London yesterday - what a scruffy old dive!

[Globalti]

Took our son to Excel for the motor show. Stayed in a hotel in Beckton, room temp was 30.5 degrees C and the window wouldn't open more than 3 inches, there was no AC so we lay naked and sweating on the bed all night. Tried to get the DLR to Greenwich to have supper, this journey of 6 to 8 horizontal miles took us 2 hours and 4 changes of train on the dirtiest, scruffiest worst-maintained new railway we have ever seen. Restaurant in Greenwich was filthy, loos smelly, flies buzzing around the kitchen area, generally unkempt and not cleaned regularly.

Car show was great, superb venue, good catering, stunning exhibitions, great lighting.

Then drove to Leytonstone to visit Grandparents' grave in St Patrick's RC cem, what a dump, every grave has collapsed and the place looks like a battle ground. High Road Leytonstone is just an unending line of takeaways and charity shops, I'm sure it wasn't like that when I lived there in the mid 80s. Then took the North Circular round to the M1, flew round to Angel Edmonton then crawled for 4 miles at less than walking pace past derelict houses all boarded up and overgrown with weeds.

What is happening to London? Nobody takes pride in the place, nobody cleans anything, three Londoners from whom we asked directions all started talking spontaneously about all the stabbings and gang warfare.

Never again! We'll stay up in the cool, uncrowded north with its green hills, rolling moors and relatively good roads, thanks.

 

[Maz]

I've never been impressed by London. I thank my lucky stars I don't have to live there. I stayed at a hotel in Balham once. What a dive. The streets were not paved with gold - they were paved with Doner kebabs.

And I had black snot by the end of the day from all the pollution.

 

[asterix]

Never mind, I am sure it will all be nice for the 2012 Olympics

 

[domtyler]

What a weird post. If you had stayed in a decent four (or five?) star hotel, booked a cab with a reputable company of the ilk of, say, Addison Lee then your stay would have been pleasant I'm sure. Can't do anything about Leytonstone high street apart from avoid it whenever possible, as for the North Circular, all those derelict houses were the subject of compulsory purchases from London Transport when they were going to widen the road which have now been left to rot as the scheme never got the go ahead.

 

[HelenD123]

I always enjoy my trips down to London, but then I usually stay in Bloomsbury which is very pleasant and within walking distance of Kings Cross and the places I need to be.

 

[Dave Davenport]

I like London a lot, always get the train / tube for work or pleasure and think the public transport systems pretty good on the whole.

 

[Ashtrayhead]

I've never been impressed by London. I thank my lucky stars I don't have to live there. I stayed at a hotel in Balham once. What a dive. The streets were not paved with gold - they were paved with Doner kebabs.

And I had black snot by the end of the day from all the pollution.

Take that back! I was born in Balham.

 

[Paulus]

East London. What more would you like me to say?I know I will be shot down for saying this but, unless you pay top dollar, and even then you are not assured good places,stay away from east london. There are still many places in other parts of London though that are as bad.

 

[ChrisKH]

Well I wouldn't have picked a hotel in Beckton for starters. Bit like going to New York and staying in Harlem.

Next time RR I'll put you up. Train to Excel in forty minutes. I can recommend some nice local restaurants and you could have taken a quick trip to the seaside as well!

 

[tdr1nka]

Take that back! I was born in Balham.

I went to secondary school in Balham, how dare you insult a dump that means so much to many.

RR which resturant in Greenwhich did you go to?

And yes London has become a dive, too much architecture with a modern bias and not enough spent on brightening up the old stuff, it is an historic city after all.

 

[LLB]

I blame Simon & 1/2 for lowering the tone of the place

Poor old Boris has his work cut out given the pigs ear which Red Ken made of it all

 

[Keith Oates]

How can you blame Simon 1&1/2, he hasn't even posted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Mr Pig]

If you had stayed in a decent four star hotel, booked a cab with a reputable company then your stay would have been pleasant.

In other words, avoided seeing it?

I've only been to London about three times but I must admit that I thought it was a dump and had no idea why anyone would want to live there. I'm in no hurry to go back, ever...

 

[Cathryn]

If you go to any city, stay in a dodgy area and tour round the nasty bits, you're going to hate it! If you stay in a decent area and tour the nice bits, you'll love it!

London rocks. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, but don't slag it off when you've only seen its armpit!!

 

[Tim Bennet.]

Bit like going to New York and staying in Harlem.

A somewhat dated simile. Have you been to Harlem recently? It's proof that areas go through cycles. It's all part of the life history of great cities.