Yes, I know what you mean. You can’t be lonely in a busy city, yeah?

@jfos yeah.. you have a point, i guess that is a big part of it. seeing everyone else going about their daily lives.

It is good. I personally just like observing society as a whole: seeing people in commerce, seeing people sitting down talking, seeing people having fun or walking their pets. I feel such a sense of humility and belongingness (lol) being amongst my fellow humans.

That is awesome fun! I have done that so many times. My city, like many others, has a historic part to it that I LOVE to visit on foot. I love the structures of the old buildings, and enjoy imagining waht it must have been like back then. I find a certain serenity in it, to tell the truth. Sometimes I enjoy sharing it with my young daughters, but when it’s just me, well…..those times are special.

It’s also sensory overload, which can sometimes be enjoyable. The sound of people and cars and buses and birds, the smell of exhaust and vendors’ food and restaurants, seeing the hustle and bustle and each person fulfilling his/her agenda, the feeling of the wind from passersby, maybe bumping your arm.

I’m right with you there….. although I think it does help being in London, in your case. I always find being there uplifting. You can almost feel the vibrancy & the history of the place. Plus I love looking at all the old buildings & imagining odd things occurring, like trapdoors to other worlds, or creatures living in basements etc. I always get ideas for stories in London….. It’s not quite so inspiring when all that’s outside is Northampton mind you.

I think it’s great! I have been known to take solo trips just because it is such a relaxing thing to do :))

@lucillelucillelucille Yeah I bet you take relaxing solo trips.

@Blackberry ‘belongingness’ i think you’ve coined a new term there! ahah but yes that is exactly how it makes me feel, stops me getting so wrapped up in my own little problems, it reminds me there are a million and one other opportunities out there for me even if i have missed a few in my time.
@phillis ‘serenity’, that’s a good word for it. a very good word indeed…
:) thanks for your answers.

Holden Caulfield liked wandering around cities too, although I never did actually finish the Catcher in the Rye, but I’m guessing it had a happy ending. You should be fine :-)

@jfos yeah no i really enjoy the hustle and bustle, life continuing even though i am stood stock still somewhere in the world. its really something :)

@JeffVader I;m sure theres plenty to see in Northampton! I’ve never lived anywhere but london, or been anywhere too far outside london within britain (basically excl. trips to foreign countries, i mean i also love paris! but im pretty sure thats not in britain..lol)
i love your imagination! but thats another thing i do, make up infinite mad possibilities in my head for the goings on around me. adds a touch of magic to something that is probably really mundane.

@drClaw I loved that book! Yeah it does have a happy ending, dont worry! :) I always loved his character, so quirky really. I almost forgot that he did this too. thanks for your answer.

Downtown

@TheOnlyException Always good to know there are likeminded people about the place. Yeh, I’m a big fan of Paris too…. I dont think it quite matches Rome but both are amazing places. I think you’d love a trip to Edinburgh, seriously I’ve never been to city with so much character & magic…. honestly, it’s like being in a Tim Burton movie…. just without the Danny Elfman score.

@CyanoticWasp oh wow, i’ve never really paid attention to the lyrics of that song before. pretty much sums me up :) thanks!

I love to do it! At the same time i feel “belongness” i like very much to see all that people doing things without imagine that they are being observed and how that is so important to the society. We usually study, work or do many things just because we are used to do that. When we have time to think about what we and all that people are doing i feel good.

Sorry about the English. I’m Brasilian

I would at least go to Hyde Park and get on a soapbox.

@JeffVader well I’m looking at universities at the moment. Sounds like edinburgh’s really something! I just take London to be my ‘New York’ for all those people that yammer on about how New York is their dream or whatever..
I’ve never been to Rome, but my friend was there recently, said she got smacked in the bum by a roman soldier with his sword! (no she was not making an innuendo.) :-/

lol
Have you ever been to Manchester? I get mixed views when I ask people about it, some say its great but others say it is pretty grubby. I havent had a chance to visit there but I’ve always wanted to. I think I’m a little afraid that no other place will live up to where I am. Also that and Newcastle, if you or anyone can tell me absolutely anything would be great :) I love all these answers!

@malevolentbutticklish speaker’s corner! i have been many times but never had the guts to get on a soapbox…
i can bullshit so much but i know i would freeze in front of people.
maybe i’ll just take the chance..

I am a people watcher myself and even prefer to walk in the silence of my own company. I talk all day at work and fight to have that alone time as it helps me sort through all that goes on in my life.

I think it’s great!

I’m the same way, I can wander around in the woods or on my property all day and just in-joy my being.

People are so programmed to be ‘doing’ all the time, and it’s not about the doing in life, it’s about the ‘being.’

The more comfortable you are with just being, the more psychologically & spiritually healthy you are.

You’re on to something good, keep it up!

@Cruiser its nice to see someone else who is a ‘people watcher’ most people dont know what that is, and i dont like to label myself. they seem to put it on a plane with voyeurism when it really isnt! everyone does it, some people do it more than others and are aware they are doing it.

@Coloma you are absolutely right. it is NOT about the doing, it is about the being. i think i’ll write that one down somewhere… :)

thanks for your answers

@TheOnlyException Hah, those frisky Romans, any opportunity to get their swords out :) Hmmm, haven’t been to Manchester in a few years, so it might have changed. It is a city with an amazing vibe & energy, but sadly it is kinda grubby. I’ve heard Newcastle has improved no-end over recent years so wouldn’t want to say, they’ve spent millions on redevelopment.
I take it you’re looking for city, rather than campus based uni’s…

@jfos -I certainly do ;)

Odd no,therapeutic possibly,any harm in it,absolutely not.

@JeffVader oh no definitely! i dont want to feel like university is my whole world, i want it to just be somewhere i spend ‘x’ number of hours a day with my friends and then we get out into the real world and do real world things.
And what you’ve said about Manchester is pretty much what I’ve been told, i guess i have to visit it myself. I’ve looked stuff up online as much as i could, and the population difference between london and manchester astounds me.

800,000 or so in Manchester

7 MILLION in London. i guess i wouldnt notice.. but surely that has to make a difference!

Any other city recommendations? I dont want to sound like Im snubbing places based on their well known-ness (okay yes im making up words now), but when I tell someone where i live i dont want them to go “huh.. wheres that?”

(hence i love living in london.. apart from the few annoying people who ask me if i mean london, england or london, ontario. 0_o)

will probably go visit these places in the summer, make a shortlist, but i need it to really be that. a SHORT list, i only have a few weeks free 0_o

Sure, sometimes i like to go to the mall, or the park and sit and just people watch.It gets you out and its fun, yet your not really alone. So no its not odd.

attempts to ignore major sexual innuendo in @lucillelucillelucille ‘s comment

snigger

I don’t find it odd, but then I’m a loner-type. I’m not an urban person, too many people around bothers me, but I’ll do the same thing in the hills of Hew Hampshire. Either hiking in the hills or motorcycling on back country roads. It seems to help me keep my head on straight.

@TheOnlyException Hey watch your language.

@jfos slighty confused ??

@jfos oh i think i know what you mean
snig-ger
–verb (used without object)
1.
to laugh in a half-suppressed, indecorous or disrespectful manner.

:)

@TheOnlyException Well, I’m not entirely sure if these are the kinds of places your looking for, but Exeter is an amazing place to live. Its got a real continental feel to things & is so chilled out. Plus uve got the beaches & coutryside right there.
Norwich is quite a decent city now. Its had alot of redevelopment, got a real buzz thanks to the uni & while it is a campus uni, it’s right in the city centre…. loads of good shops.
Yorks a lovely city too…. but I suspect the pace wouldn’t be fast enough for you city chicks :)

@stranger_in_a_strange_land ah! now that is interesting. see i couldnt stand that, its the people i NEED. at most i will wander around regent’s park right after opening at 5am, but i need to know i can find the general public wandering a few streets away :)

I love to do this. I love the anonymity of wandering around a city. I like to people watch sometimes too :)

@JeffVader woah you’ve picked the cities I have been looking at! I was looking at Uni. Of East Anglia which is in Norwich, my friend was born there and her parents lived there for a while and they said it was lovely. I was afraid it might be kind of rural as everything looks so….green… in the brochure (not that im complaining! it might take my head a little while to adjust to the oxygen abundance!)
And exeter as well, thats in the south of england right? I always seem to connect it to Brighton and smoking weed under the pier.. good times 0_o
but two definitely real options for me! haha :)

you seem to really know your cities, wish i was remotely as well traveled 0_o
anything good in Bristol by any chance? shoots in the dark

I would love to wander around London with no purpose. :-)

I feel lucky that I am able to :) I guess I can never really appreciate it unless somehow i lose it. Thanks for your answer.

@TheOnlyException Heh, yeh, Bristol’s quite a laugh…. really good nightlife, but it can get a little rough at times. The place to be’s defffinately Cribbs Causeway. Ah, the UEA’s fantastic, seen loads of excellent bands in Norwich, to tell u a secret I’m origionally from the area, 2 brilliant venues the UEA itself & the Waterfront, & you cant get a better uni. Personally I love Exeter, & ur bang-on with the whole dope-smoking thing, they love their weed down there, many a blury summer went by listening to bands & chilling out by the river Exe… incidently if you visit you’ve got to got the The Mill on the Exe, increadable pub right on the river…. killer Nacho’s! & the people… just brilliant, really miss the place.
You always want what you dont have, I’d love to live in London for a while… only time I did was right out of Uni & I was in Harlesdon, a f**king nightmare!!!

@TheOnlyException Nice definition. I was only joking, so you know.

@JeffVader No I noticed U.E.A had its own concert venue! Truth be told, you shouldn’t put it past me to pick a Uni. based on whether or not it has a concert venue. Never heard of the Waterfront.. must check that out :)
Shame you had such a bad experience in London! Harlesden of all places.. lordy. Ironic how the last time i was there, the abundance of police was what put me on edge (some kids acting up at the train station 0_o~)
But definitely a no-go area, not difficult really as there isn’t anything of much interest there.
If you ever do find yourself here again I strongly suggest St Johns Wood, in the North of London the area immediately around the tube station itself. It is really something :)
But if it so happens you dont feel particularly obscenely wealthy that day (haha, yes North London is where the rich bastards reside) then East Dulwich and Forest Hill are equally wonderful.

Can I ask whats the ethnic diversity like up in Norwich? This is a really important factor for me. :)

@jfos don’t worry love, i know you were :) and i liked my definition too haha!

I love it, as well. Helps clear the mind and to get away from the bullshit.

@TheOnlyException Well…. I’ll be honest, Norwich isn’t naturally the most diverse of places. It’s a whole world better now than it used to be, sadly some of the older generation doent always see that as a good thing…. but at least they’re dying off. & the uni does bring in people from all over. If you go into the coutryside, or down to yarmouth you’ll see what Norwich was like 15yrs ago…. very, monochomatic.
Yeh, Harlesdon was a real eye opener. I was there when all those Yardie murders were happening about 10yrs back, I think the only place I dared go out after dark was the PizzaHut take-away round the corner. I was about 5mins from Wilsdon Green Tube. Haha, I suspect East Dulwich or Forest Green would be more my budget. I definately want to get a flat somewhere in London over the next 5yrs tho.

@JeffVader I suspect the ‘older generations’ exist all over the country, but you learn to ignore them I guess. I definitely dont want to go somewhere ‘monochromatic’ that would be a nightmare in itself! U.E.A was the most far out I was willing to go, still am, but as with all the other places, research, research, research!
I had a friend go to an open day at Edinburgh recently and she said it was all caucasians.. which worries me 0_o but she could be exaggerating.

Its a shame you didnt get to really get out and enjoy London at night, if you are a real wuss comme moi, then Covent Garden is the place to be anytime after 10pm. 100% chance to not get shot and/or stabbed. (maybe a little bit hit by cars, but thats entirely different now isnt it? haha)
East Dulwich is kind of hard on the old wallet, but if you were to get an apartment more towards the East Dulwich/Peckham border the prices drop DRAMATICALLY. (as dramatic as my capitalisation of that word) and you WILL hear bad things about Peckham, but I have never experienced anything more than light groping on the bus (but i dont think thats area specific haha..) and more and more shops and whatnot are cropping up everywhere it has never looked more beautiful. :)

only if you start mumbling to yourself heh heh

@Just_Justine LOL!

I love to be alone. I enjoy my own company. It clears the head, and helps me to relax. Sometimes (well most times) I have my lovely dogs with me. They don’t chatter all the time, enjoy the solitude and we all have a sense of freedom.

@TheOnlyException Hahaha, well, I suspect ur at greater danger of gropings, light or otherwise, than me. Personally, I seem to be the recipient of unwanted boobings when I go out…. surely they cant be so hard to control!
I do love the area round Covent Garden, always something going on, kinda feels more European than some areas. Not so keen on the tube station tho, I’m not great with confined spaces.
Hmmm, thinking about my last visit to Edinburgh (dec 08) the vast majority of diversity seemed to be from the far east (China or Japan at a guess)... is it still politically correct to use that phrase?
Yeh, my time in London could have been more fun, but I was there for the work so I spose I got what I wanted out of it…. that and some decent clothes & Cd’s.

London is one of the greatest cities on Earth.

@lucillelucillelucille Solo trips are awesome and certainly allow for doing things that would be near impossible with a spouse in tow!

@JeffVader no I suppose I am at more risk of it.. but you never know, the creepy loners of this world get weirder every second 0_o, and the majority are concentrated to london! mexican wave
Covent Garden does feel Europoean, reminds me of Geneva in Switzerland (where they have the whole Large Hadron Collider, blackhole stuff going on), you should definitely go there if you haven’t already. Kind of artsy fartsy environment, the architecture itself is a piece of work and very clean streets :)
I’m not good with confined spaces either, ever been on a tube when it has just randomly stopped mid-journey at the darkest part of the tunnel? Holy crap, haha just look around at everyone looking around at you trying to figure out whether or not they should panic!
That and this one dodgy lift in a Geneva youth hostel that creaked like hell and shut down completely, lights and all, when I was by myself in it. No one was supportive of my 20 second plight either once I got out, all i got in response was ‘Are you sure you didnt have your eyes closed?” haha bastards

Ah, everyone is too hung up on political correctness these days, in my opinion as long as you don’t mean any harm by the term, it’s fine.
Seeing what you said about Edinburgh my friend could have been mistaken, or it could have just been the particular area she was in. i’m not going to write it off though! :)

I do it all the time. I love wandering.

I don’t think that’s strange at all. Alone time in a crowded place is sometimes hard to find. It’s probably healthy for you.

ADVENTURE…...in LONDON…...you are seeing what is really goin on. Nothing strange there at all. Now if you are wandering around in the middle of nebraska, you might be strange. or a stalker.

nope. not odd at all. i do the same constantly. if i’m alone, i walk 4 blocks and i’m in downtown boulder and there are people everywhere singing and biking and being jolly, and i love it and it makes me happy :)

i do that all the time

I love walking through the city by myself. It can be busy with literally ALL kinds of people – others taking time away from work, the ones who talk to themselves as you walk by them, moms out with babies – there’s all kinds. Then just a few blocks into the neighborhoods, my city has hundreds of huge, old houses from the 1800’s in excellent condition and I absolutely love them. I always wonder about their history (lots of Civil War history here), who lived there, and what became of them. Since our weather has finally managed to stay snow-free, I’ve been walking for my lunch hour through these neighborhoods. Walking has always been a great stress reducer and it gives me a chance to clear my mind.

always… althought i wish i lived closer to downtown Chicago, I’m just 10 miles from it… so close yet so far

@TheOnlyException Isn’t that the truth….. there are a few wild specimens of humanity wandering around Northampton I can tell you. Altho London does seem to be a abit of a freak-magnet, no arguments there!
Ah, I’ve only been to Geneva once, when I was really small….. all I can really remember is the lake & fountain, that Coke tasted odd, & there were some really long tunnels. I must say if anyone in the world was going to mess about with blackhole stuff, I’m glad it’s the Swiss, I mean, when was the last time a Swiss watch funked out :)
I love those chocolate-box European towns / cities. There’s this one old castle / hotel in Austria I found that I’m going to one Christmas…. It’s right up in the mountains, & very Gothic architecture, like something out of a fairy-tale…. Anyway, enough of future plans.
That would be too much for me, I can just about string it together on the tube if it’s not too busy, but it takes a lot of concentration. If the damn thing stopped I’d just spaz right out…. Heh, there’s nothing quite like ur friends for bit of sympathy is there, the gits :)
I’d definitely recommend keeping Edinburgh in the mix, at least until you’ve had the chance to take a peek!

@JeffVader You talkin’ ‘bout me, or Alan Moore?

btw if you wonder about all the crazy people in Northampton, it’s because we have one of (if not the) biggest mental hospitals and care-in-the-community programmes in the country.

They all get free bus passes as well, so sometimes you get on the bus and feel weird because you’re not wearing ankle bashers and mumbling the Marseillaise to yesen…!

@The_Idler Dude…. you need to ask? :)

@JeffVader Ah Lake Geneva! It was right next to the hostel I stayed at, took a boat ride around the lake, decided to sit out on the front, got more than a light spraying from the ‘Jet De L’eau” (original name for a fountain.. huh? Jet of water… those swiss)
I like that term ‘chocolate box town/city’ pretty much sums it up perfectly in my mind :)
That castle in Austria sounds like something, I just love taking those sorts of trips, really gets you away from it all, out of your comfort zone and surprisingly into a whole new one!
I hope to take a mini tour of these places in the summer, Edinburgh, Manchester, Norwich, Exeter.. I’m gonna be pretty busy
sigh
getting drunk in the park is gonna have to wait a while…haha

“getting drunk in the park is gonna have to wait a while…haha”

Day of the last exam?
Always a good one, pray for nice weather.

@TheOnlyException Hahahahaha, nah, being a student there’s always time for drinking :)

@The_Idler actually the night before the first! haha

@JeffVader hahaha true true, its like primal instinct finding opportunities to drink…. or make money…or get someone else to do it for you

@TheOnlyException Well then, I can only hope you’re as good as me!
seriously though, terrible idea… =P

@The_Idler End up talking myself into thinking its a nice way to ‘unwind’ before such a stressful day, then i wake up the next morning with a tiny construction worker inside my head x_o

Ah, you can always resit next year.

=}

Now if only more people thought like that! Good on you :)

Hah, it’s actually what my Chemistry teacher said to me, as we were walking into our AS exams…

HAHAHAHA probably thought they were being encouraging, poor bugger,
sniffing far too much propanol.. you know you should be worried when you see them taking their lunch in their labs 0_o

naaaah, he was a great guy.
Used to read us stories outta the Old Testament at the end of each lesson.

Never directly commented on the stories, but always chose the most hilariously absurd ones, made it out like it was the old days and we were all learning valuable moral lessons from the Book.

God bless ‘quirky’ chemistry teachers! My dad unfortunately.. is the quirkiest :-/
I think he would put that one of yours to shame, you should see his take on ‘Bad Romance’ by Lady Gaga… lord 0_o

Heheh, at least you know you’ll be getting an A…

Well I have to if I still want a roof over my head 0_o

god bless ultimatums

@TheOnlyException Roofs are overated!

@JeffVader so’s the local bus shelter haha

@TheOnlyException Hahah, reminds me of all my middle-class South Asian friends, under so much parental pressure to become one of:
dentist, pharmacist, doctor.

If they fail at anything they get hell at home. “You want to grow up to be a tramp!?”

@The_Idler i think you’ve summed up my life.. 0_o
I could grow up to be a multimillionaire businesswoman
and would still get the “what have you done with your life?!”

we learn to rebel in our own little ways .. :)

keys car

Hahahah! It’s so funny. A stereotype, but how true? I hear it all the time from them.

btw you’re gonna love uni.
Just make sure ya don’t tell your parents the phone number =P

Jesus, tell me about it. I have this one asian teacher going around the classroom asking what it is we wanna study at uni, and he gets to me and goes “medicine right?”

and i hear from somewhere behind me “DID YOU SAY THAT BECAUSE SHE’S ASIAN”
ahahah brilliant.
lovely man though simply went “well.. what other choice do you have? hehehe”

sort of wanted to point out he was south east asian and a maths teacher.. hmm

and i think that is some very good advice there! hahaha

@TheOnlyException Dont knock it too hard…... it’s not alot of fun having parents who respond in exactly the same way whether you get all A’s or all F’s

@JeffVader Nah not much fun at all. Though you can make a game of how quickly you get the veins in their forehead to pop… :P

@TheOnlyException Hehe, chance would be a fine thing….. try total & utter indifference.

@JeffVader I’ve tried that. Dad just brings out the funny faces. Cannot deal with the funny faces. haha

@TheOnlyException Hehehe, he sounds like a right bugger :)

@JeffVader Oh the worst kind. Capable of making you laugh and cry at will. But a clown through and through. Think Mr. Bean… 0_o

@antheonlyexceptionenim Hah, I think the clown is an ideal dad role…. they do seem to pull it off very well indeed!

@JeffVader (or benjeffvaderim according to fluther on this wonderful april fools day), i think it’s something to do with that y-chromosome (which incidentally is dying out and amuses me greatly hahaha) when they get to a certain age haha
the second they get you to smile all is forgiven
damn sneaky

@bentheonlyexceptionim Hell, we’ve got to have some defenses against the female world…. you do know we’re biologically programmed to cave-in when women are sweet after-all….. you know, I think some very dodgy movies have involved the idea in your link…. very dodgy indeed!

@JeffVader HAHAH i wouldn’t be surprised, really i wouldnt and are you sure its a biological thing? not just an excuse to avoid admitting that maybe by today’s standards women are no longer the fairer sex…? :) ahhaa

@bentheonlyexceptiondrewim Well, having lived abit in Essex I can indeed confirm that not all women are the fairer sex :)
Hmmm, perhaps it’s just me with the whole caving in thing…. but its not fair in the middle of a scrap to suddenly cuddle-up & rest ur head on me shoulder (not you obviously but the person Im refering to) I mean, how the hell am I supposed to combat that!

@JeffVader Oh I have done that in my time! Makes the y-chromosomed ones melt like jelly. Even if it only serves to make them uncomfortable at least they shut the hell up! Its a good time to be female.
And I’m guessing from your comment that what I’ve heard about ‘essex girls’ isn’t all rumour.
ahem :)

@TheOnlyException Haha, no….. they’re, a unique bunch of…. er…. well… ladies.

@JeffVader haha I’m going to take your word on that!

Odd to like wandering around? Well I don’t think so at all; it’s one of my favorite things to do.

Odd to like wandering around London? Many people pay a lot of money to get to do that. One of the best cities in the world to do that.

Odd to be wondering if it’s odd, maybe. Seems to me like it would be obvious to many people that it’s entirely human and natural. More interesting might be in what way the question is meaningful to you, and where that comes from. There seems to be a concern that something you like might be odd and that it might be negative if that were so, or maybe just wanting some company to share the appreciation for wandering. Hmm.

@TheOnlyException Probably for the best…... they’d eat a city chick like you for breakfast :)

@Zaku Odd to like wandering around London? Many people pay a lot of money to get to do that. One of the best cities in the world to do that.

thank you for posting that. really puts a different, positive, spin on it :)