Some thoughts on London
It is a rich city and it feels like it. It is not uncommon to see Ferraris, Rolls Royces and G-Wagons when casually driving down the street. Middle income neighbourhoods are littered with Porsches, Teslas and Mercedes Benz(es?). An Algerian Uber driver I spoke to told me cars are not that expensive there as compared to those in other parts of the world. There is also a general feeling of “the person you’re standing next to might be very important”. This is partly a function of it being all of the following: touristy, finance hub, tech hub, government administration centre, etc. Or maybe this is just a big city thing and I was out of the loop.
London is insanely expensive. I don’t drink coffee but I saw my sister routinely buy a cup of it from corner shop cafes for like £6-£10; which I found ridiculous for a medium sized drink you can finish in 15 mins. Ubers cost an arm and a leg, even for short distances.
I learnt the hard way that Airbnbs can be very unreliable; and that I should always be weary of dual-party marketplaces. This is especially true for people shopping for mid-range rentals. The experience is always different, but prepare for the worst because (sh)it (sometimes) happens.
