Indeed, I am for real.

But I’m glad that my my article makes you laugh :).

Am I clueless? No. Are you? Probably, since you missed all th clues in the artcle.

No matter what your thoughts, you have to admit, the article is a ‘must read’ for all die hard London fans.

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. As much as you are entitled to your position and opinion, the article was based solely on my experience and opinion and is, therefore, without a doubt, biased. Just because I say London sucks doesn’t mean that it does, it just means that I think there are a billion ways of improving the way it is.

Boris Johnson has been elected a month after this article was written, and the truth is I am relatively new to London to comment on either Ken Livingstone or Boris Johnson, but I would praise Boris Johnson for introducing the so called ban on open bottle alcohol on public transport. It’s a step in the right direction, and the US has had something like this in place for years.

All the things you say are probably true, based on the experience you have had. You see, more than anything else, you take a liking to a certain place based on how long you have been there. I got used to the American way of doing things, and I can tell you, from a professional point of view, they do things better than the British do them. Now that doesn’t mean the British suck, it just means that I’m not particularly a fan of the way they do their things, and that is most likely a combination of it not being as good as the US and me not being familiar with all of it yet.

I do, however, stand by my concerns about the friendliness of people in general and about the corporate culture. It should be clear why the US leads the world in business, and not the UK. Of course, both economies are in a questionable state at this point, so that could pose questions about the credibility of both economic models and business cultures.

For me, New York’s WOW factor was far stronger than London. To me, Americans were more friendly than most people in London (not counting the Homeland Security and Immigration Officials, they’re the most miserable Americans you’ll find). Of course, more than half of London suffers from excessive tension, workload, poverty and class competition that makes them miserable. Living space is small, rent is high, groceries cost more, and I don’t care where you’re living, the US offers the best package as far as lifestyle and cost of living are concerned. It provides a combination where anyone can survive, and those who work hard get rewarded. In London, you’ll have to slave to get rewarded, which is why half the professional adults that I know live in shared accomodation. You’ve got to be kidding me. You’re 35 and a professional, and you can’t afford to pay rent on a 2 bedroom flat in zone 3 or zone 4, something’s wrong about that.

Lastly, yes, in the US, merit is a major driving factor, and you can get to a comfortable level on merit alone. Americans will complain just like the Brits do because nobody local wants to do the hard and dirty work. I wasn’t from the US, and I got my foot in the door and up the ladder rather easily. Also, and dare I say this risking criticism, some black people in America have made a habit of complaining, because it’s rather easy playing the race card and trying to get things turned your way.

In conclusion, I respect everything you say; but I still stand by my opinion. Call it what you want, there’s a reason why the Brits ruled the world and have been forced to shrink down back to the small island. Somebody, somewhere didn’t get it right, and it shows to someone who may have seen something better.

That said, London is London, I live here, and go figure!

I live in London and stumbled across your blog. I just wanted to say that some of what you mentioned is true but most of it is wildly biased.

It is true that central London is extremely dirty, however, it depends upon where you go. Some areas, such as Blackheath, the posh bits of the West End, Wimbledon and those suburbs plus of course the many parks, are very clean and very green. Last time I checked people do clean up after their many pets and others will treat those who don’t with distain. I resent the comparison to India - it’s not valid. The fact we have so many dogs is surely a testament to the pleasant environment in which we can walk them.

Customer service here is different to the US, however, most Brits probably find incessant harassment to buy an aggravation and not a service. Ultimately the staff are just trying to sell you something - it’s not as if they’re doing it to be nice. Having said that, last time I was on Oxford Street I was looking for a jacket and the nice lady in Benetton spent about half an hour helping me decide which one looked best even though I kept changing my mind. I also resent your insinuation that London’s shop staff are ignorant, they are not. Like shop staff across the globe most are students paying their way. In any case, it would be a waste to have highly skilled full-time staff - they should be doing more skilled jobs in an efficient economy.

The British are reserved although apparently nowhere near as reserved as in the past. In general, the middle classes are more standoffish and could be seen as unfriendly, but, if you actually speak to them they are completely the opposite. The working classes are normally extremely friendly if boisterous. I don’t know where you’ve been looking, but try taking a walk around South London (where there are a lot of Afro-Caribbean communities) and tell me people aren’t friendly. Incidentally, this kind of class/country stereotyping is haphazard at best and ridiculous at worst. People are pretty similar everywhere, if we are more unfriendly in London it is because of the pressures of work and big city life as you pointed out.

You are dead right about the drinking and public behaviour at night. You can thank the last Conservative government and their cosy relationship with the drinks industry for that. Even whilst I have been growing up over the last 10 years I have noticed that people’s attitudes to drink have been getting more extreme and nights out all over the UK have become less ‘civilised’. If you want to drink to excess, get in a fight and then have a piss on the street during the walk home without anyone batting an eyelid then London is THE place to do it but, judging by the growing backlash, it won’t be for long. Drugs aren’t the problem, full stop.

Fascination Factor? You are correct that London is different to New York, however, this does not detract from its WOW factor. The variety of architecture here is astounding owing to London’s long history and diverse culture. If you want high-rises go to Canary Wharf and exit the underground station (a view that can rival anywhere) or look at the 8 new sky scrapers being built in the City. If you don’t then you can see Buck House, Parliament, Marylebone, the South Bank, the Inns of Court… I don’t know anywhere really. London is a hotch-potch of styles and certainly does not have the same planned layout of a modern city. We also have a history of going over-the-top with buildings in order to impress those around us - just look at the City. However, it does have character which is something that makes it homely and interesting instead of sterile and repetitive.

London has an overwhelming number of excellent restaurants and is now widely recognised as a culinary capital to rival the best. I think you’re trying to play on old stereotypes about British food. Silly.

I don’t know if you noticed but we elected a new mayor in the form of Boris Johnson the day after you wrote your blog. I can only hope he is more to your liking?

As far as your observations about British corporate culture go I disagree. Capitalism requires that businesses continuously improve and become more efficient because they need to keep growing. If British businesses waited 10 years before bringing in new ideas they would stagnate and die. In a market as competitive as the UK’s (owing to the ease-of-entry for foreign companies) such dinosaurs would simply be taken over or sent under. London is known for its inventiveness in financial services (we pioneered Islamic finance to attract Middle Eastern money), the media (compare the BBC to US television), new media, music, fashion etc… otherwise it wouldn’t be a global centre for the knowledge economy. In any case, there aren’t too many companies which have kept their chief executives for 10 years. I think you are again playing on old stereotypes which resonate with those outside the UK.

Having said that, British business does tend to be less productive than in the US even though we work longer. You are also spot on about nepotism over here. It is too much about who you know or, more accurately, whether you ‘fit in’ with the company’s culture which tends to be VERY middle-classed and traditional. I am certainly suffering because of this myself. Even so, I don’t think the US is perfect because, sadly, when people get money and power they tend to use it to privilege their own and safeguard against loosing it. It is the same everywhere. Why else would black Americans always be complaining that they can’t get a foot in the door? Incidentally, if merit is the driving factor in US business, why do you say that you can only get to a comfortable level on merit alone? Surely this defeats the whole purpose?

Finally, yes, London is very expensive but, dare I say, you get what you pay for?

Hope that’s put some things straight…

Romin

But just so you know, I’m neither American, nor am I British.

True as it may be, Americans may feel the need to be number one, and as it is, they are at most things. After all, it was your Prime Minister who followed their president, so even though they may be like spoilt children, they’re so much better that the British Prime Minister felt the need to follow them when they made a mistake.

NYC is better, and that’s my opinion. You don’t have to agree. Mind you, I complained plenty when I was there too. No complaining = no fun.

But hey, he’s American. They’re like spoilt children, feeling the need to be number one in everything, and disparaging evereywhere else. Whatever makes him happy I guess. Let him and NY live in their deluded little world. This guy obviously hasn’t got a clue and this is nothing more than typical American glorification at kissing NYCs ass.

Interestingly enough, it may have third world similarities, but then a hefty chunk third world countries were British Colonies, so you are bound to see similarities.

The photo taking and getting interrogated stuff does dazzle my mind. I have a friend who got interrogated for taking photos when he was here in holiday. It may be the perfect way to rid London of excessive tourisits, but it is by no means the right thing to do.

Then again, do Londoners feel more secure?

I am entertained!

How would YOU like it being constantly surveyed all the time.
We’re afraid to breathe incase we breathe the wrong way and get FINED for it.

Do the Yanks get motoring fines dictated by CCTV footage evidence??
Well we do now.

We can also get arrested for taking photo’s in public places.

Or even being proud to be British.

Do the Yanks even Know they’re born??

Do you wonder why the British seem so miserable??

You’ve got it lucky, even though you’ve still got ‘Mad Bush’ for a little longer.

Good luck,

Pete.

I like both cities for touring. I agree that New York is cheaper. New York as the larger metropolitan area, likely offers more attractions, and variety of restaurants, but I find Manhattan very warm in the spring, (when I was there) with the concrete jungle. London has more parks, and is aesthetically more pleasing to me. London also has the older history, that New York does not. I find people in both cities, generally not overly friendly, but some people in New York can be quite rude.

I could live in either place, if I was paid enough.:)

Having made the move to London recently, I’ve come to the conclusion that US offers a far better lifestyle & quality of life than the UK. Although I haven’t lived in New York for more than three months, I can tell you that New York, supported by th…