'I moved to London from the West Country a month ago - here’s 5 things the capital gets wrong'

London is like a second home to me. I spent four years studying in East London at university, and while I’ve been out of the capital for a few years, I was always itching to get back.

There’s something really magical about this city - there’s always something new to do and somewhere new to go. During the summer, the parks turn into inner city beaches with people drinking, eating and enjoying the sun with friends.

At Christmas time the dreary London skies somehow do feel cosy. Ice skating at Somerset House, mulled wine at the South Bank and carnival games at Winter Wonderland all make up for the terrible weather.

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A weekend here can turn into anything - what about a free party in a modern art museum? Or an outdoor swimming session in the midst of Canary Wharf ’s tallest skyscrapers?

But despite loving London, I’ve always known I was running on borrowed time here. Whenever I’ve thought about the future, I’ve always been back at my ‘real’ home - Bristol.

Because despite getting so many things so right, there’s also some things that London gets wrong. Some are inherent, for which it can’t be blamed, but others are not, and perhaps London could look to somewhere like Bristol to learn a thing or two.

People don’t say thank you when they get off the bus

In fairness, it would be quite hard to say thank you when getting off TfL buses in London. The exits aren’t exactly set-up for human interaction, being situated in the centre of the vehicle.

And while Bristol has also just introduced a tap on, tap off system, these are placed at the front near the driver, meaning you’ll normally hear (in a thick West Country accent), ‘cheers drive!’ as people get off.

But I have to be honest, Bristol really can’t compare to London’s bus system. I'm often visibly surprised when I arrive at a London bus stop, and I see buses arriving at regular timely intervals, and not blighted by the usual string of cancellations at home.

And so while I do firmly believe that a little common courtesy wouldn’t go amiss in London, it does take the cake with regard to its bus system. One nil to London.

Everyone is always rushing (including me)

Why are we always rushing? Rushing on the tube, rushing on the streets, rushing to my completely non time-sensitive errand I need to complete. But the speed here catches, and before I know it I’m internally sighing at anyone walking at a normal pace.

And god forbid if you even venture towards the left-hand side of the Tube escalator. There’s no coming back from that one.

Back home people love to dawdle, and wander, and potentially take up the whole pavement while they’re doing it. And while this can be equally as annoying as feeling rushed off your feet, I do generally feel less of a low-level panic when getting from A to B in Bristol.

People don’t chit chat

This one won’t be very surprising, because if you’re rushing, you’re probably not talking. But it does feel as if there is just generally less margin to have a good old chinwag throughout the day.

And I’m not saying I want to go start chatting with every Tom, Dick and Harry, but it can even be hard to get a smile back when doing your Lidl shop. I’m not sure why it feels so much harder to strike up conversation here, but at home you are far more likely to hear people laughing and exchanging smiles when out-and-about.

There’s so much choice (almost too much)

One of the best things about London is that there is endless amounts to do here. Since moving I’ve swam in an outdoor lido, eaten authentic Ecuadorian food and explored new neighbourhoods.

But while there’s a lot to do, this can sometimes be a little overwhelming when faced with the prospect of filling an empty weekend. And what you do miss, is the regularity of going back to the same places with the same people.

When I was studying in East London, people would ask me where my favourite places to go out were and I would find I always struggled to think of any. Because I was going out, it just felt quite rare to find somewhere I’d come back to time and time again.

Even though the transport is great, it’s also not

Now anything is better than the transport in Bristol, so London’s network of Underground, Overground, trams, DLR and bus services really is a breath of fresh air. Of course, there’s the odd delay, but generally speaking your journey is as long as Citymapper tells you.

However, we do need to talk about the Northern line and why it's always screaming. Why is the Victoria line always so hot? Why is the District line so slow? Why can't I ever get a seat on the Central line?

At least at home there’s two things you can hedge your bets on - your bus will nearly always be delayed, but you’ll almost always get a seat. But despite its faults, London’s public transport system really is unmatched in the UK, so I can’t be too mad about this one.

Got a story? Please get in touch at katherine.gray@reachplc.com

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