London Under My Skin

London, like New York and Paris gets under your skin.  I am finding it increasingly hard to think about leaving this city.  A few of my friends left on the weekend and it made me think about why I love this vibrant and exciting city…

Why I love London

• It snows in winter.  There is nothing nicer than seeing this loud city look quiet.
• You can go out every night of the week if you want and there is always something to do
• I have an ever expanding group of friends
• The theatres always have something worth seeing on with someone famous treading the boards
• The pubs are pretty much always open and there is good chat to be had there
• There are hidden gems that you can discover on a weekly basis – from chocolate shops to cute cafes
• You can go for weeks without seeing your flatmates
• There are always people visiting
• Concerts are cheap
• You don’t have to drive – the tubes, buses and trains can get you everywhere
• There are many many great songs written about London
• It is bursting with a varied and exciting history
• The camaraderie of being an expat
• It’s close to Europe
• It’s quite easy to travel to other areas of England from here
• The NHS is quite good
• It’s exciting to see and recognise areas of London on television and movies
• There is history on every street, you can practically feel it breathing sometimes
• Leaving and Returning to London both have a feeling of relief attached to them
• You can see famous people on the street
• The Kiss Statue at St Pancras
• Sometimes when you get a view of Chelsea or Albert bridges you have to pinch yourself and remember that its real and you are here

Things I don’t like about London

• Summer seems to be non existent or a very loose term
• Rioters burnt my fav costume shop and it has been forced to close for a few months
• Cobbled streets do not go well with heels
• The snow can close Heathrow – I refuse to be late for my sisters hens do this year!
• It’s very far away from my friends and family in NZ and it can be hard to keep in touch sometimes
• There is always someone in your group of friends planning to go home soon
• You can go for weeks without seeing your flatmates
• You could go broke from all of the social activities
• I find it difficult to save money here
• You have to carry your shopping home either on foot or on the bus and its heavy
• It’s hard to meet men here
• There is a certain smell that wafts sometimes – like raw sewerage in some places
• People don’t really talk to each other

So are there things about London that you love/dislike that I have left off my list?  I would love to hear someone else describe what makes this city for them.