Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Is nice buildings that important to people? "I and not staying in this fairly safe, clean, nice city the architecture is a bit bland for me, hows the architecture in Ciudad Juarez? Might move there!"
Oh, come on. I've been to London many times and if you really want to see how the WW2 bombing changed a city, then go to Berlin and other German cities. This is hardly noticable in London. One could say London has much more architectural diversity...
And Paris is just as big, if not bigger, than London.
Yes, Paris got lucky and all the ****ty ghettos aren't inside the beltway, but nevertheless, they still do exist. Plenty of them.
Again, absolutely no comparison to German cities. London looks just fine to me. More than enough "old building". Seriously. Don't even remember seeing anything pre-WW2... besides some spots here and there.
What do you mean by that? "Tasteful style"? They simply built new buildings. I don't think there was/is a "style. They built just regular buildings. Might want to elaborate on that.
I think I mentioned the ghettos in my post and pointed out this was a major drawback to the suburbs of Paris.
I too have visited London quite a few times. Considering I live only under 2 hours from it.
I also lived in Germany for almost 5 years so yes I know a few things about how truly bombed a city could be.
London to me looks "bitty" ,messy and incoherent architecturally. I think in fact I bolded to me Ie : I realise this is a personal opinion might disagree with.
I like Historic cities and I like Historic buildings. Some modern archtiecture has merits, most of it to me is just thrown together and has no sense of sympathy for its surroundings. Which is why I tend to prefer historic cities like Edinburgh, Paris, Tallinn,Florence, Bath , Oxford, etc...
London has its advantages but to me compared to Paris it simply does not measure up. Once again to me
When it comes to nuts and bolts, that's the edge that London has over Paris: London offers more career opportunities, especially in international finance, in a more open jobs market.
Otherwise Paris edges out London, at least in my view, on almost ever other score, as Moosketeer describes.
Just for example, the Louvre beats the British Museum with a stick (though the British Library Museum, albeit tiny in comparison, has some breath-taking gems).
Shouldn't you be comparing London's National Gallery, National Potrait Gallery, Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Hayward, Saatch, Victoria and Albert Museum (Art and Design) etc with the Paris Louvre and not the British Museum.
The Louvre is a giant art gallery full of paintings, the British Museum is a giant museum full of artefacts from across the world. The Gallerys and Museums I mention above specialise in art and not the British Museum.
London has 22 national museums and more than 200 other museums (twice as many as Paris or New York).
In terms of the British Library, it is no longer part of the British Museum having a seperate modern building near St Pancras Station which houses some 14 million books and 150 million items (hardly tiny).
London is also home to the largest Theatre District in the World, Five World Class Symphony Orchestras, two opera/ballet houses (including the Royal Opera House and Royal Ballet) and some of the finest cultural and educational institutions in the entire world.
Green Spaces, City Squares and Beautiful Parks - one of the greenest and most beautiful cities imaginable. Which other city of London's size has parks where you can see herds of wild deer or has gardens as good as those at Kew. London is also home to the Royal Parks, as well as hundreds of green open spaces, municipal parks and of course beautiful city squares. If Paris is defined by it's magnificent boulevards, New York it's mighty skyline, then the defining feature of London is it's vast array of beautiful garden and public squares.
History and Architecture - from beautiful regency town houses, mews houses and victorian terraces through to historic buildings and monuments and from great public buildings through to the maginificent latest editions to the city such as the Shard. London is steeped in history with it's many wonders including the Tower of London, Palace of Westminster and Royal Palaces, whilst the many blue plaques which litter the city pay homage to it's amazing history and to the great and good the city has attrated over the centuries. In terms of history, London has a history that goes back to the Romans and even beyond and there are over 40,000 listed buildings.
Entertainment/Arts/Culture and Sports , Sporting venues (from the tennis at Wimbledon, Rugby at Twickenham, Cricket at Lords/Oval, Football at Wembley through to horse racing at Kempton Park or nearby Ascot/Epsom and the new Olympics site at Stratford) the Arts/Culture (including numerous world famous theatres, orchestras, ballet companies , opera companies, art galleries etc etc) , Education (some of the words best universities and libraries), some of the worlds best Museums, some of the worlds most famous and exclusive shopping streets and a world famous nightlife.
The Diversity of the city and the fact that areas range from inner city skyscraper financial districts through to the almost village like quality of parts of Hampstead and Richmond. The diversity also extends through to the mass of different cultures, foods and events on offer in this amazing global city.
Transport - the cities transport system is vast, the tube being one of the greatest transport systems in the world, whilst there is also an equally immense rail network, as well as an International Rail Station at St Pancras (one of London's many maginificent stations). London and Paris (also one of the greatest cities in the world) are only 212 miles (341km) apart and just over two hours away on a Eurostar train. There are also night buses (running all hours), river buses, the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), Trams and even a new cable car link across the Thames at Greenwich. London also boasts five international airports and has always been a major maritime port city.
Knowledge/Employment Hub - London is a knowledge and cultural hub, just look at the public library system with it's 17 million books and then you have another 14 million books at the British Library in London, on top of this there are massive academic libraries in London accounting for another 25 million books. London is also home to twice as many book shops as it's near rivals such as New York. In terms of Universities London has some if the best in the world such as Imperial, UCL, LSE, Kings College and the London Business School. In terms of Museums, London has twice as many as any of it's near rivals, and museums such as the British Museum, Natural History Museum, Science Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum are amongst the best in the world. In terms of medicine the new £650 million Francis Crick Institute is going to ensure London stays at the forefront of medical research and London is home to world famous hospitals and medical schools, many of which are amongst the oldest in the western world. London is also a financial hub and is home to some 500 Foreign Banks, is one of the global commodity markets main centres and is the headquarters of the global insurance market and a major global legal centre. London is also attracting new hi-tech companies and many major players in the Internet business such as Google now have European Headquarters in London. London has one of the strongest economies of any city in the world and is a very competitive city.
I don't dislike Paris, but lets noit be in any doubt London is a cultural, artistic, educational and business hub and one of the greatest Global Cities in the World.
Shouldn't you be comparing London's National Gallery, National Potrait Gallery, Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Hayward, Saatch, Victoria and Albert Museum (Art and Design) etc with the Paris Louvre and not the British Museum.
The Louvre is a giant art gallery full of paintings, the British Museum is a giant museum full of artefacts from across the world. The Gallerys and Museums I mention above specialise in art and not the British Museum.
London has 22 national museums and more than 200 other museums (twice as many as Paris or New York).
In terms of the British Library, it is no longer part of the British Museum having a seperate modern building near St Pancras Station which houses some 14 million books and 150 million items (hardly tiny).
London is also home to the largest Theatre District in the World, Five World Class Symphony Orchestras, two opera/ballet houses (including the Royal Opera House and Royal Ballet) and some of the finest cultural and educational institutions in the entire world.
Green Spaces, City Squares and Beautiful Parks - one of the greenest and most beautiful cities imaginable. Which other city of London's size has parks where you can see herds of wild deer or has gardens as good as those at Kew. London is also home to the Royal Parks, as well as hundreds of green open spaces, municipal parks and of course beautiful city squares. If Paris is defined by it's magnificent boulevards, New York it's mighty skyline, then the defining feature of London is it's vast array of beautiful garden and public squares.
History and Architecture - from beautiful regency town houses, mews houses and victorian terraces through to historic buildings and monuments and from great public buildings through to the maginificent latest editions to the city such as the Shard. London is steeped in history with it's many wonders including the Tower of London, Palace of Westminster and Royal Palaces, whilst the many blue plaques which litter the city pay homage to it's amazing history and to the great and good the city has attrated over the centuries. In terms of history, London has a history that goes back to the Romans and even beyond and there are over 40,000 listed buildings.
Entertainment/Arts/Culture and Sports , Sporting venues (from the tennis at Wimbledon, Rugby at Twickenham, Cricket at Lords/Oval, Football at Wembley through to horse racing at Kempton Park or nearby Ascot/Epsom and the new Olympics site at Stratford) the Arts/Culture (including numerous world famous theatres, orchestras, ballet companies , opera companies, art galleries etc etc) , Education (some of the words best universities and libraries), some of the worlds best Museums, some of the worlds most famous and exclusive shopping streets and a world famous nightlife.
The Diversity of the city and the fact that areas range from inner city skyscraper financial districts through to the almost village like quality of parts of Hampstead and Richmond. The diversity also extends through to the mass of different cultures, foods and events on offer in this amazing global city.
Transport - the cities transport system is vast, the tube being one of the greatest transport systems in the world, whilst there is also an equally immense rail network, as well as an International Rail Station at St Pancras (one of London's many maginificent stations). London and Paris (also one of the greatest cities in the world) are only 212 miles (341km) apart and just over two hours away on a Eurostar train. There are also night buses (running all hours), river buses, the Docklands Light Railway (DLR), Trams and even a new cable car link across the Thames at Greenwich. London also boasts five international airports and has always been a major maritime port city.
Knowledge/Employment Hub - London is a knowledge and cultural hub, just look at the public library system with it's 17 million books and then you have another 14 million books at the British Library in London, on top of this there are massive academic libraries in London accounting for another 25 million books. London is also home to twice as many book shops as it's near rivals such as New York. In terms of Universities London has some if the best in the world such as Imperial, UCL, LSE, Kings College and the London Business School. In terms of Museums, London has twice as many as any of it's near rivals, and museums such as the British Museum, Natural History Museum, Science Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum are amongst the best in the world. In terms of medicine the new £650 million Francis Crick Institute is going to ensure London stays at the forefront of medical research and London is home to world famous hospitals and medical schools, many of which are amongst the oldest in the western world. London is also a financial hub and is home to some 500 Foreign Banks, is one of the global commodity markets main centres and is the headquarters of the global insurance market and a major global legal centre. London is also attracting new hi-tech companies and many major players in the Internet business such as Google now have European Headquarters in London. London has one of the strongest economies of any city in the world and is a very competitive city.
Apparently you haven't been to the Louvre. I almost fell unconscious looking at just artefacts, and only artefacts, and from just a very few periods. I simply couldn't take it anymore, had to walk out (similar experience in Vatican Museum, but the Louvre like 40x that). In contrast, on an apples-to-apples comparable basis, I was disappointed with the British Museum.
Again, in my view, the Louvre beats the British Museum with a stick.
(Napoleon was a better thief than the British imperialist warlords of the day.)
Having said that, London is all of those things you mention, and much more. However, in my view, so is Paris and it edges out London on several scores. You know what "edges out" means, don't you? Like by a C-hair.
Now if talking about a career in international finance and global influence, definitely more than just an edge to London. On that score, by my measure, London even beats New York.
Apparently you haven't been to the Louvre. I almost fell unconscious looking at just artefacts, and only artefacts, and from just a very few periods. I simply couldn't take it anymore, had to walk out (similar experience in Vatican Museum, but the Louvre like 40x that). In contrast, on an apples-to-apples comparable basis, I was disappointed with the British Museum.
Again, in my view, the Louvre beats the British Museum with a stick.
( was a better thief than the British imperialist warlords of the day.)
Having said that, London is all of those things you mention, and much more. However, in my view, so is Paris and it edges out London on several scores. You know what "edges out" means, don't you? Like by a C-hair.
Now if talking about a career in international finance and global influence, definitely more than just an edge to London. On that score, by my measure, London even beats New York.
Good Luck!
I am sorry but when it comes to historic artefacts the British Museum leaves the Louvre standing, may be in terms of art the Louvre has the better collection, but the British Museum isn't an art orientated museum like the V&A.
I also doubt Napoleon discovered anything anywhere near to the British who had an Empire which covered over 1/3rd of the world and which at the time had over one billion people (over two billion today) which makes it the largest Empire in the history of Mankind.
Have you really been to the British Museum which is currently undergoing a mssive extension, the Natural History Museum in London (which recently had a massive extension) or V&A and Science Museum which are currently about to undergo massive extensions along with the Tate Modern and Imperial War Museum. Whilst the Museum of London has just undergone a massive redevelopent and the design museum is about to open a fresh at the old commonwealth building in Kensington.
Today, the British Museum has grown to become one of the largest museums in the world, covering an area of over 92,000 m2 (990,000 sq. ft). In addition to 21,600 m2 (232,000 sq. ft) of on-site storage space, and 9,400 m2 (101,000 sq. ft) of external storage space. There are nearly one hundred galleries open to the public, representing 2 miles (3.2 km) of exhibition space. The new British Museum extension will be 17000 sq metres taking the total to 109,000 sq. metres (1,173, 266 square feet)
I've been living in London since September. Something strange has happened to me. First, let me say that I LOVE the beach. All of my favorite cities were in sub tropical, or tropical locations, and I thought I'd die without seeing the sun for more than a few days. Well what do you know, I ADORE London... and the rain in London was definitely over-hyped! It absolutely is the greatest city i've ever been to, let alone lived in. The diversity is unreal. You have people from all over Europe and the World coming to London to work, study, travel, practice English. The access to the rest of Europe (great for a traveler like myself) could not be any better through Ryanair, Easyjet, Eurostar, Coach bus services. The size alone of London should show its diversity. You can have a nice mellow walk down South Bank and be in Camden partying like a mad man 45 minutes later. London is filled with parks, big parks, small parks, parks on the river, you name it. I F@£$ING love London, and I'll be extremely sad when I have to leave.
For the record, I have been to Paris, and it was great to see, but not one of my favorite European Cities.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
