain. made meeting clients by train an uncertain choice at best. am told is better now.
great city though (especially if you have money).
... and as every Pink Floyd / architecture fan should know; Roger Waters studied architecture at Regent Street Polytechnic.
Jump, I live in Shoreditch, zone 1. There are loads of places anyone could afford in zone 1. Just don't expect a back yard and be prepared to kick homeless guys out of your doorway! I love this town.
Old Fogey, why did you get a taxi to Heathrow, there is a direct train to paddington or the tube goes from every terminal???
To be fair it only looks bad on paper because a) London is one of the most expensive cities in the world right now and b) the US economy is on the downslide to recession making it wonderful for us earning pounds to travel in the US (had a great time in San Francisco last month). You'll find things a lot cheaper once you get out of the big smoke.
As for Battersea, they are still planning to develop it into apartments and a big mall but the company which owns it are having some internal 'issues'. They were having guided tours last year but I didn't make it unfortunately. I don't think you can get anywhere near it right now (i may be wrong).
PS Definitely get a bike:
http://www.on-one.co.uk/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=187
Back in 1999 I went from London to Prauge. Talk about going from rags to riches without earning one additional cent. Those exchange rates are a crazy thing. On a side note the Euro has made traveling Europe so much less fun. I loved currencies keeping me on my toes trying to figure out how much a beer cost across different countries.
my friend pays 350 pounds a month for a flat in the attic of a 17th century manor house outside of cambridge.
tha's cool to know, antipod.
sure sign that i hav become too old, all the places i looked at in zone 1 were not suitable for inhabitation to my eye, especially at the askin price. maybe i was just unlucky when lookin. my boss lived in quite nice flat in zone 1, but incredibly expensive if he hadn't bought it before the market went nuts...
Yeah, living in London sure sorts out what your absolute minimum living standard is.
Also amazing what you'll put up with so as not to have to take the tube to work!
If you can try and holla at my boy:
Got in to London yesterday. Did my Bunac orientation, got a bank account, got a cell phone, etc. For those of you who want to entertain me, its 0798 485 4769. Still homeless, so I have lots to do.
Gotta go, "London's Calling"....
get a skype account dude
you could buy my old girlfriends long boat and live on the canal.
thats great! i work on the canal!
Vado, already do. Skype is 608-554-0217 so you can still call me late at night and tell me about your day.
Any one have any suggestions on a place to live near the AA (Bedford Sq near British museum)??
My budget is like 400 pounds a month on the high side.
Also…
How much should I expect to make as an intern with no experience?
Anyone looking for a flat mate?
Anyone know good small firms doing work in London and New York? or Eastern Europe?
Are there subterranean dragons I should be worried about in London?
thanks guys
SBD- where did you decide to settle yourself?
i can't wait to be in london on friday!! wooo.
does anyone know of some cool happenings this weekend? i know its bank holiday...
tomasz3838, I know of a couple firms that are hiring, PM me and we'll talk.
Justavisual, I'm living in Camden Town, a good 12 min walk from my office in King's Cross. Good Stuff, give me a holla, however I'll be gone this weekend in Edinburgh.
very cool, i worked in camden. there's some cool stuff around.
hey SBD1 did you ever get my email?
i just found out london is the 4th most expensive city in the world...for all of you who live there, is it worth it? truly?
link
yes...it's worth it.
one of the best cities in the world.
simples
It seems like that list is almost completely useless. It doesnt seem to compare your buying power relative in any given country or city but compares it to the dollar. If the lowest paid worker in Oslo could hypothetically afford to buy 2 porsches a month then that city wouldnt be the most expensive city in the world. Only if you were to take your dollars earned in New York.
I wonder is there's a better list that compares local buying power relative in each locale. That way the relative weakness of the dollar to the euro/pound/etc wouldnt be a factor.
yup that survey doesn't cosider how much money people make. so of course if your making new york money Equador is cheap!
hey tom
hey whats up bret!
oo i'm moving there too! working at foster in the fall ... (don't shun me) but I actually heard from a girl who is in the exact position as me that she got real experience and found it a really great firm to work at....... (but it's beginning to look like we should form a self-help group for underpaid foster employees, though out of 3 gigs this is the highest i've been paid)
any reccomendations for how previous employees (or those who also worked on the other side of the thames) how they got to work? I see the closest tube is a mile and a half away? silly. i'll work here
There is probably a bus that will get you there, still, the best way to get around is by
how is the biking climate in london? I love biking, it's how I got to my first internship every day a couple years ago. But it seems like no fun to ride your bike around the city in new york, mostly just a big headache since there's always people and cars and no bike lanes. Is it different in london (obviously there are still people and cars but is there room for a bike)? I'd love to be able to bike again without hating the journey :D
London cycling is all a man/woman needs. That is apart from eye candy, money, and ball-aching sex. These are easily found in London. The fact that London cycling only happens in London makes the city infinitely more attractive than any other.
Cars in this city are hampered by expensive parking and congestion charges within the very central zones. Buses, taxis, and the ubiquitous white van proliferate in the centre. Rush hour can be quite cramped whether your transport is public or personal, motorised or carbon-neutral. Even pavements get uncomfortably busy. Sometimes a zen approach is required, as much on bicycle as on the tube: They didn't really mean to obstruct or frighten you. Or they suffer so much elsewhere in their life that their outburst deserves pity rather than revenge.
The city is full of spaces you will only see through the tiny windows of a taxi, glimpse from the London Eye, catch in pictures, unless you cycle. You will get fat, or the gym owners will get fat on your cash, unless you cycle. You will spend approximately £1000 on transport per year and be left with nothing to show for it, unless you buy (and insure) a bicycle. You will wake every morning unsure of how long it will take you to get to work, and how ennervated you will be on arrival, unless you go by bicycle. People will not comment on your early tan and good posture, unless you go to pilates at stand-and-tan.
London [i]is[/is] Cycling.
For those who have recently arrived, who's holding the barbecue?
Feel free to get in touch. As the great Bill Withers said: the city ain’t no bigger, than the friendly faces that you meet
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