What a busy week we’ve had…our poor feet have taken us all about London to explore its many boroughs and (drumroll please), we’ve finally selected our favorite.As with any house hunt, you must first decide what’s most important to make you feel at home and have the lifestyle you desire. As many who know and love us would guess, we started with a matrix. Our priorities included:
- 5-10 minute walk to the nearest tube stop
- easy commute. G will work in Chiswick and K will go to school in the City
- lots of pubs, markets and restaurants within easy walking distance–village feel
- safety/piece of mind
- washer/dryer
- enough room for a desk and bookcase
- close-in to the city, but the feel of a neighborhood rather than a city
- we’re on a budget–low cost is a priority
We focused our efforts on the NW & W end north of the Thames (we love the Docklands, but it’s not a reasonable choice due to the commute to Chiswick). Of course, you start with what you know. So our first apppointments took us to properties in Notting Hill, Kensington and Earl’s Court (the stop for our hotel this New Years). And we continued from there to Maida Vale, Maryleborn, Bayswater, Edgware Road, Baker St., St. Johns Wood (we even looked at a couple places on Abbey Rd.), Fulham Broadway, Finchley Road, West Hampstead, Hampstead and Belsize Park. Gosh knows how many flats we’ve seen and we scored all based on our priorities and impressions. At some point, perhaps, we’ll post the results of our matrix, but for now I’ll leave you with the answer.
We will make Hampstead/Belsize Park our home.
This area is just Northwest of the city and home to small upscale shops, boutiques, restaurants and street cafes tucked in old-style brick storefronts with flats above–Maybe I’ll have tea with Jude. Law that is (hopefully G won’t mind). He also calls Hampstead home–as do countless other famous folks.
If living in London, which borough would you choose? Learn more about London’s boroughs…
Learn more about Hampstead/Belsize Park. I’ll post more details once we sign for a flat…
See photos from Hampstead Village, Belsize and Hampstead Heath (the neighborhood park that overlooks the city).
