hanouda

I would reconsider the flat/houseshare option, at least in the short term. You'll be able to live in a better area and choose wisely and you'll have a couple of new mates to mine for London tidbits. London can be a bit cold and lonely when you first show up so it would help with that too. The only real negative is the slightly reduced lack of privacy but that's worth paying imo for not having to live in the godawful south London suburbs. Just be scrupulous about who you move in with (i.e avoid the en masse Aussie/NZ/SA or East European houseshares).

Some of the people I shared with in London are my closest friends now. I would rather live with a couple of other people and live in somewhere nice and central like Bayswater or Pimlico than live on my ownsome in fricking Kingston upon Thames.

retired_bemesel

Bloody immigrants coming here and taking our jobs!


I know West London pretty well.

I've worked in Hammersmith, Barons Court, Chiswick and Acton.

What are you looking for in terms of where you want to live?
How far are you willing to commute?

retired_therob

The thing to remember about London is that you can have a nice area with £1m+ houses, and then 100 yards down the road there can be a complete shittip.

Looking for somewhere to live can be a nightmare. The rental market is so rampant, with such high demand, that letting agents can just dick you around. We got stood up about 5-6 times when looking for a place recently (3 times for the same place). When you call to ask where they are you get some bullcrap excuse. So give yourself 2 weeks to find a place.

retired_tabson

I noticed that while driving through London yesterday.

Ventil

And that's what makes it so cosmopolitan.

Each borough is obliged to have its share of social housing.

Although in most areas now the expensive areas have pushed out the social housing due to demand.

retired_recca

Most places a few stops along the District Line from Fulham seem nice enough. As for others:

Hammersmith doesn't look like the nicest of areas, but it has a fair range of places to eat and drink. Especially by the river.

Shepherds Bush is good in places, but personally I'd avoid the areas near Goldhawk Road and the football ground.

Acton is pretty nice around West Acton, although there's not much to do in the immediate vicinity. I'd avoid the rest of the area aside from maybe around Acton Town.

Ealing is nice if unexciting, but it's not the easiest route to Fulham, so you'd want to be near the Broadway (Central/District/mainline) or the Common (Piccadilly/District) for the underground.

Brentford is too much hassle given the poor transport links.

hanouda

Hammersmith is ok once you get away from King Street and into Brackenbury/Ravenscourt/Brook Green.

Ventil

That's exactly where I live and it is excellent around here.
Good pubs, very good food shops (albeit Mid Eastern), quick and easy access to the rest of west London and 20 mins up to Soho and, of course, the mighty Queens Park Rangers on your doorstop. What more could you want?

Ventil

Brackenbury village is very nice and home to the Anglesea and Olive tree pubs.
Wouldn't get much change out of two grand a month if you wanted to live there though.

retired_recca

Not having QPR on your door step?

Seriously, it's just a matter of opinion. In many ways I'd like to live in Sheps Bush for the reasons you say.