joseffrost Posted July 16, 2009 Posted July 16, 2009 Hi all, I've never realised what a big, impersonal and unfriendly city this can be until I went through a very unwanted break up a month or so ago. Any other Londoners going through something similar? And how are you coping??
stablesong Posted July 17, 2009 Posted July 17, 2009 I find it okay - I guess it depends who you know and where you go. I sort of see where you're coming from with the impersonal stuff, but I find that to be common of a lot of English cities! I have family in the West Country, and it's a bit more friendly out there. But yeah, the clubs and places I tend to go to are filled with pretty nice people usually.
adamt Posted July 17, 2009 Posted July 17, 2009 I live about 1hour commute from london. When you break up i think you feel lonely where ever you are. Advantage of london or any big city is that there is plenty to see and do to get your mind of things. problem is just motivating yourself to do it. then when you are ready to find someone else there is a big choice of single people. Imagine being stuck in a small town where everyone knows each other and the nightlife only caters for under 25s. Places like london you meet different people every day if you want to and so better chances of meeting someone new. I actual wish i lived in london at the moment so i can go meet lots of people. at 38 it gets more difficult
Author joseffrost Posted July 17, 2009 Author Posted July 17, 2009 Adam, I know that feeling man - I lived in a small East Anglian village when I last went through a big break up, and it was terrible having to see her at the pub whenever I was there, with her various new boyfriends. Strangely enough, I actually got a second chance with that one, and as soon as it was offered I realised that I didn't really want it anyway. One of those life experiences that puts my current situation in perspective!
Ronni_W Posted July 17, 2009 Posted July 17, 2009 When you break up i think you feel lonely where ever you are. Yeah...I think that's true. Like it says in the song, "People Are Strange" by the Doors. But even at the best of times, the older we get, it seems to be more difficult to develop meaningful friendships and connect with like-minded individuals. Maybe it's that life just gets in the way?
Author joseffrost Posted July 17, 2009 Author Posted July 17, 2009 I live in NYC and often think the same thing. Funny (Edie?) Sedge, I got the same feeling about NYC, despite everyone telling me how friendly the place is. The half Irish, half English accent got me some attention and friendliness, but not as much as anywhere else I've been. Paris is the same, maybe it's just a big city thing?
burning 4 revenge Posted July 17, 2009 Posted July 17, 2009 Isnt it more rude in parts? Like wouldnt the East End be more rude than Knightsbridge? In Chicago the South and West sides are very rude and the North side is generally friendly....its always where the poor people are that people are the most rude generally speaking (fact of life)
burning 4 revenge Posted July 17, 2009 Posted July 17, 2009 I work for Zipcar which has offices all over the US and UK and as I work the graveyard shift I deal with the London office quite a bit and I have to say theyre one of the warmest and friendliest to deal with Some of the clients are pretty rough though, but a lot of them have multiple delinquencies and multiple late returns and accidents which is the same story with irresponsible people anywhere
Author joseffrost Posted July 17, 2009 Author Posted July 17, 2009 True, like Greenwich Village was much friendlier than Times Square and the places where they are used to seeing wide-eyed Europeans plainly not grasping the whole tipping culture... I think in London, it varies more from pub to pub than area to area - I know places in Camden and Soho where you can go in on your own and have a hell of a time, whereas the next pub will be full of locals who look at you like scum the minute you walk in. I think the detachment is felt more because the ex was from Ireland, and you couldn't walk down the street over there without making a new friend.
burning 4 revenge Posted July 17, 2009 Posted July 17, 2009 I also like how people from London say "Cheers mate", I think its a big improvement over "good'day guvna" or "good day old chap" or other such Victorian salutations
Author joseffrost Posted July 17, 2009 Author Posted July 17, 2009 I dunno, I think Victorian salutations have their place... but only in the winter when dressed like a Dickensian gent. Personally, I've grown to loathe the 'mate' suffix that so many use in this country, I've always found it a bit presumptious...
burning 4 revenge Posted July 17, 2009 Posted July 17, 2009 I dunno, I think Victorian salutations have their place... but only in the winter when dressed like a Dickensian gent. Personally, I've grown to loathe the 'mate' suffix that so many use in this country, I've always found it a bit presumptious...the other day i had someone swearing at me and telling me i was "taking a piss" and calling me mate at the same time....and then saying totally incomprehensible things and following them with the phrase "innit" as if the complete gibberish he was spewing was self evident
Author joseffrost Posted July 17, 2009 Author Posted July 17, 2009 Haha, the joy of communicating with my fellow stressed London office workers! I know we are but a tiny speck on the globe, you need a translator to decipher some of the regional dialects from around the UK. I've literally spent hours talking to Scots and Welsh and understood little more than their nods and winks.
Soul Bear Posted July 18, 2009 Posted July 18, 2009 I moved down here from Scotland 3 weeks ago today. I dont think I can say for sure yret what I think. Maybe we should all meet in Camden for a beer.......
adamt Posted July 18, 2009 Posted July 18, 2009 Once you are over your ex, surely there can't be many better places to meet the next partner than somewhere like London? Just think of all those single people who come over to work from overseas or the career minded women in their 30s.
Taucher Posted July 18, 2009 Posted July 18, 2009 I think London is a pretty good place to be newly broken up. Well,as good as anywhere CAN be. Any big city offers distractions and advantages I think. I live in London (Zone 2) and have been thinking about what to do next day and getting stuff to fill my day. When my SO left me, I went straight to my Mum and Dads, who live on a farm in the middle of nowhere 200 miles away. I felt SO lonely and isolated there. Nothing to do but...think. In London I can disappear in the crowds and do stuff and keep busy. Also, I kind of see London as a collection of smaller towns and villages, and I have a small town mentality regarding the part of London in which I live. However, my lovely beautiful ex (who I am not over) lives in the same part of London as me, so London suddenly feels very small. T
Author joseffrost Posted July 20, 2009 Author Posted July 20, 2009 Maybe we should all meet in Camden for a beer....... Amen to that!
adamt Posted July 20, 2009 Posted July 20, 2009 Has anyone got experience of dating websites down in london? I'm thinking giving some of them a go when i am ready. mysinglefriend seems a good choice for london
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