DC
Cinematographiliac
I just got back from shooting a film in London.
Here is my personal experience . . .
Pro's
- Beautiful old world architecture mixed with beautiful modern architecture
- Conveniences of a metropolitan city
- Opportunities of a metropolitan city
- If you like New York City, you'd probably like London
- Easy access to other parts of Europe
Con's
- Disgustingly expensive. I.e. On one occasion I went into a restaurant and ordered a grilled cheese sandwich that came with chips (french fries) and had some water. The cost was about $27USD. Granted, the dollar is weak, but c'mon!
- People in southern England generally aren't as friendly as those in northern England. This is not only my experience, but also what Brits have told me. This goes for natives and foreigners alike. I found that most Londoners I came into
contact with did not want to be troubled by me.
- Wait staff service is abysmal. They don't work on tips and therefore it is hard to get them to serve you. More than one waitress rolled her eyes at me whenever I asked for anything.
- The rail system is ridiculously expensive. I wanted to travel to other parts of England and the costs ranged from about $150USD-$300USD
- Cameras are everywhere watching you. Think "Big Brother."
- Signs are posted that warn of high crime areas. Is this really a "con?" I dunno, it just seemed a little unnerving to me. Also, seems teenage murders are on the rise
- Traffic is a nightmare. And pedestrians do not have the right-of-way. Being that traffic drives on the left side of the road, it was difficult for me (as an American) to break out of ingrained habits of always looking the opposite way that traffic is coming from. Meaning, I almost got run over on multiple occasions. Yikes!
- Dismal weather. Surprisingly this didn't bother me as the weather was overall very nice while I was there.
- That New York City kind of living and vibe. For me, I'm not really into it. I enjoy visiting New York City on occasion. It's cool, but I wouldn't want to live there. London felt very similar to me.
So no offense to my British friends. This was simply my experience and observations. While I can't say that I'm particularly a fan of London, I did actually enjoy my trip and I'm glad I went. I'd consider going back again someday. Perhaps part of my disappointment had to do with me coming directly from Kenya to London. I really, really, REALLY enjoyed Kenya. In fact, the most remote parts of Kenya is what I enjoyed about Kenya the most. It was beautiful, cheap, and the people were so wonderful.
Here is my personal experience . . .
Pro's
- Beautiful old world architecture mixed with beautiful modern architecture
- Conveniences of a metropolitan city
- Opportunities of a metropolitan city
- If you like New York City, you'd probably like London
- Easy access to other parts of Europe
Con's
- Disgustingly expensive. I.e. On one occasion I went into a restaurant and ordered a grilled cheese sandwich that came with chips (french fries) and had some water. The cost was about $27USD. Granted, the dollar is weak, but c'mon!
- People in southern England generally aren't as friendly as those in northern England. This is not only my experience, but also what Brits have told me. This goes for natives and foreigners alike. I found that most Londoners I came into
contact with did not want to be troubled by me.
- Wait staff service is abysmal. They don't work on tips and therefore it is hard to get them to serve you. More than one waitress rolled her eyes at me whenever I asked for anything.
- The rail system is ridiculously expensive. I wanted to travel to other parts of England and the costs ranged from about $150USD-$300USD
- Cameras are everywhere watching you. Think "Big Brother."
- Signs are posted that warn of high crime areas. Is this really a "con?" I dunno, it just seemed a little unnerving to me. Also, seems teenage murders are on the rise
- Traffic is a nightmare. And pedestrians do not have the right-of-way. Being that traffic drives on the left side of the road, it was difficult for me (as an American) to break out of ingrained habits of always looking the opposite way that traffic is coming from. Meaning, I almost got run over on multiple occasions. Yikes!
- Dismal weather. Surprisingly this didn't bother me as the weather was overall very nice while I was there.
- That New York City kind of living and vibe. For me, I'm not really into it. I enjoy visiting New York City on occasion. It's cool, but I wouldn't want to live there. London felt very similar to me.
So no offense to my British friends. This was simply my experience and observations. While I can't say that I'm particularly a fan of London, I did actually enjoy my trip and I'm glad I went. I'd consider going back again someday. Perhaps part of my disappointment had to do with me coming directly from Kenya to London. I really, really, REALLY enjoyed Kenya. In fact, the most remote parts of Kenya is what I enjoyed about Kenya the most. It was beautiful, cheap, and the people were so wonderful.
