# Moving from NYC to London



## _shawnana (Jun 20, 2011)

Really glad I stumbled upon this forum as it's been super helpful so far leafing through the various posts! I'm moving from NYC to London through work in mid-July and hoping to get some tips on areas to live in...

I'm looking for an area similar to the one I live in NYC (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)... Basically looking for a safe hip/trendy area that has a good nightlife, lots of cafes/restaurants, and where other mid-20s - 30s professionals and creative types live. 

My office is located in Victoria, and my budget for rent is about GBP 1,400 per month. 

Some areas I've found doing research are Clapham, Fulham/Putney, Islington/Angel, and Shoreditch/Hoxton. I'm leaning towards Clapham because it seems the closest to work and Central London.... Also, since there are 3 stations servicing Clapham, I was wondering which one is the best to live by? And can anyone tell me about the Stockwell area?

If anyone lives in those areas and can give me more insight into the neighborhoods, or can suggest other areas I should check out based on what I'm looking for, I'd really appreciate it! 

Many thanks,
Shawna


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## Lauren_999 (Jan 18, 2011)

Hi shawna,

I'm not sure how much help i'll be since i'm going on what my husband tells me about the neighborhoods and the brief time i've spent there so far. I will be moving there in July.

East London is well known as the hipster area, particularly if you're looking for something that rivals Williamsburg in the culture it attracts. We took a stroll through the area while I visited and there were tons of open markets, shops, pubs and restaurants full of 20-30 somethings and sporting looks that I would certainly define as that culture. 

My husband lived in Clapham for about three years and really enjoyed it. It's a little expensive if you're on your own (he had two roommates while there), but he loved the access to Clapham station and the river. I stayed with him for some time while he lived in Clapham and it was clean and safe, with lovely housing all around.

Another route you can try is Yelp's London site. London Restaurants, Dentists, Pubs, Beauty Salons, Doctors

If you scroll down from the London home page, you can search reviews by area (Covent Garden, Notting Hill, etc). You can also search Yelpers' Lists for lists of their favorite spots in one area. (I just did a search for "East London" in lists and came up with tons of results, in fact one was called "East London Reminds me of LES and Williamsburg" hahaha. Score! East London reminds me of LES and Williamsburg NYC - London)

Another bonus is that Yelp is a really great way to meet people with similar interests. 

Good luck!
-Lauren


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## Lenna (Jun 20, 2011)

Hello! Can I suggest Camden? It has exciting nightlife (it is certainly the "fun" place in London), lots of pubs and street markets and it is very multi-cultural. 1400 should be more than enough for a flat there. I currently live in Islington-Angel, it is also a nice area. If you decide to live in Angel, make sure you live around the Angel tube station and Upper Street, as there are lots of shops and restaurants there and the links to the city centre are excellent. I have a friend who used to live in Clapham, and, although it was a nice area, she was saying she was finding it difficult to commute, especially in the night. On the other hand, Clapham is closer to your work place, so it's a tough decision. Well, good luck and I hope you will enjoy London, it's a great city!


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## eduboys (May 24, 2010)

I'd say out of the areas you had listed, my opinion of the most comparable to Williamsburg would be near Shoreditch / Brick Lane / Old Street. I moved out from Park Slope about a year ago, and just went out there for brunch the other day, and it reminded me the most of Williamsburg in terms of the crowd, and the types of stuff in the area. Also think alot of the old warehouses in the area had been converted to artist type lofts roughly 20 years ago or so, which follows a similar pattern of gentrification to Williamsburg. If you lived near Old St. (Northern Line) commute would be about 20 minutes to Victoria.

Can definitely recommend the "Breakfast Club" for brunch (surprisingly difficult to find brunch places in London).

Clapham is a bit more commercialized, but definitely a nice area and good value for your money when renting. 

Good luck with the search.


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