Neighbourhood Spotlight - Shoreditch

And now for something completely different, we go to the East side of London, more specifically Shoreditch.   Located minutes from the City of London and home to the hip and fashionable (or to wannabes and fashion victims if you're so inclined), Shoreditch is located in the borough of Hackney and covers the E1 and E2 postcodes.  So what's it like to live amongst the cool kids?  We spoke to Chris to find out.

 
Name: Chris
Age: 27
Shoreditch Resident for: 1 year
Last place you lived before moving to London? San Fransisco 



Do you live in a flatshare or on your own? 
Flatshare.

What’s your nearest Tube station? 
Old Street

How would you describe your neighbourhood’s overall vibe?
Shoreditch pulls unique and impressive triple duty as London's capital for developing technology, cutting-edge agencies ... and hipsters. Those constituencies ensure that Shoreditch is busy nearly every hour of the day. When the sun goes down, the area is a magnet for young people looking for a good time. I'd compare it favourably to H Street NE in Washington, DC or the Valencia Corridor in San Francisco - scenesters, people out to have a good time, kind of gritty, etc.

How safe is your neighbourhood?
It's getting better! I won't lie to you and tell you that it's all roses and buttercups, but it's certainly safer than places I've lived in the United States (I'm looking at you 25th and Harrison, 94110). I've never had a problem and have never even felt unsafe in my neighborhood, but crime does happen in higher numbers than in West London. Part of it is the demographics (younger, poorer), but I would say that the reputation of Shoreditch and Hackney is overblown. I feel about 2930842390 times safer here than in parts of the three other US cities I've lived in.

What do you like most about where you live?
The ENERGY. There's something so incredibly motivating when you're surrounded by artists and techies and musicians who are all hustling. London is THE place in the UK for many artistic, technical and cultural people...and East London is THE place in London for that same crowd. Everyone you meet in Shoreditch is working on something.

What do you like least? 
The Shoreditch twat (sorry mom, it's a technical term). Just like in any hipster crowd you get the entitled, annoying people who suck at life.


If you could live anywhere in London, where would you live? 
Hmmm. Somewhere east or a bit north. There are other neighbourhoods that have Shoreditch's charms - like Camden (grittier) or Angel (more posh) - but I love it here and that's probably not going to change. 

Proud to be American?

A friend of mine posted a really interesting article on Facebook from the NY Times.  Apparently there are a growing number of Americans expats who are renouncing their US citizenship. The most common reasons stated are double taxation and banking problems.

Now I find all of this very interesting.  Firstly I thought that you couldn't renounce your US citizenship for tax reasons alone.  I thought that you had to have a greater reason like a political or moral objection to something the US has done.  Also I found it very interesting that someone would just give up their US citizenship because they have to pay double taxes.  As someone making less than $91,000 a year, I can exclude my entire income and therefore don't feel the brunt of being taxed twice.  But I wonder if I was in such a position, is that enough reason to give up one's citizenship?

This Week in London: 26 April - 2 May

26 April

• Cringe @ The George
• Ricky Gervais Live: Science @ Wembley Arena

27 April

• East End Film Festival @ various venues

28 April

• Science Museum Lates @ London Science Museum

29 April

• Orla Kiely Sample Sale  @ Chelsea Old Town Hall
• Gorillaz @ Roundhouse

30 April

• Break & Bowl @ Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes

1 May

• Camden Crawl @ various venues in Camden 
• Canalway Cavalcade @ Little Venice

2 May

• Camden Crawl @ various venues in Camden

Cheap Ways to Call Home

As you can imagine, calling the States can be really expensive.  Want to reduce your phone bills?  Here are a few alternatives.

Phone cards

You can get there are pretty any off license in the city.  They tend to be pretty inexpensive.  A tenner can get you up to 500 minutes which isn't too bad.  The downside is that the card may run out in the middle of a conversation and trust me, no one wants to have to walk down to the off license at 11pm to get another one! 

Callback services

This is a method of making a cheap international calls via a third country.  The way it works is that you'll be given a unique number to call that will trigger the return call.  Once you get the call back, just dial the required number.

Happy St. George's Day!!!

Now you're probably wondering what this means and why there seem to be a bunch of white flags with red crosses flying today.  Well the white flag with red cross is the English flag and today is the day that we celebrate England's patron saint - St. George.  (Note:  The Union Jack - the blue flag with the red and white stripes - is the flag of the United Kingdom).

So who is St. George?  He was a Roman solider and a priest.  He is most famous for the legend of St. George & the Dragon.  According to this tale, there was a dragon that lived in a lake in Libya (because that's where dragons live, of course!).  To appease the dragon, a random child was picked to be sacrificed to the dragon.  One fateful day, the king's daughter was chosen.  The daughter dressed as a bride (why are they always dressed as brides?) made her way to the lake and awaited her fate.  St. George, who just happened to be in the neighbourhood, made the sign of the cross, slayed the dragon, saved the princess and converted the villagers to Christianity all before tea time.  ...Or so the story goes.

Traditionally, one would wear a red rose on their lapel, fly a St. George's cross flat and to sing the hymn "Jerusalem" at a chapels across the country.

However as St. George's flag has become more associated with right wing lunatics (the BNP) and football hooligans, there is a hesitation to even display the flag due to fear of being associated with the aforementioned groups.  There is also speculation that St. George isn't English (Roman, hello?) and in fact may have never even step foot on English soil.  Its for these reasons, that celebrations on this day tend to be restricted to having a pint in a pub that decked out in English flags.  But is that really any different that any other night at the pub?

In an effort to reclaim St. George's day, there have been various groups encouraging people to reclaim St. George by hosting parades in their town and proudly waving their flag.  There will be a free concert in Traflagar Square on Saturday. But if that's not really your thing, you can always just go down to the pub (as usual) and pretend to think about St. George as you chug enjoy that pint of lager.

Neighbourhood Spotlight - Wandsworth Common

Keeping things south of the river, we go to Wandsworth Common which is located just west of Clapham Junction.  It is part of the Wandsworth Council and is located within the SW17 and SW18 postcodes.  To learn more about that it was like to live here, we spoke to Eamon, a camera-shy former resident.

 
Name: Eamon
Age: 25
Wandsworth Resident for: Just under 1 year
Last place you lived before moving to London? San Francisco




Do you live in a flatshare or on your own?
Flatshare, with two other blokes

What’s your nearest Tube station?
Balham, but Tooting Bec is easier to walk to because you don't have to make any turns, and you might catch a bus on the way. Wandsworth Common Overground Rail is right in the neighborhood, though, and gets you right to Victoria super quick.

How would you describe your neighbourhood’s overall vibe?
The overall vibe is semi-suburban fancy town. Bellevue Rd. is full of little cafes, and contains the famous Chez Bruce. It runs along the edge of Wandsworth Common. On a sunny day, the park is full of attractive joggers, moms with strollers, teenie-boppers, and people playing rugby and football. It's quite pleasant, but doesn't feel very urban. The scent of money is in the air.

How safe is your neighbourhood?
The neighborhood feels very safe, although my flat building was broken into and robbed.

What do you like most about where you live?
The best part of the neighborhood is the Common itself. It is incredible to have such a big, pretty park right on your doorstep. I can't overstate how idyllic it can be on a sunny day. The second best part is being walking distance from Tooting, and all of the great food that is there. It's secretly the best curry mile in London.

What do you like least?
The part I liked least was being so far south and away from the action. It can be a mission to get home from North London, and the night busses take forever to get there.

If you could live anywhere in London, where would you live?
If I could live anywhere it would be..... I'm not really sure! I'm in N1 now, and so far, so good.

...What It Feels Like For a Girl

Last year in the UK,

• 46,000 women were raped
• 867,000 were victims of domestic violence

The British have a reputation of being very polite, formal and traditional. Unfortunately wrapped in their notion of tradition are very strict and quite frankly outdated ideas about women and men. These outdated attitudes state that men are carnal and unable to control themselves in the presence of a woman. It has been this reason alone that many a man has been acquitted for rape because the women was wearing a provocative outfit and therefore obviously wanted a man to ravish her. Or she was flirting with the man earlier so it's hard to believe that she wasn't interested in having sex with him later. Its attitudes like these that essentially lead to men being acquitted of rape and many a women being blamed for being - well, women.

Self Defense - Pepper Spray is Illegal

Unless of course, you've already been attacked.

Yes, you read that right.  Pepper spray is illegal in London.  It is deemed a weapon and held to the same standard as a gun.  Except if you've been attacked you're not allowed to carry a gun.  But you can be allowed to carry pepper spray if:

1. You report your attack to the local authorities
2. You register your pepper spray with said authorities.

Not that London is the most dangerous place in the world but it just seems strange that a major city would outlaw pepper spray.  The logic behind the law is that if pepper spray is legal, then anyone, including criminals, would be able to use it.  Now, I would like to respectfully point out that guns are illegal in this country but that hasn't stopped the criminals from shooting people.

You're probably wondering what your options are if you're a woman who finds herself walking home alone late at night.  Well you can carry a really nice shiny whistle or even perhaps a portable air horn and hope that someone hears your and bothers to help.  Or you can take self defense classes.  Yea, that's pretty much it...

This Week in London: 19 - 25 April 2010

19 April

• Lou Reed's Metal Machine Trio @ The Royal Festival Hall
• Alternative Fashion Week @ Spitalfields Traders Market

20 April

• London Burlesque Week Official Opening Gala  @ Cafe de Paris

21 April

• Bill Fontana: River Sounding @ Somerset House

22 April

• Designer Sample Sale @ Truman Brewery 
• Caramel Funk @ Bar Sequence

Neighbourhood Spotlight - Clapham

We return south of the river to go to Clapham.  Located in SW4, it is part of the Lambeth council.  So what's it like to live in Clapham?  Current resident, Mike tells all.

Name: Mike
Age: 29
Clapham resident for: 9 months.
Last place you lived before moving to London? Cape Town, South Africa




Do you live in a flatshare or on your own?
Flatshare with 2 others.

What’s your nearest Tube station?
Clapham North

How would you describe your neighbourhood’s overall vibe?
Funky, freaky and fun all rolled into one.

How safe is your neighbourhood?
Compared to South Africa I think everything is safe, so it's hard to say. I would say it's about average for central London. You'll run into a fair few drunks coming home late at night on the weekends, but that's probably as dangerous as it gets.

What do you like most about where you live?
The ability to crawl home from multiple night hot spots. Its also far enough from central London to have a vibe all of its own, but it's close enough to catch 1 night bus home from almost anywhere.

What do you like least?
Northern line commuting at rush hour.

If you could live anywhere in London, where would you live?
At the moment, here, thats why I chose it. Where to next? Probably West London, somewhere close to Hyde or Regents park.

Flatshare Vs Living Alone

This is one of the first big decisions that you'll have to make when you move here.  There are advantages and disadvantages to both living situations.

Flatshare

Benefits

London is a large and expensive city. The rent is high and the bills are plentiful. It helps to live with other people so that you can split your living expenses. By dividing up these costs, you can also live much closer to central London and in a nicer neighbourhood.

Also because London is such a large city and it can be difficult to make friends, it might be ideal to live with a few other people when you first arrive. That way you have at least one person that you know in the city. You never know, you might even end up being good friends! Shocking but it can happen.


Drawbacks

The sharing of bills can become a real problem. Some people are able to forgo any billing issues by either having all the bills included in their rent or by paying their share of the bills directly to the landlord. Otherwise, all of the bills will have to be put in one flatmate's name and it will be their responsibility to ensure that the bills are paid and that the other flatmates pay their share. As you can imagine, this can get messy if someone doesn't have the cash to pay their share of the bills or if the person who has the bills in their name refuses to tell you how much you owe (true story!). So if you are thinking about moving into a flatshare, keep these billing issues in mind.

Also, the dividing up of chores can be problematic. Using the common sense adage of "clean up after yourself" works great in most places except for the bathroom. Unless you have a set cleaning schedule that is strictly followed, inevitably there will be one person who always ends up cleaning the fun areas - the toilet & the bathtub. So have a schedule in place and please stict to it. Alternatively, you could always just hire a cleaning lady to come by once a week and do it for you.

Lastly even if you have the chore and billing issues sorted, you just might not get along with your flatmates.  They might be too loud, cook smelly food, hog the television, act weird, the list goes on. Most try to test the house chemistry during the inital viewing.  But at this time, everyone is on their best behaviour.  You are either desperate to either find a place or to replace an old flatmate.  Or some people are really good at hiding the fact that they're completely insane. Either way, you always run the risk of potential personality clashes.

Going Solo

Benefits

Now of course, if you're living by yourself, then you don't have to worry about dividing up bills or chores or personality clashes. You can keep the place as messy or as clean as you want. Hell, you can either walk around the place naked. You don't have to worry about people accidentally eating your food or having their crap everywhere. The only person you have to worry about is yourself.

Drawbacks

You will be the person soley responsible for paying all the bills. This includes rent, council tax, water, electricity, gas, tv tax, cable & phone bills. You can get a discount on your council tax if you're living alone but it will only reduce your burden by 25%. Now if you have a great job, then you can probably afford to still live in a great neighbourhood and pay all of these bills. However, if you're job pays you pennies, then you may have to live in either an okay neighbourhood or further outside central London. You can get around this by trying to find a property that include all of your utilities. It's a bit tough but it can be done.

Being all alone can be difficult especially if you're sick or get injured.  Unlike a flatshare, there may be nobody to take pity on you and get your medication or pick up some food for you.  If you happen to make some friends, then they can help.  Otherwise, I would have the number of a few takeout places just in case.

Verdict

I personally am team "going solo".  I've lived in a flatshare and it just didn't work out for me at all.  However, I have some friends who live in amazing flatshares and would hate to live alone.  So at the end of the day, go with what you're gut and wallet says.

Calling All Lakers Fans!!!

The NBA has just announced that there will be another game in London for the NBA's European Tour.  The LA Lakers will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on 4 October at the 02 Arena.  Tickets range from £39 - £89 and are on sale now!

Source: The Guardian

Zebra Crossings

Although know around the world as part of the Beatles cover for their Abbey Road record, the zebra crossing is a pedestrian's best friend.  At these crossing, all drivers are required to come to a full and complete stop when you step foot into the stripped zone.  Drivers are alerted to the presence of these crossings by a zig-zag traffic lines leading up to the crossing.

However be forewarned, some drivers seem to either not realise that the crossing is coming up or they just don't give a shit.  Because I've definitely almost been hit being crossing the road at these stop.  So be sure to take care when crossing.  Its always best to wait on the side and see if any of the drivers are starting to slow down or annoyingly speed up.

999 Is a Joke In Your Town...

...Is how the song have been if Public Enemy was formed in the UK.  But they weren't. They were formed in the US and therefore used the American emergency number 911.  However here in the UK, the emergency number is 999.  Sure, you could dial 911 but the joke will be on you.

I've only had to call this number twice since being here.  The first was to make a noise complaint.  FYI, the cops don't deal with those things.  You have to make an official complaint with your council!  The other was for a domestic dispute that got WAY out of hand.  Unfortunately the cops didn't really do anything about the "minor disagreement" that ended with a woman being punched and dragged across the flat by her hair.  But I'll save that for another post...

When you dial the number you'll be asked which service you want to be connected to: fire, medical, police.  You then get connected to the appropriate party. And voila! Help is on the way.  I will say that the police showed up very quickly for the domestic dispute.  So no, 999 is not a joke in this town.

This Week in London: 12 - 18 April 2010

12 April

• Roller Disco @ The 02

13 April

• Robin Thicke @ FunkyBuddha
• Mos Def @ O2 Shepherd's Bush

14 April

• Cinderella @ The Royal Opera House
• How to Attract, Approach and Allure the One You Want @ Asia House

15 April - Tax Day!

• Boom Boom Club @ Bathhouse

16 April

• Friday Follies @ Cellar Door
• Zebrano's Ancient Greek Party @ Zebrano

17 April

• Grace Kelly: Style Icon @ The Victoria & Albert Museum

18 April

• Andy Warhol Exhibit @ Olyvia Fine Art

Neighborhood Spotlight - Acton Town

To the jungles of Zone 3, we go to Acton Town.  Officially located in Greater London, this western neighbourhood is part of Ealing Council.  So what's it like to live outside central London?  Former resident, Tisha (yea, that's me!) shares her story.




Name: Tisha
Age: 27
Acton Town Resident for: 6 mos
Last place you live before moving to London? DC via Maryland



Did you live in a flatshare or on your own?
I lived by myself.

What was your nearest Tube station?
Acton Town

How would you describe the neighbourhood’s overall vibe?
This very much was quite a suburban neighbourhood.  Its very quiet.  There are lots of families with kids.  People were constantly barbecuing or working in their gardens. There are a few high streets here and there.  But for the most part there are loads of houses and parks.  It was quite nice to be surrounded by so much greenery and still be in so close to London.


How safe was your neighbourhood?
Its quite interesting.  On one hand, I felt perfectly safe walking around late at night.  I would frequently walk from either the night bus or from the Tube station really late and never felt threatened or scared.  It was also extremely quiet.  I could hear the train at the Tube station at night or in the morning.  But at the same time, I lived extremely close to a massive council estate.  I would periodically see a police van parked nearby with a CCTV mounted on top of it.  Its presence alone made me think that perhaps this place isn't a safe as it seems.

What did you like most about where you live?
I loved all of the parks around.  Gunnersbury park is in walking distance.  Since its not as popular as Hyde Park or Regents park.  I could just sit out on a blanket is peace and either read, write or just soak up sun without worrying that a bunch of people coming to ruin my serenity.  I also liked that it was very quiet.  Its nice to leave the hustle and bustle of the city and return to silence.

You get more of your money.  My studio flat was also amazing.  I had my own kitchen, a massive living space and a really nice bathroom for a very reasonable price.  A comparable property in Central would cost and arm and a leg.

Also I used to work in Uxbridge.  So it was perfect to have the Piccadilly line right there to take me easily to work. 

What did you like least?
I hated that it was so far away.  Because its in Zone 3, it would take FOREVER if you caught a night bus home.  So I would frequently rush to catch the last train home but that always seemed to cut my night short.  Also as most of my friends live in central London, I wasn't able to entertain in my a flat which kind of defeated the purpose of having all that space.

If you could live anywhere in London, where would you live?
I still am in love with the Angel/Islington area as well as Shoreditch.

Flying Around the World On the Cheap

One of the great things about living in London is that you're close to the rest of the world. There is something to be said for not being bordered by two oceans.  Due to this proximity, its pretty damn easy to travel the world.  You can be in Paris in an hour and Egypt in 3 hours which is amazing considering that you can fly for 3 hours in the States and not have left the country!

To facilitate your world travels.  There are a number of budget airlines that operate out of London. The two largest and most popular ones are RyanAir and EasyJet.

Now the advantages of using these airlines is that the flights are dirt cheap. I literally flew round trip to Amsterdam for £35 which is absurd in the most wonderful way.  Its a great way to go somewhere for the weekend and not break the bank.  And lets face it, we're in a recession.  So if you want to still go away on holiday at a reasonable price, these airlines are the way to go.



One concern that people have is that the planes aren't clean and are these old broken down planes from 1955.  I assure you, they aren't.  I've flown on both RyanAir and EasyJet and can tell you that they have been cleaner than some American carriers that I've flown with. *cough* American Airlines *cough*

These carrier both have stellar flight records. In fact, most of the EasyJet planes are less than 5 years old. So if you're freaked out about safety, don't be. You're still more likely to die in a car.

However be forewarned that when they say "no frills", they mean no frills. For both RyanAir and EasyJet, you must pay to check in luggage. Yes, that is any luggage. You are however allowed one free bag to carry on.

There are also several hidden taxes and fees.  So that ticket that you saw being advertised for £9 one-way does not include administration fees, taxes and other miscellaneous costs.  However when booking a flight, all hidden costs will be disclosed so you won't have any surprises after you've already booked your flight.

You'll also soon realise that none of these flights fly out of Heathrow.  These flights only operate out of Gatwick, Luton or Stanstead. This may seem like a pain but you can easily take the train or book a seat on a coach for a very reasonable price.  Its also a good excuse to see the other "London" airports especially if you hate Heathrow.

Finally, these airlines are similar to SouthWest Airlines in that you don't have an assigned seat. So if you're travelling in a big group you may want to arrive to the gate early.

But all that being said, I STILL GOT TO AMSTERDAM FOR £35. (Ok, £45 if you include the seat on the coach.) This is still amazing and waaayyyy less than you would pay if you flew from America. So I suggest, you plan accordinlgy. Realise that there are hidden fees, note the luggage allowances, book your train/coach seat early and lastly sit back and enjoy your flight.

The British Say WHAT??? - The Empire Strikes Back

Because you know, the first two lists weren't exhaustive.  And I have a feeling that this one won't be either...

British	American
to let	to rent
creche	day care center
dummy	pacifier
nappy	diaper
petrol	gasoline
revise/revision	to study/studying
swot	nerd, studious person
carriageway	highway
motorbike	motorcycle
roundabout	traffic circle
bangers & mash	sausages & mash potatoes
toad in a hole	sausages in Yorkshire pudding batter
Yorkshire pudding	baked pancake batter
twit	idiot
git	annoying, childish person
tight	cheap
skint	broke (no money)
pissed/paraplectic	drunk
tick	check (as in checking a box)
sacked/struck off	fired
made redundant	laid off
mack	raincoat
spot	pimple
fag	cigarette
trailers (movies)	previews
caravan	trailer (ie. trailer park)

Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race

This past Saturday was the 156th year of the Oxford & Cambridge (often referred to as Oxbridge) boat race. This race dates back to 1829 when two former Harrow school chums, Charles Merivale of Cambridge and Charles Wordsworth of Oxford, came up with the idea. On 12 March of that year, Cambridge challenged Oxford to the race and the tradition has continued into present day.

One would think that the race takes place in either Oxford or Cambridge.  But it actually takes place in London on the Thames.  (For what reason, I'm still not sure.)  It starts in Putney and ends at Chiswick.  You can get a map of the race route here.

Now this a big thing.  The race is broadcast worldwide on ESPN. But alas it's not just about the race.  Its about the rivalry between the two schools.  Oxford won last year and have been bragging about it ever since.  I'm glad to report that Cambridge took the title this year (Go Cambridge!) and let the gloating begin.




As I live in Fulham, which is moments from the Thames,  I decided to go down and check it out.  After all it is a time honored British tradition. While making my way to the Thames, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the river weren't chock full of posh and pretentious Oxbridge alums.  There actually was a good mix of locals, tourists and alumni.  The Thames was chock full on its northern banks (that's where the pubs are) and people were in good spirits as the weather held up.

There were helicopters flying overhead.  A crowd assembled on Hammersmith Bridge and there were several cameramen and journos setting up post inside the pubs that had great riverside views.

Everyone waited with bated breath until the races official start time of 4:30.  True to form, the race started precisely on time.  The crowd started to crane their necks eastward to glimpse a view of the boats.  Binoculars came out and cameras were held in anticipation of catching the right shot.

After a few moments, you could hear a dull roar coming from the east of the river.  The helicopters in the sky began to move and if you squinted really hard you could faintly make out a boat.

As the race progressed toward Hammersmith bridge, the dull roar in the east gathered steam and made it way to the bridge.  The helicopters descended on the crowd while hundreds of flashes went off.  The boys in blue (Oxford) were ahead but Cambridge were right behind them.  As the boats passed by, they were followed by an entourage of other referees, journalists and the coast guard.
 

It lasted approximated two minutes.  If you blinked or fumbled with your camera, you missed it.  In those short few minutes, they had rounded the bend and continued their way to Chiswick.  As the boats started to disappear, the crowd dispersed.  A few ran to follow the boats to their final destination. Some ordered more drinks at the pub while others went home.

While Cambridge has bragging rights for the rest of the year, Oxford will lick their wounds, shake their fists to the sky and declare "Just wait until next year! Just you wait..."  It was a fine race indeed.

Links:
Official Website

This Week in London: 5 - 11 April 2010

5 April

•  - The Empire Strikes Back: Indian Art Today @ Saatchi Gallery  
•  - NCAA Championship Game @ The Sports Cafe
•  - London Festival of the Japanese Art of Bondage @ Resistance Gallery

6 April

• - Sustainable Futures @ Design Museum 
• - AFI @ Brixton Academy 

7 April

• - Roundhouse CircusFest 2010 @ The Roundhouse
• - Method Man @ Matter
• - Alchemy @ Southbank Centre

8 April

• - Selfridges Home Sale @ Selfridges

9 April

• - New Young Pony Club @ Village Underground
• - Speed of Light Installation @ Bargehouse

10 April

• - Bustin Loose! Live @ Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes
• - After Skool Klub @Kings College Student Union

11 April

• - Jaded @ Cable 
• - Rick Astley @ Rose Theatre Kingston