Find somewhere to live in London.
This thing was the one I had the most preoccupations about. But with a population that increases by roughly 1000 people each day, lots seem to do it.
So what do I want:
- A decent enough room – I’m not fussy but something to sleep in would be great.
- Location with proximity to my work – I want to cycle there every day.
- Cool people to be with.
- A funky neighbourhood.
Nothing too unique about what I am asking for there. Naturally, with a work base of Canary Wharf and a post-Olympic environment, I have been lead to consider the East side of town.
Names like Shadwell and Limehouse had suddenly become inviting arenas for me to explore. Meeting all the other new starters in my work who have similarly just moved to London has found me exploring even areas much, much closer to Canary Wharf itself.
But then, all my calculations stopped. The voice of my brother Richard gave me the news that as his Kiwi flatmate Kim was moving back, there was a 3 month vacancy in his place.
I’ve visited the property many a time before, it even rescued me from the streets when I got back mega late from Morocco those 3 weeks ago. Nonetheless, I read the info on the Gumtree page anyways. Most lucrative it sounds ay.
The thing that everyone is going to be drawn to by this advert is the roof terrace, which is no doubt awesome. And seeing as this was just a summer contract, I was immediately drawn to the prospect. Imagine the cocktails and bbqs that are needed to be enjoyed up there.
Those with good observational skills and a rough geography of London will notice that Rich’s flat is not exactly close to Canary Wharf – one of my key criteria. About 9.6 miles to be accurate. Now to me this is actually rather tempting, if I can spend 2 hours cycling each day, imagine how fit I will get?
Plus, if I’m feeling lazy, or get a puncture, I can rock up to the London Overground and get a 35 minute journey to my office. Alternatively, I can make it back to my parents’ house in about 20 mins. Accessibility does serve as an attraction when your local train station happens to be the busiest in the UK.
I found myself getting more and more drawn towards the prospect. And then I thought, hmmmm… With roughly 2-3 weeks left of 61things, I could settle for a nice house, with real nice people for a nice period of time without getting too committed to anything. Alternatively, I could organise endless interviews in areas I don’t really know potentially ending up living with nasty people in a damp house in a scummy area.
Without many more thought processes than those listed above I jumped at this entry pack into living in London. As of 5 May (5 days after the 61things project comes to an end, the red door of the property photographed above will be my front door).
And, this does have zero bearing on the fact that the legendary Ben & Jerry’s Festival will hopefully be happening within rolling distance of the property…
