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London Calling

CRM114 — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 13:37:00 -0800

Advice for a New Yorker moving to London. Hello MeFites.

It's looking rather probable that I'm going to be moving to London from New York for work in the next couple of months.

I'm a young professional and I've lived in the US my whole life - apart from a casual appreciation for Premiership football and an affinity for Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares, I don't know all that much about living in the UK.

I've seen previous AskMe threads akin to this, so I've read up on the VAT, the Council Tax, and the benefits of having a bicycle, but there's still quite a bit I don't know:

*What's a good neighborhood for a young professional to live in, and why? I like the bar scene, but I don't necessarily want to live over the bar. And after years in New York I'm hoping a dishwasher isn't too much to ask for.

*Many of the apartments I've seen in my price range on Craigslist are furnished - this is a bit unusual in NYC, but is it fairly commonplace in London?

*What are some common mistakes expatriates make when they move over, and how can I avoid them?

Thanks in advance, friends.

New York: The Biography

Falconetti — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:27:54 -0800

I read Peter Ackroyd's London: The Biography awhile back and loved the loose-limbed, ambulatory, anecdote-heavy style of it. Is there a "biography" of New York City that shares some of those characteristics? If not, what is the most fascinating book that covers the full history of New York City (rather than specific time periods or subregions)? To be a little clearer, I am looking for a book that is rich is anecdotes, or little known facts, or historical curiosities, etc., a book that sprawls all over NYC in both time and place.

A relocation drama - leaving London for NY

heartofglass — Sat, 19 May 2007 05:01:12 -0800

Most of the questions I've read so far were made by people moving from NY to London, but I am considering the opposite, so I'd like to ask for some opinions to help me make a decision. I am a Brazilian-Italian girl, 26 and have been living in London for the past five years. During my time in London, I have made a number of friends here, travelled loads to other parts of Europe and have had a really good time. However, in 2005, the end of my four-year relationship and the impression that I had already finished 'doing the London thing' made me start considering a relocation.

The company I work for has offices worldwide and one fine day, I have spotted a vacancy in NY in the internal list. It is something which marries two of my skills nicely and it would be a massive career challenge at the same time. I applied, submitted a test, had a coffee with my prospective NY employer in London, which was then followed by a phone call yesterday: I got the job.

I introduced myself to my London counterpart a couple of weeks ago, in order to find out more about the routine, if she was enjoying the job and other details of the position, since she does exactly the same job I've just been offered. She said that the 'boss' doesn't have that much managerial experience and that's where the worrying bit begins.

Because he doesn't have experience as a manager, some parts of the interviewing process have been somewhat skipped and I do realise this may have been my fault because I didn't ask these questions myself. Well, I really thought I'd have another stage in the interviewing process where I would be able to talk through these things. The first: they are offering a $45k/year salary, this is pretty much what I'm getting in sterling at the moment. I would expect a payrise as I am bringing a lot of experience to the table and because I have been working with that company for over a year now.

There is a relocation package involved, where they would pay for the flight, accommodation for the first month, shipping of my belongings etc, but from what I've been researching, I fear I wouldn't be able to maintain a decent living with that kind of money. What do you guys think?

To buy myself some time, I have asked for the formal job offer and am thinking through the options during the weekend. I am not sure of how I should approach my future manager to negotiate my salary as I never had to do such a thing. How do I go about this?

At the company where I work, they encourage people to tell their line managers they are applying for another job at the second interview stage, but I wasn't quite sure of when that happened, so I found myself in a situation where I had to run and tell my manager before the NY guy told her directly he'd offered the job. She is an American herself, and did sympathise with the fact it was a big decision and that I was in need of a new challenge. She gave me lots of tips and offered to help if need be and said that I wouldn't need to fear losing my current job if I decided to not to go.

I am up for the challenge, but moving is pretty damn scary. I would be leaving my friends and my closest buddies have already said things along the lines of "what would I do without you", which makes me feel like I won't be able to build such friendships anymore. Which I know is not that dramatic, but still... I have been going out with a lovely guy who wouldn't be able to join me there until next February, although he fully supports me on my decision to go.

At the moment, I am not sure if I kind of settled here and am scared am not able to move anywhere, not even back to Brazil or to Italy. Scared of now being able to make friends, although I'm super sociable and extroverted, scared of not being able to find an affordable place to live! Perhaps this is just paranoia and I just need a kick in the bum? : )

I will probably have to face the big decision again on Monday or Tuesday, so any suggestions or comments on this situation would be much appreciated! Thank you

How do we transplant a musical from New York to London?

godawful — Thu, 24 Aug 2006 10:41:12 -0800

Theatrical types: could you supply advice on transplanting a small musical from New York to London? Any perspective welcome, particularly suggested theatres and people who "run the scene." (I'm asking this for a friend, but it's something I personally will do all I can to see happen.)

The musical had good write-ups (including an NYT mention) and audiences in New York. It's quite political, and borders on rock opera.

How would they repeat this success in London?

Where should they consider staging it? Do you know any cool theatres that are receptive to left-field material?

What websites/organizations/companies dominate the scene?

Is there anyone in particular who would be interested in promoting etc?

Rest assured every bit of help is hugely appreciated.

Restaurant Smackdown

_sirmissalot_ — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 09:43:28 -0800

For recent travellers, is the U.S. still a bargain? Specifically, how would you compare the price of eating out in a similarly semi-fancy restaurant in 1) San Francisco, 2) Seattle, 3) London, 4) Paris, 5) New York. Let's peg the baseline cost at about $50/person in San Francisco, excluding wine. I'm trying to anticipate what a visitor would think of restaurant prices in Seattle. Please feel free to take into consideration the typical eating out expectations of a Londonite or Parisian as compared to a metro-foodie American.

(The Seattle/San Francisco comparison is somewhat for my own information, as I'm a recent transplant and interested in the comparative cost of going out in both cities. My basic impression is that you have to pay more for comparable food in Seattle--an unfortunate dearth of bargains around here for mid- to upper-level restaurants. I would guess New York is probably the best place for finding wonderful food in cheap places.)

Where to find London air pollution reports

Mossy — Sat, 04 Dec 2004 17:06:01 -0800

Does anyone know where one can access reports on air pollution in London as compared to Boston, Paris, NY etc?