I will be in London for 5-6 mos, working near Liverpool St. Please advise whether I should live within walking distance from work. My choices include the Blackfriars/St. Paul's area and the Fenchurch/Tower Hill area. Does the financial district empty out at night- does this make it unsafe? Are there restaurants and supermarkets in the area that stay open after the workday? Is this area convenient for seeing London's attractions? Thanks in advance for any insight that you can offer.
London - 3 Answers
People's Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
Answer 1 :
I lived in the City of London during the 1980s/90s. It was blissfully quiet at night and at weekends and extremely safe. There is a big Police presence in that area because of fears of terrorism. Some restaurants stay open in the evening, but in any case you can get to tourist areas like Soho and Covent Garden in a few minutes; most supermarkets stay open until 8pm.
Answer 2 :
London has changed a lot over the years. I would live as close as you can to work as the tube can be unreliable and very very busy. Be prepared to be paying a LOT of rent. My friend pays £600 a month for a room in a house in the Earls Court area. In london you will find that supermarket will be open until quite late (at least until 10). There are many 24 hour shops too. As for safety sadly a lot of London isnt safe because of muggings but just keep your guard up and you should be fine.
Answer 3 :
Living within walking distance to your place of work would be a good idea as it means you wouldn't have to negotiate the London public transport system at rush hour. However, be warned that property in close vicinity to the city is VERY expensive. You're probably going to have to pay in excess of £900 a month for a studio flat to live in that sort of location (Earls Court is a 45 minute commute outside of the City, hence why it is cheaper). During the week the City is always very busy. Even at nights there will still be plenty of people around in the various pubs, bars and restaurants. It can be a bit of a ghost town at weekends though, apart from the odd tourist that floats around. There aren't really any large supermarkets in the city. Instead there are smaller versions of the big names we have in the suburbs. They will provide you with all of the necessities but will probably charge you much more than usual. And don't worry, everything stays open until late - we're not some backwards, third world country, you know
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