ErsatzThistle Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 True story Aye. The sports centre, The Dams, McGill's buses, Main Street, the Cowan Park, the Dunterlie match day experience, Levern walk, rammy at the Arthurlie social club, the Gerry Park, Johnny Blue's Well, the Craigie, Snooks ........ Why go to London when Barrheid's got it all ! Plenty to see and do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dillinger Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Has a higher percentage of rude, ignorant cants than anywhere in the world I reckon. Folk who will push you out of the way to catch an underground train when there's one going the same place literally minutes later. Me and the missus were once taking the escalator up to fifth floor of a department store and a guy came pushing past on his phone, bemoaning the " idiots" who hadn't moved into the right, as you'd expect on the underground. This was on a Sunday afternoon. We overheard him and both went nuts at him. He went bright red and everyone else around at the time were pishing themselves at the horrible #####. Great city, but far too many folk just like that. Amsterdam dumps all over London. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewelk Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 (edited) Probably a bit ranty, and I'll miss quite a few aspects of London. Tried not eating Pizza as there's so much more to choose from LMAO.. best thing of getting back home is hearing "please" and "thank you" The thing that strikes me most about Scotland is the amount of "sorry" and "excuse me" ("sorry pal" in Glasgow) that you get for absolutely no reason that I can see. I think years of Paris life (much like londoners) has had an effect because even if I get a crack to the jaw from a shoulder push in Paris i won't be expecting any kind of apology for it. Edited January 7, 2016 by thewelk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewolf_1980 Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 I love London and have a few good friends who I visit often but don't think I could stay there. The tube, whilst incredible, is too claustrophobic for me and I would miss the countryside. In my experience, you tend to bump into various celebs when you're there. In my last visit down, I dined in the same restaurant as Simon Callow and walked past Sol Campbell in a market in Kensington. Prior to that, Laurence Dallaglio bought me a pint in a pub in Fulham (and shared a smoke with some TAMBers...) and Arthur Smith walked past me in Balham. The same day I saw Arthur Smith, Nigel Farage also bought me a pint. I also had my best ever pool clearance in a place in Clapham Junction with a 7 ball clearance from tight on the back cushion when my opponent only had the black left. I love London. And name-dropping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMcoolJ Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Couldn't live in London now but think it's a brilliant city to visit. Much prefer it to New York or Paris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phart Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 To be fair to London it only took me 1 attempt to find a carry out shop willing to sell me drink after the 10 p.m. curfew. When i tried persuading a boy in Chicago to do the same i got told to F Off and he made sure i knew he had a gun. However in Madrid there is folk on loads of corners selling carry outs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TartanJon Posted January 7, 2016 Author Share Posted January 7, 2016 (edited) Has a higher percentage of rude, ignorant cants than anywhere in the world I reckon. Folk who will push you out of the way to catch an underground train when there's one going the same place literally minutes later. Me and the missus were once taking the escalator up to fifth floor of a department store and a guy came pushing past on his phone, bemoaning the "###### idiots" who hadn't moved into the right, as you'd expect on the underground. This was on a Sunday afternoon. We overheard him and both went ###### nuts at him. He went bright red and everyone else around at the time were pishing themselves at the horrible #####. Great city, but far too many folk just like that. Amsterdam dumps all over London. My pet hates in Glasgow these days are people who stand on the left side of an escalator and folk who can't put a feckin ticket through a machine in a train station.Maybe I'm becoming too cockney for my own liking me old mucker Edited January 7, 2016 by TartanJon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squirrelhumper Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Love visiting London. I wouldn't want to live there one bit though... 100% this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TartanJon Posted January 7, 2016 Author Share Posted January 7, 2016 London is a fantastic place and Londoners in the main are great people. Its a genuine World city and only has New York and Tokyo as genuine rivals in that respect IMHO. You really have to get away from the West End to see the best of London. Like New York, it is a collection of "villages" which all have their own distinctive characters. I'm in Belsize Park again. Lots of bars and restaurants, Primrose Hill, Regents park and Hampstead heath all within 15 minutes walk, Camden 10 minutes walk down Haverstock Hill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottincarlisle Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 I like visiting London. Plenty of things to do, places to eat etc. Like all cities its overpriced a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donaldo87 Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Moved down in September and i'm enjoying it so far. Aye commuting is a bit of a nightmare, (but its no different than trying to get the 18:07 to Mount Florida) a large portion of people are utter ***** (especially on said transport and escalators) but I enjoy it all generally. Just moved into a quiet wee area with a nice big cracking park 2 mins away and it takes me 25 mins to get into the city or canary wharf depending on where I'm working. Always something going on and i've barely scratched the surface. I'll probably move back up the road when it comes to buying a house though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairbairn Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 I've visited London a few times for both business and pleasure and have quite liked it any time I've been down however I do find it quite impersonal. I mind coming off a tube and going to a help a woman with a pram get it up the stairs. It was a natural thing to do for me and was obviously just being helpful but the way she looked at me you'd think I'd lifted the cover and pissed on her kid!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deecie Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Has a higher percentage of rude, ignorant cants than anywhere in the world I reckon. Folk who will push you out of the way to catch an underground train when there's one going the same place literally minutes later. Me and the missus were once taking the escalator up to fifth floor of a department store and a guy came pushing past on his phone, bemoaning the "###### idiots" who hadn't moved into the right, as you'd expect on the underground. This was on a Sunday afternoon. We overheard him and both went ###### nuts at him. He went bright red and everyone else around at the time were pishing themselves at the horrible #####. Great city, but far too many folk just like that. Amsterdam dumps all over London. Not sure like. You got in somebody's way for no apparent reason, then had a go at them. I'd say that puts you in the wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaid Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 I'm in Belsize Park again. Lots of bars and restaurants, Primrose Hill, Regents park and Hampstead heath all within 15 minutes walk, Camden 10 minutes walk down Haverstock Hill. That's a great part of London, one of my favourites. Used to be a great pub crawl from Hampstead Village down to Camden - used to call it the Hamburger Hill pub crawl - I think there's something like 15 pubs or so. I could do it 20 years ago, nowadays I think I'd be lucky to get to Belsize Park. Back in those days the Haverstock Arms was Chris Evans' local and the Irish guy who did the bar on TFI Friday was the landlord. Was in there one Saturday and the "Lord of Love" Ronald Fraser was in, quite the old soak he was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glasgow jock Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 I like London a lot - but doesn't come close to New York (imo). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armchair Bob Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 There's feck all to do in London. No hills, no bothies, no forest trails for mountain biking, no fishing, no sailing, no scuba diving, precious few canoeing spots. Lord knows what people get up to in the free time. Though as cities go, yeah, it's up there. The thing that strikes me most about Scotland is the amount of "sorry" and "excuse me" ("sorry pal" in Glasgow) that you get for absolutely no reason that I can see. It's because Scots are more likely to kick off with a rude ignorant fecker. Same reason rednecks are so polite in the deep south of the USA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest flumax Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Loved living there for 4 years, enjoy visiting pals. Sometimes would love to move back, but I'm sure it wouldn't be the same as when I was young, free and single. high housing cost, commuting, @rseholes, environment, worrying about my wee one so the time, nah I'll stick to rural life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaid Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Has a higher percentage of rude, ignorant cants than anywhere in the world I reckon. Folk who will push you out of the way to catch an underground train when there's one going the same place literally minutes later. Me and the missus were once taking the escalator up to fifth floor of a department store and a guy came pushing past on his phone, bemoaning the "###### idiots" who hadn't moved into the right, as you'd expect on the underground. This was on a Sunday afternoon. We overheard him and both went ###### nuts at him. He went bright red and everyone else around at the time were pishing themselves at the horrible #####. Great city, but far too many folk just like that. Amsterdam dumps all over London. Well if you're looking for a filthy overpriced shithole with locals who are completely up themselves, you can't look further than Amsterdam. That bloke sounds like a bit of a dick but in common with most busy cities there are a set of "rules" that make sense and if everyone adheres to it makes life more easier. Standing on the right on escalators is one of them. The worst thing about being in busy parts of London is tourists - especially large groups of students - who don't know where they are going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TartanJon Posted January 7, 2016 Author Share Posted January 7, 2016 There's feck all to do in London. No hills, no bothies, no forest trails for mountain biking, no fishing, no sailing, no scuba diving, precious few canoeing spots. Lord knows what people get up to in the free time. Though as cities go, yeah, it's up there. . Parliament Hill ,Primrose Hill and the bloody hill in Greenwich going up to the RO are steep :-) Try outdoor swimming in the Hampstead lido when it's barely above freezing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TartanJon Posted January 7, 2016 Author Share Posted January 7, 2016 That's a great part of London, one of my favourites. Used to be a great pub crawl from Hampstead Village down to Camden - used to call it the Hamburger Hill pub crawl - I think there's something like 15 pubs or so. I could do it 20 years ago, nowadays I think I'd be lucky to get to Belsize Park. Back in those days the Haverstock Arms was Chris Evans' local and the Irish guy who did the bar on TFI Friday was the landlord. Was in there one Saturday and the "Lord of Love" Ronald Fraser was in, quite the old soak he was. I ended up there by default and now I know the area I don't think I'd stay anywhere else with the family. The Cut in Southwark is good with the mates Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McDange Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Naw it isnae. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaid Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 The Cut in Southwark is good with the mates Again, another cracking area, all the way down to London Bridge. I'd argue the Cut is in Waterloo though but that's just splitting hairs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotlad Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Brilliant restaurants, lots of sightseeing, shopping, football, horse racing, great parks. Ach, you can do all that in Glesga. Well, maybe not the sightseeing, although you do see some sights. Liverpool is currently my favourite English city. Has a higher percentage of rude, ignorant cants than anywhere in the world I reckon. Folk who will push you out of the way to catch an underground train when there's one going the same place literally minutes later. Me and the missus were once taking the escalator up to fifth floor of a department store and a guy came pushing past on his phone, bemoaning the "###### idiots" who hadn't moved into the right, as you'd expect on the underground. This was on a Sunday afternoon. We overheard him and both went ###### nuts at him. He went bright red and everyone else around at the time were pishing themselves at the horrible #####. Great city, but far too many folk just like that. Amsterdam dumps all over London. I remember being standing at a pedestrian crossing near Trafalgar Square (IIRC) a couple of years ago. It was mobbed (aye, really!) so much so that by the time the green man had turned to red the huge mass of waiting pedestrians still hadn't reached the other side. The second the traffic lights turned green the waiting traffic went absolutely tonto, car horns blaring etc. If they'd waited a second longer the road would have been clear and they'd have been on their merry way! That said, I must admit I do like London. It is a stunning city; but then it should be, given the money and talent that has flown into it - and continue to flow into it - over the years. It is more like a collection of small cities than one huge one, I think. I do think it is a sin that the cost of living is now so high in the city that many people struggle to afford to live in areas they grew up in though. And I am not quite sure if the rude, impatient people are born and raised Londoners or if it just disproportionately attracts such folk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
biffer Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 I've visited London a few times for both business and pleasure and have quite liked it any time I've been down however I do find it quite impersonal. I mind coming off a tube and going to a help a woman with a pram get it up the stairs. It was a natural thing to do for me and was obviously just being helpful but the way she looked at me you'd think I'd lifted the cover and pissed on her kid!! I've found something similar, if you offer to help someone their first reaction is shock, but when they hear an accent that is quite obviously not local they realise you're not going to mug them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derekfaejapan Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 Come visit Tokyo for a week and then tell me about how wonderful London is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.