Does anyone else really miss London??

I moved up to London from Devon in 1993, started work in Hackney (marcon place) and lived in Hoxton, Haberdasher st. Next to the George and vulture and opposite Heatwave offy.
Regular at the Bricklayers, Barleymow, Bass clef/ blue note, cantaloupe ,Charlie wrights etc etc etc!
Ventured up to Islington and use to frequent murrays bar and the medicine bar.
Thinking back I did a lot of drinking in those days!
Worked in Wandsworth too and moved to a house overlooking the Geffrye museum, by the new shoreditch station (was just a load of arches back then).
Lived latterly in Dalston by Ridley road market and then escaped back to Devon after 10 years and then tried New Zealand for a few years before moving to Wiltshire and being all grown up with a mortgage and kid.
Missed out on buying a place back then and would probably be retired now if I had!

Thing is sometimes I really miss London and don't get back enough these days although I'm only an hour and a half away.
Does anyone else out there feel the same who used to live in London but now is elsewhere?

Ageing hipsters thread >>>>>

I did a lot of what you describe, in about the same time frame. I even lived on Haberdasher Street, from 1995-2000 ish. no 87.

FWIW you'd almost certainly hate Hoxton and Shoretditch now, in the main.

A lot of the relatively unfuckedover places are now places like Deptford.*

*not for long, I moved near there, I am the harbinger of cunts.

I saw my first hipster in Eltham last week, nowhere is safe.

This^

I miss London but not as much as I did when I lived in Wiltshire. Mostly because I lived close to Swindon and partly because, Swindon included, Wiltshire is a boring provincial shithole surrounded by more boring provincial shitholes and nice places like Bristol, London and the fun bits of Dorset (the coastline) seem a bit far away.

But history is an unreliable narrator here. I live on the edge of the Peak District and I think that I would have a hard time if I couldn't just ride ten minutes and be out in wide open countryside. I miss the breadth of opportunity that London offers but it's often a lie that you tell yourself that you'd do more if it were there.

That is great news for property values!
I saw one on Reigate road in Downham !!

Exactly what the missus said!
We also had a flyer posted through the door recently that read "Finally, artisan coffee now in Eltham"

It's happening.

Ah!
I was at number 66 in 1994 then number 80 for a couple of years.
Apologies if I woke you up when trying to gain access to the flat after a heavy weekend out!
Do you remember the two Justins? Used to hang around with Bryan , rigsy, Sheila tequila , big gav,Byron etc etc

A lot of this is middle age nostalgia no doubt as it wasn't all roses!

No.

But i do remember that old cockney woman called Ida I think, and Jarvis Cocka.

Happy days in that flat as it goes. Used to like rolling back from Metalheadz in only five minutes.

Was in the Medicine bar quite a bit too, lived near there before Haberdasher St.

Was really cool to see you namecheck the 'bass clef'. Only went a few times back then, to Norman Jay's Original Rare Groove thingy. Was proper good.

I actually hooked up with my Mrs in the Blue Note.

You guys sound soo old.
Having said, I wished I could roll back from Metalheadz in 5 mins.

Come to bristol! We've probably only absorbed 10-15% of london's unbearable pricks in the last 5 years or so.

Looked at Bristol but we could only afford a small house with no garden or parking by a crap school so crossed it off. Bought a 4 bedder where we are now but I do miss the buzz of a big city.
Going up to the old smoke in March so will be doing touristy things.
A " reunion " round Hoxton / shoreditch may have to be planned.
I unearthed a poster the other day from the 333 club with one of the DJs being "The Shoreditch Twat". We were all twats at some point.

Yeah metalheadz was ace, remember dancing next to Yasmin le Bon there one night and being shoved out of the way by her burly female friend.

Now does anyone remember the Sunday social in little Portland st? F'in epic nights and sickies every Monday afterwards...

Come to bristol! We've probably only absorbed 10-15% of london's unbearable pricks in the last 5 years or so.

heheh

#wouldrep

Hey stranger, hope you're doing well.

Old yourself.

Never have I turned up to a 'club' before 8pm to witness such mayhem. Metalheadz was unbelievable.

The Social is still good.

Doing ok, just laid up after some minor surgery yesterday but not doing to bad. Thought I'd drop in after 1 year.

You and family good?

Bristol house prices have gone nuts in the last 5 years or so. We'd never be able to afford our current house if we wanted to buy it now! Time to borrow some equity and get a new bike I guess...

I miss what London was until about 3-4 years ago when the big money destroyed it irrepairably.

Fuck the Tories.

This instagram account might make you miss it more

https://www.instagram.com/contaxgirl/

Bloody hell - put the hairs up on the back of my neck and a smile on my face!
Vicki doing a jo brand, dj ginger doug, minky, George,christiane (still with lil gav)
Happy days.

Arf, lots of old friends in that instagram feed. the Some Product woman shouting 'take down your pants' in a NI accent will haunt me.

And it appears my ex snogged Matt Skylab!

I remember that dude with the mod hair, Leon? God knows how though.

Grew up in the burbs in south London and moved away about 3 years ago. Now in Egham, west of London just outside the M25.

I miss being able to ride home from central. A lot of you moan about hipsters, but they brought damn good eating and drinking places to London - the food and drink in Surrey is absolute shit in comparison. There's a LOT going on all the time in London, too. When you've been there a long time you start to take it for granted and you don't really even notice it. When you move away you realise a lot of places have no scene and absolutely nothing going on. Surrey is like this. It's more about what white 4x4 you can afford and how much more fake tan you can get your wife to wear.

I don't care. I'll still ride my shitty fixed gear bike.