I'm not much on here, although I come by every now and then, so I feel a bit silly about asking for your advice.
But since I think there are some people here who know England/live there and I don't really know anyone else that does(or knows London) I thought I'd ask you guys.
I'm moving to Notting Hill, to be an au pair, and I was wondering if you guys knew anything about the neighborhood. I'll be living very close to Holland Park, just a couple of minutes walking.
Does anyone know if it's a safe area? I'm a little worried about that because in my country, everything's so small that everywhere is safe really.
I was also wondering if anyone knew if I can buy Kanebo make up products anywhere in London/the UK? (Silly, I know) I tried Google, but couldn't find anything. :S
Oh, and I can't ask the family I'll be living with because they are from a different country themselves and are just moving next week for the first time living in the UK.
Hiii,
That's so exciting.
Notting Hill is really nice. It's fairly central so you'll be able to get around London easily. I'd always advise you to be careful in central London but you should be absolutely fine walking around in the day time.
I don't know about the make up I'm afraid.
Good luck with the move!
Claire
Always seem to get things just that little bit wrong.
"don't wish, don't start, wishing only wounds the heart"
Oh wow! That sounds so exciting! I live in East London, so don't know the Notting Hill area well, hence this is possibly a fairly pointless post, sorry!
It's always wise to be cautious and safety-aware when living in London, but try not to be too scared of the big city; it's a lovely place really! Do you have any hobbies or interests? When moving to a new city, getting out in your spare time can be a great way of making new friends :)
I live in London, i work smack bang in the middle of town and i work very anti social hours, every night i travel home between midnight and 5am, i have never had anything stolen or anything, as long as you look like you know where youre going etc, youre mostly fine.
Notting Hill is a very nice area, there are a lot of nice markets and stuff round there, and it has excellent transport links both into london and out to westfields shopping centre. The only time living there will be a pain is during carnival , but, if you dont need to travel over that weekend you'll be fine.
There are times to stay put, and what you want will come to you.
But there are times to go out into the world and find such a thing for yourself.
I aint no abacus but you can count on me.
I live a quick bus ride from Notting Hill (Maida Vale) it's a great part of London, and it's a wicked city.
It's a safe area, and it's so easy to get around from there. As squirrelspit said it's a bit of a pain during Carnival but that's only a couple of days in the year.
You'll be about a 20/30 minute walk from me as I live in Shepherds bush which is a slightly more gritty area!
Holland Park is very posh and lovely so you will be very safe there but obviously london is a city so take precautions as you would do in any city!
You'll be on the central line tube and will have good bus routes near you to get into the centre of London and West/South West London.
Any questions feel free to ask
When we lose twenty pounds... we may be losing the twenty best pounds we have! We may be losing the pounds that contain our genius, our humanity, our love and honesty. ~Woody Allen
Is a chocolate muffin loving glitter ball
I live in London, i work smack bang in the middle of town and i work very anti social hours, every night i travel home between midnight and 5am, i have never had anything stolen or anything, as long as you look like you know where youre going etc, youre mostly fine.
Notting Hill is a very nice area, there are a lot of nice markets and stuff round there, and it has excellent transport links both into london and out to westfields shopping centre. The only time living there will be a pain is during carnival , but, if you dont need to travel over that weekend you'll be fine.
ooh, and just because I'm a curious little bugger, might I ask where you are moving to London from?
Oh, I'm Icelandic, hence moving from Iceland. :P It feels quite scary as there are only around 320.000 who live in entire Iceland, and I've been told there are 7 million in London.
I want to take a dance class of some sorts, not decided yet, and I think I've found a place! I'm very shy though, so quite worried about meeting other people.
Thank you Jenna and Claire, as well everyone who replied. It's a little uncomfortable moving somewhere not knowing a thing about the place! It's nice to hear from someone who knows the area and just London in general.
Anyway, I'm very excited because ever since I was little I've wanted to live in London. :P
Oh, and could anyone explain to me what an Oyster card is? That would be very helpful!
An oyster card is a plastic travel card which you can use on transport in london. You can top up this card in train/tube stations and in some shops. It means that you dont have to get a ticket everytime you get on a bus etc you just have to swipe the card. It also saves you money because the ticket prices are cheaper using it.
There are times to stay put, and what you want will come to you.
But there are times to go out into the world and find such a thing for yourself.
I aint no abacus but you can count on me.
“Never lose faith in yourself,
and never lose hope;
remember, even when this world throws its worst and then turns its back,
there is still always hope.”
I have one piece of advice, if you don't like crowds or rushes of people, but you're going to move to London anyway, don't complain about it :)
Could you explain what you mean? :) I don't think I was complaining about crowds or rushes of people in either of my posts! The scary part I was referring to it being: more people = more crimes.
No no no, i didnt say you have. But i have lived there, and it infuriates people when you hear others on public transport/the street/read about people complaining about how many people there are and how busy it is, its London, of course its busy.
Oh okay! Phew, thought I had said something wrong! I've been in London once before, and traveled with trains so I know how busy it can be! At least it was when I was there.
Thank you for replying, and for the advice! :)
I have one piece of advice, if you don't like crowds or rushes of people, but you're going to move to London anyway, don't complain about it :)
TOO TRUE!
Everyone else has pretty much covered all your points, so I'll just add that London is a brilliant city and you'll soon learn your way around. Although it's massive, it's really hard to get lost! There's some form of transport link on every street corner! Bus, tube, tram, train... My main tip would be; don't be shy, explore! Finding new places from wandering around on your day off is soooo fulfilling!
A bit anxious, but so excited!! I keep thinking about all the things I'm going to do and see(and buy :P).
It's always difficult heading into the unknown, but I'm feeling pretty positive. Especially after everything you guys have said! London seems like an amazing place to live in. At least plenty to do!
Now I'm just stressing over packing. I hate forgetting things!
