Paris or London

Hi everybody,
I know that everybody has their own opinion but I just wanted to know what people’s ideas were on Paris or London. I’ve lived in Paris 4 years and have never lived in London but I’ve visited a fair few times and it’s just so vibrant, busy and international on a level that I don’t think Paris is. Not to say anything bad about Paris, its more relaxed and seems better suited to a continental Mediterranean way of life but I can’t help being more attracted to London. Am I seeing London through rose tinted glasses? What are the main advantages of Paris? I mean, the weather is normally nice, the food is good but the mentality regarding jobs just seems to hold people back and there do not seem to be the same type of opportunities that there are in Paris as there are in London…
Just wanted to vent, thanks to anyone for their thoughts :sunny: :slight_smile:

Hi Maria

Would it be possible for you to actually stay in London for a few months… visiting a place is not quite the same as being there 24/24. :zipper_mouth_face:

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Hi Stella,
Definitely, I’ve been thinking about that. I just need to pluck up the courage and do it! :relaxed: It’s now or never, I suppose!

I lived in London for about four years but many years ago. I loved it and still appreciate my visits there. I know Paris less well but have relations there and have spent several weeks living in their houses.

I think you’re comparing Stilton and Beaufort (the cheeses) both lovely, both worth experiencing. Paris is so beautiful, I find people are friendly and charming, never really met with the rudeness that the city is famous for, though the taxis are dreadful. London is less beautiful but rich in quirky charm and tucked away areas, people are chatty and bright. Like all big cities, they have their downsides and, now I’m older, I don’t miss living in a city and am happy to get back to the quiet of my own garden but would not want to live in a world that didn’t have both Paris and London.

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Hi Caroline,
I agree they both have their good sides and they are both good but in different ways.
I really enjoyed reading your email :slight_smile: definitely agree with you that a world without either would be a terrible place!

To me the big difference between Paris and London is that Paris is very French, whereas (to me at least) London is not remotely British, let alone English.

But that could be because I lived in London in the 70s and 80s when it was very different and far less cosmopolitan than it is now, so the transformation really hits me. So many areas that used to be characterful and “real”, if a bit scruffy, have turned into tourist honeypots, and I suppose I miss how it used to be.

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A very personal choice. I enjoy Paris, I endure London. I’m sure there are those who switch that around.

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Thanks Anna. From when I’ve visited London, I think what I liked was the aspect that it is such a melting pot of cultures and languages. It just seems to buzz and be so full of life and Paris kind of seems “quiet” in comparison…!

I wouldn’t disagree, though I’d suggest maybe it’s more that London has a more general all-over buzz, whereas Paris has different atmospheres in different sectors. Montmartre for instance has a bohemian type of buzz that I particularly enjoy (and lots of pickpockets too) that’s totally different from the elegance of the Champs-Elysées.

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keep your wallet next to your heart… and inside your vest… when visiting London (and probably most major cities, wherever…) :sunglasses:

And don’t even mention Turin :rage:

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I spent 6 months working in an office in Park Lane… near the Bunny Club (does that still exist)… anyway… it was great fun…

definitely an eye-opener for a gently-bred country-girl :grinning:

In addition to my salary, I was paid a special “Dirt Allowance” as the London air was considered so polluted that clothes needed cleaning more frequently…:stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Hugh Hefner who founded Playboy empire and the Bunny Club died towards the end of last year.

Apparently there is still a Bunny Club but not the original one.

You could say the Bunny Girls get a special dirt allowance too, and probably more than you used to get … but that’s a different sort of dirt altogether :grin:

They kept different hours to me… and judging from the photos displayed outside the BClub… they obviously worked in warmer conditions than I did… brrr snow every where… :open_mouth:

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I’m a born & bred Londoner, and more recently lived 50:50 Paris:London for about 8 years. Each has it’s advantages. London is brilliantly multi-cultural - people, food, art, music, and lifestyles, everything. Every time I visit now it livens me up. But that buzz comes at a price as it is not a kind city, particularly towards older people unless you live in a very classy area.

It’s also very expensive to live there. Rents are astronomical, and to buy anywhere bigger than a chicken coop you will need to have deep pockets. Transport is horrendous, and Paris metro is infinitely preferable to the London tube.

It is also incredibly crowded, people can be extremely rude and there is a noticeable negative attitude now. It is only in the last year that I have heard people openly and loudly making racist statements, whereas previously people might have felt that way but would rarely say anything out loud.

Like Paris different areas have different characters, so this is a sweeping generalisation. Essentially if you have money it’s great, but if you have to stretch things it can be a very tough place to live.

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Thanks Jane, I appreciate the honesty. I was worried that Brexit might have had that after effect and that’s not a nice image to the city. I have read things in the newspapers and the other media but sometimes you don’t know whether to take it with a pinch of salt.

Hmm. I was there when the Brixton riots were happening… that was a bit more violent than people making racist statements. I suppose these things go in cycles, they bubble up, simmer down, bubble up.

Heaven’s yes that was a horrible period. Especially as on the heels of all the Irish bombings. I suppose my point is that since then I hoped that London has become a more tolerant and ordered place. So was rather taken aback to hear people making extremely nasty comments about fellow (Eastern European) shoppers in Morrisons within their hearing.

And as for the english man man convicted last week of killing/injuring muslims at Finsbury Park…

Let us hope this is a bubble that bursts and simmers down very quickly.

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I was in Liverpool Street station when the IRA bomb exploded outside the Baltic Exchange in April 1992. It was so loud it sounded like the bomb was inside the station. There was panic as everyone raced to get out of the station. I’ve never seen so many emergency vehicles, there were hundreds of them. I had to walk from Liverpool Street to, I think Whitechapel, before I could find a station that was open. The most terrifying experience of my life.

Also heard the Canary Wharf bombing in 1996 from outside my flat in Romford.

They were dangerous times.

Neither. Brussels is best! And I’ve lived in all three.

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