# .... Fancy a bit of people watching in London a few days ago?



## hollydolly (Oct 25, 2021)

This is an ordinary day in London, around 5.45pm as it's just starting to get dark 3 days ago.. (friday)


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## Shero (Oct 26, 2021)

Brings back a few memories of my time in London!


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## Shero (Oct 26, 2021)

One of my favorite places to people watch.


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## hollydolly (Oct 26, 2021)

Shero said:


> One of my favorite places to people watch.


yep been there..not one of my fave places tbh, although I'll happily people watch anywhere and usually  do... I'm hoping to get back to Spain this coming year.. and that's my very favourite place of everywhere in Europe I've been, for people watching...


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## Packerjohn (Oct 26, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> This is an ordinary day in London, around 5.45pm as it's just starting to get dark 3 days ago.. (friday)


Man!  It's too much for me.  I get a head ache just watching this video.  It must be my age.  Don't really like the fast city life nor the fast pace of those urbanites.  Guess I'll die a country boy!  Funny thing is that the vast majority of people on this planet live in these huge "monster" cities.  eg:  Mexico City, LA, New York, Paris, London, Moscow and Shanghai; just to name a few.

I live in Canada, 2nd largest country in the world with a population of 38 million. 
Mexico City has a population of 22 million; over 1/2 of Canada's population.
This is why "monster" cities scare me.  The song I like to sing most days is this:

Don't Fence Me In​
Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies above
Don't fence me in
Let me ride through the wide open country that I love
Don't fence me in

Let me be by myself in the evenin' breeze
And listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees
Send me off forever, but I ask you please
Don't fence me in

Just turn me loose
Let me straddle my old saddle
Underneath the Western skies

On my Cayuse
Let me wander over yonder
Till I see the mountains rise

I want to ride to the ridge where the West commences
And gaze at the moon till I lose my senses
And I can't look at hobbles and I can't stand fences
Don't fence me in

Oh, give me land, lots of land under starry skies above
Don't fence me in
Let me ride through the wide country that I love
Don't fence me in

Let me be by myself in the evenin' breeze
And listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees
Send me off forever but I ask you please
Don't fence me in!

Just turn me loose
Let me straddle my old saddle
Underneath the Western skies
Doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo

On my Cayuse
Let me wander over yonder
Till I see the mountains rise
Ba, ba, ba, ba, ba

I want to ride to the ridge where the West commences
And gaze at the moon 'til I lose my senses
I can't look at hobbles and I can't stand fences
Don't fence me in


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## hollydolly (Oct 26, 2021)

Packerjohn said:


> Man!  It's too much for me.  I get a head ache just watching this video.  It must be my age.  Don't really like the fast city life nor the fast pace of those urbanites.  Guess I'll die a country boy!  Funny thing is that the vast majority of people on this planet live in these huge "monster" cities.  eg:  Mexico City, LA, New York, Paris, London, Moscow and Shanghai; just to name a few.
> 
> I live in Canada, 2nd largest country in the world with a population of 38 million.
> Mexico City has a population of 22 million; over 1/2 of Canada's population.
> ...


..and the UK can fit into Canada 40 times, and we have a population of almost 70 million and that's only the ones who are on the census..
We are soo overcrowded in the cities and urban areas, they literally build apartments in the back yard of stores,  etc.. I kid you not... but yet we have vast ( comparatively) areas of Green open land .. and farmland for a tiny country.. which has not been urbanised .. especially in Scotland, Wales and Ireland..  ( thank Goodness, but for how long)?

I grew up in the city and loved it, but I would never live there again, too much crime , too many people..London has 9 million people living in it's just 380 square miles... 

I live in the countryside on the edge of a small town  just 20 miles from the centre of London with a population of  26,000.. surrounded by woodland and farmland.
 Until very recently it felt like a hundred miles away but the developers have crept up on us since we've had so many Immigrants from the Eastern Bloc countries  come to live here in the UK  in the last handful of years and we don't have the infrastructure for them nor the housing, so our green space is being eroded  quickly for the sake of new developments.....yet no-one is building new schools or new surgeries and training thousands more much needed doctors

..and there I must stop before this becomes political...

Anyway..the Video was really for all people watchers like me to enjoy...at their leisure..


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## Tish (Oct 26, 2021)

That video is so cool. 
Thank you @hollydolly for the virtual tour.


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## hollydolly (Oct 26, 2021)

Tish said:


> That video is so cool.
> Thank you @hollydolly for the virtual tour.


you're welcome Tish, pleased you enjoyed it...


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## horseless carriage (Oct 26, 2021)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petticoat_Lane_Market




For an eclectic mix of London you should visit one of the street markets. Petticoat Lane, held on a Sunday, is just such a mix.


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## hollydolly (Oct 26, 2021)

Noooo...that's a horrible sad reflection on what was once a fantastic bustling London market....


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## Lewkat (Oct 26, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> ..and the UK can fit into Canada 40 times, and we have a population of almost 70 million and that's only the ones who are on the census..
> We are soo overcrowded in the cities and urban areas, they literally build apartments in the back yard of stores,  etc.. I kid you not... but yet we have vast ( comparatively) areas of Green open land .. and farmland for a tiny country.. which has not been urbanised .. especially in Scotland, Wales and Ireland..  ( thank Goodness, but for how long)?
> 
> I grew up in the city and loved it, but I would never live there again, too much crime , too many people..London has 9 million people living in it's just 380 square miles...
> ...


2 things stood out for me.  Not too many masks and the traffic light stayed red for an awfully long time and the green was very short time.  Loved it, Holly.   Haven't been there in 50yrs. but still a busy place.


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## hollydolly (Oct 26, 2021)

Lewkat said:


> 2 things stood out for me.  Not too many masks and the traffic light stayed red for an awfully long time and the green was very short time.  Loved it, Holly.   Haven't been there in 50yrs. but still a busy place.


Pleased you enjoyed it Lois...  there's many videos out there  of course but because this one is just this past weekend I thought it would be of interest to some. You'll notice that the vast majority of the people on a Friday evening in London's West End , and particularly in Soho/Chinatown are young folks.. just the occasional older couple as it got dark, and they usually tend to be tourists... or people having an overnight stay in the city from the suburbs ...


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## Packerjohn (Oct 27, 2021)

My wife came from Cornwall so I have been in the UK many times.  The last time I was in London (trying to catch the train for Penzance, Cornwall) I  noticed so many coloured immigrants I had to joke with my wife: "Where are the British?  Ya, ya, ya!  I know they all are British.  Joining the EU sure changed the UK but I'll leave it at that!


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## Don M. (Oct 27, 2021)

Back in the early 1960's, when I was stationed in Germany with the US Air Force, I took a ferry across the channel, with my 1955 Buick, and drove around Great Britain for several days.  What a hoot!  I had to be very careful to stay on the "left" side of the roadways, and probably scared the daylights out of some of the locals, with that big US car.  The tourist sights were great, the people were friendly, and I had a real good time.


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## Been There (Oct 29, 2021)

London is a real fun city. Brits know how to have fun and party without someone being killed.


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## Bretrick (Oct 30, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> This is an ordinary day in London, around 5.45pm as it's just starting to get dark 3 days ago.. (friday)


Thank you for this. I love watching people going about their day to day activities.
London is so much more busier than Perth. That time here, the city is mostly shut up and empty.
Are all London buses double Decker buses?
Christmas Lights have been installed there now. (Road sign announcement)


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## hollydolly (Oct 30, 2021)

Bretrick said:


> Thank you for this. I love watching people going about their day to day activities.
> London is so much more busier than Perth. That time here, the city is mostly shut up and empty.
> Are all London buses double Decker buses?
> Christmas Lights have been installed there now. (Road sign announcement)


You're welcome.

yes the Majority of London Buses are Red double deckers..... Last year was the quietest year ever at this time because of Covid and the lockdowns.. but here is the Video I posted Last Christmas of the London lights...


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## Bretrick (Oct 30, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> You're welcome.
> 
> yes the Majority of London Buses are Red double deckers..... Last year was the quietest year ever at this time because of Covid and the lockdowns.. but here is the Video I posted Last Christmas of the London lights...
> 
> https://www.seniorforums.com/threads/come-ride-with-me-to-see-londons-christmas-lights-2020.54935/


Thank you.
I am still watching this one.
Something I have noticed, have not seen one Taxi Cab, Policeman or Vagrant holding a sign asking for.....


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## hollydolly (Oct 30, 2021)

Bretrick said:


> Thank you.
> I am still watching this one.
> Something I have noticed, have not seen one Taxi Cab, Policeman or Vagrant holding a sign asking for.....


..asking for , what ?


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## Bretrick (Oct 30, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> ..asking for , what ?


Beggars, asking for money


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## hollydolly (Oct 30, 2021)

Bretrick said:


> Beggars, asking for money


oh they do, but they don't aproach us, they just sit in doorways or entrances to the tube.. with their cardboard requests...


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## Bretrick (Oct 30, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> This is an ordinary day in London, around 5.45pm as it's just starting to get dark 3 days ago.. (friday)


Silly me. When I said I never saw a Taxi Cab I was looking for the Black Hackney Cabs, Do they still Exist?


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## Bretrick (Oct 30, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> This is an ordinary day in London, around 5.45pm as it's just starting to get dark 3 days ago.. (friday)


London is so busy. Perth is a small country town by comparison


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## hollydolly (Oct 30, 2021)

Well they do say London is the Capital of the world... despite it's size...
https://www.businessinsider.com/sorry-new-york-london-is-the-world-capital-city-2014-10?r=US&IR=T


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## hollydolly (Oct 30, 2021)

Bretrick said:


> Silly me. When I said I never saw a Taxi Cab I was looking for the Black Hackney Cabs, Do they still Exist?


of course..I'm sure there was some in the videos...they're everywhere , in fact most roads in central London prohibit cars and only allow Hackney Cabs, and Buses, bear in mind that not all Hackney cabs are Black, they are a myriad of colours and advertising


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## hollydolly (Oct 30, 2021)

Here you are , last Thursday night,

Cabs galore...


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## Bretrick (Oct 30, 2021)

hollydolly said:


> of course..I'm sure there was some in the videos...they're everwyhere , in fact most roads in central London prohibit cars and only allow Hackney Cabs, and Buses


Yes, I saw them, though most of them look to have been liveried up? Not many Plain black ones.


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## RobinWren (Dec 4, 2021)

I found it strange to see the pavement? in the middle of Oxford Street but what a good idea to ensure one can cross the road safely. Petticoat Lane, not quite as I remember it. I loved London when I lived there but then again I was young. I would love to visit once more and take in the museums and art galleries, it might happen , but if it doesn't I have my memories.


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## dseag2 (Dec 4, 2021)

I've been to London quite a few times.  What a great city!  We've gotten last minute, discounted tickets to West End shows, ridden the London Eye, taken the open top bus, ridden in Black Cabs and had fish & chips at authentic British pubs.  Not to mention visiting all the landmarks.  Every time we go, there is more to see.  I would visit again in a heartbeat!


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## Autumn72 (Apr 17, 2022)

hollydolly said:


> This is an ordinary day in London, around 5.45pm as it's just starting to get dark 3 days ago.. (friday)


Holly 
That is the most wonderful thing you have done 
To give us h ere in the USA a chance to see how others live.
Wish you'd do more thank you from my mrvl of the woods.


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## horseless carriage (May 3, 2022)

From Thursday 2nd June to Sunday 5th, The UK will celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. We are quite good at pomp and pageantry. 
This link will give you a taster of what to expect. 
You will come across the term, bank holiday, it simply means a public holiday. In 1871, the Bank Holiday Bill was first drafted. When it became law, it created the first official holidays. Initially, it was just banks and financial buildings that would close, which is where the name comes from. But as time went on, businesses, shops, schools and the government all joined in. So we are all getting an extra two days holiday this year.


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