It's not even the centre, I think, it's just have been here long enough to know where to go and when. Eg if I want to go for a quiet pint in the centre, I can do it without getting vexed because I know some decent pubs that aren't normally rammed (and generally what times to avoid which ones), but if you were just trying to do it by wandering up and down Oxford Street trying to spot somewhere nice but quiet it'd be hellish. Likewise decent cheap food, places to chill etc.pk- wrote:It sounds like your experience of London is mostly based on central though - and you're absolutely right about it, for the most part. If you spent most of your time in the centre of London then you'd be fucking miserable after about a month. London's much better if you think of it like a collection of really good small towns, all surrounding a mile or two square of shiteness that you only dip into when you absolutely have to.
The two things that are going to drive me out eventually are the cost of everything (esp renting a flat) and the distance from any decent mountains...