Why I want you to read my '8 reasons why you should move to my city' series
💠if this is the first time you've stumbled upon this series please read the above post first
The '8 reasons to move to my city' series has quickly skyrocketed into one of the most popular projects on this blog so far - and since the topic is so close to my heart I can't even tell you how happy that makes me! I strongly encourage everyone to take a breather and go to a different country - or just a different city not just for a week-long holiday but for at least a month to really experience the life there. Shop at the local supermarket, get a summer job, pay taxes, get a season ticket for the tram. Even though these are the most mundane things everyone does every single day when you're thrown into a different setting, different culture, without your little bubble of an ecosystem you'll start seeing the world very differently. And that little personality shaping that living somewhere you're not familiar with is SO worth it! Today's post is written by the beautiful Amanda Rose from LDN | ROSE - a lifestyle blog centred around life & work in London. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have!
WHY SHOULD YOU MOVE TO LONDON?
Being a Londoner all my life, it would be very easy for me to sell you into all the positives of living in a big city. But what about all the things we take for granted? So I wanted to share the top unsung heroes of London.
🇬🇧 The public transport
It’s hard to picture my life without it. Despite being the bane of most of our daily routines, as I’m sure no one actually wants to be packed like sardines first thing in the morning. But the public transport in London is genuinely so useful. Even on days when it doesn’t feel like it and you’re running late for that important meeting, but, you will often find that there are alternate routes and options.
It’s also incredibly quick (most days at least). You can get from one end of the city to the other side in less than 30 minutes. For example, Stratford in East London to Notting Hill Gate on the central line is only a 28 minute journey!
🇬🇧 The hidden gardens
You won’t be limited to just city skylines and gorgeous architecture. There’s also an abundance of great parks, both big and small. You can enjoy the wonderful gardens all across London, with many hidden ones that even the locals don’t know of.
My favourite ones are Greenwich Park, The Royal Parks and Holland Park which actually features a beautiful Japanese garden – you will feel like you are transported into another country!
🇬🇧 All the culture
It’s no secret that London is a diverse and multicultural city. You can find various free exhibitions, museums and galleries. My regular haunts include The Tate gallery, which I only just discovered actually has a viewing deck! It’s got a great panoramic view of London where you can see across both sides of the river. With one side boasting a nice view of St Paul’s Cathedral, and then the Shard on the other!
There is also a lot of culture infused from other countries that has now engrained itself into the local communities. For example in East London, Whitechapel, Aldgate and Brick Lane area has a lot of Asian culture. There you will find rows and rows of Bangladeshi and Indian restaurants and food stalls. The local community is predominantly Asian too.
Step into central London and you have China Town around the corner from Leicester Square. And a few yards away you have the vibrant Soho, where you can find various bars and nightclubs. As well as being central part of the LGBT community. If you’re in town in the summer months, be sure to head over for Pride festival for music, dancing and all round good vibes!
🇬🇧 The events
It doesn’t really matter what time of year it is, there is usually an event to suit everyone. You will usually find a few more happen in the summer months such as pop-up food festivals or even outdoor festivities with great live music and food.
There’s events to suit the whole family. From children friendly things to do like the Harry Potter and Shrek’s Adventure experiences. Or head over to the Science Museum for exciting ways to learn about science and technology.
🇬🇧 You can find just about anything
As I said above London is very multicultural, and it goes without saying that you can just about find anything to feed your heart’s desire. The restaurants available range from local British favourites to French, Spanish, Italian classics to Asian delicacies and even as far reaching as Caribbean cuisine or Filipino food (my favourite as that’s my ethnicity!).
There are also a range of specialist stores for anything you could ever want. Food stores like The Japan Centre, for Japanese food and produce, Loon Fung for Chinese produce and Luigi’s in Soho for Italian produce. But did you know there is a store in Covent Garden that is dedicated to just Moomin memorabilia? Bet, you’re all googling The Moomins now too!
🇬🇧 The nightlife
Whilst London is great for late night partying, with a huge choice of bars and clubs to dance the night away. I’m not actually a huge drinker, but there are still a number of bars that are great just for socialising and enjoying the city’s view. I personally love the view and cocktails at Madison’s Bar in St. Pauls. Or Skygarden in Fenchurch Street, where you can drink and dine on the rooftop overlooking the river.
For other entertainment, head over to West End to see one of the fantastic musicals or plays that London has to offer. Or you can treat yourself to a few laughs at some of the live comedy shows.
🇬🇧 The people you meet
So we’re not always a friendly bunch. But that’s only if you catch us rushing for the tube on a Monday morning. Us Londoners are always in a rush for some reason. But other than that, you will often find it very easy to make new friends.
Head out to a local pub or bar and you’ll always meet an eclectic bunch of people ready to socialise with. I’ve made some great friends (most of which are actually not from London) and can say I have friends all over the world. Working and living in London, I now have close friends from Italy, France, Luxembourg, USA, Poland, Slovakia to name a few!
I even remember when I was still playing Pokemon Go (yes, geek alert), I actually ended up speaking to a lot of different people who were also out and about playing the game. So, catch us on a good day and we’re the friendliest bunch you’ll meet!
🇬🇧 A gateway to the rest of the world
For me this is probably one of the key selling points of my city. And whilst I should focus on telling you just about London, ultimately one of the great things about London is that it is a main airport hub. With over 4 airports in London alone (Heathrow, Gatwick, City, Stansted and Luton), there are flights around the clock ready to whisk you away on that perfect holiday.
So that’s my top reasons for loving London, what are you waiting for?
Written by Amanda Rose, a digital marketing professional working in outreach and PR.
Her blog features career, travel, fashion and blogging tips.
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