Where to live in London

[Uncle Buck]

So I'm moving to London from Canada in the fall and will be going to University right in middle of zone 1. I'm looking for a place to live and I have no damn clue about which neighbourhoods would be good and which ones to avoid. The place I'm looking for is hip and cheap, hopefully undervalued and grimy with some bars and restaurants and galleries and interesting shit. Like Williamsburg was 6 years ago. I am not afraid of the occasional crackhead and/or pile of fetid garbage.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can point me in the right direction.

[Uncle Buck]

fuck there's already a thread on this and thus my rep sinks further.

[Jezebel]

I trust that there will a rebuttal to this one:

however may I suggest brixton or clapham north-ish. its not far from where you need to go, its on the victoria line which is fast and there are loads to see and do. plus that area forces one to go out and see what's happening.

no where is 100% safe, but some places are safer than they appear, as long as you know what's going on around you.

things to buy:

london a-z the road guide is incredible

a crap bike and a great bike lock. the shit will get stolen if its too flash. the bike is the best way to see london, learn your way around, and inhale some crazy fumes. so quit smoking now!

smoking ban is in affect! no smoking in the UK anywhere now

go to won kei's in china town at wardour st, its known for its distinct lack of customer service!

some of the best indian, thai, vietnamese food ever!!!!!

oh and buy an umbrella! its the worst summer in most people's memory, lots of rain and clouds!

[cosmicflop]

Renting or buying anywhere in travel zones 1 and 2 will be costly. It's dependent upon your budget, but try east and also south east London as they're more affordable. Public transport links are generally quite good.

[Uncle Buck]

This is great e'ybody thanks for the advice. I am feeling more assured about this move already.

It is definitely looking like South or East for me. When I touch down in September I have some place to focus my search which is key.

But hey if I lived in Brixton, the next time somebody crushed and/or bruised me they would have something to answer to... an intriguing possibility...

[Cue]

i would suggest peckham - the cinema is 2.99 in the day, 3.99 in the evening. opposite macdonalds - enjoy!!!

[oweng23]

You might also want to look at Hackney and Bethnal Green, they are both up and coming areas and you can find some nice places for quite cheap. If you want to go a bit further out you can look around docklands.

It all depends how much you have to spend on rent and how long you are prepared to travel to uni every day.