TORYSAYS

London ‘ness’

Like me, you may have spotted that this month is the ten-year anniversary of The London Eye. No huge scoop there. However, like most bits of banal information it got me thinking…. how come I’ve never been?…..

And as reluctant as I am to admit it, there’s a shit load of places in London that I’ve never been: The Saatchi gallery, the Tate Britain and the Almeida. I rarely visit the BFI and the V&A, and even more scarcely visit the Barbican. The last West End production I saw was King Lear, and my Mum paid, because I was at junior school. Seriously……

I AM cultured, I am. I studied Design at Saint Martins, I appreciate art, films, photography and, well, all sorts of culture’y’ stuff. So how come when dissecting my (what now appears extremely boorish) life, do I feel like such a douche? I mean, when I visit another City I undertake exhortative research. Spend hours squirreling out hidden gems, galleries, theaters, exhibitions, try and EXPLORE… But I don’t do that here!

I live in London’s sullied underbelly with the rest of the uber trendy (well we think we are anyway) and I’m surrounded on all sides by nice bars, good pubs, galleries, green parks, etc. And I DO use them. However (and it’s a big however) I still feel iniquitous that I’m not doing enough… not using enough. My initial reaction is that perhaps I don’t love London as much as I profess; I mean my obvious ‘uninterestedness’ would confirm that. But I do, I totally do. The issue here (for me) is that I’m too comfortable in, and perfectly content with my little nook; the dot that contains the things I require.

Perfect example; a few weeks ago a friend of mine, who likes to frequent West London, took me there for the day. Sounds ridiculous, but it was like visiting Brighton or the Country or somewhere equally as far removed. We did nothing special or undiscovered. Looked at a few interesting buildings, joined the fray at abbey road, scribbled on the wall, and walked on the crossing. Super touristy, super clichéd, but I loved it, was all over it. And with retrospective analysis it seems retardidly obvious that it’s that simple.

Invest the effort to visit those insanely obvious places that make London London. Appreciate the privileged position of living here, because its really nice and brilliant and refreshing to be surprised by the one place you (think) you already know, LONDON.