taking fire

post-viewing

I'm hungry so I tube it over to Leicester Square for a wander. Most shops still open all evening, very lively. Find a branch of Japanesey shop Muji. Some east-asian girls come in and I listen to see if I can identify them, Chinese or Korean or Japanese. They sound definitely Japanese and I am suddenly surprised to find it actually kind of hurts not to be in Tokyo.

Bahs.

Into the swilling square itself, and in a frown of recognition I manage to stare down Richard Bacon off the telly. You know the feeling of hacking through Princes Street on a Saturday afternoon? That's pretty much my constant experience of London so far.

Some KFC and then an early night.

hunting day 2

Friday is very up and down. The first fancy flat (with gym & sauna) cancels – it's taken. The second Shoreditch place also cancels – the tenants aren't ready. With limited time, these setbacks are irritating in the extreme. Stiffening my upper lip, I decide I can usefully spend the time getting oriented with different areas.

Here's a quick rule of thumb to indicate your target demographic: count how many coffee shops you see while exploring. After a decent stroll around Aldgate and Whitechapel, I confidently conclude that they are Total Shite Holes (witness coffee score: zero). Next I ping over to walk from Barbican to Farringdon. Much better: cool design shops, and find fabric. Which is probably good.

Incidentally the coffee-o-meter isn't just a measure of affluence; it also works in posh areas. In the same way that the Antarctic classifies as a desert (against intuition), Westminster scores badly for the parched and sterile atmosphere.

By 1pm (that's half a vacation day gone) I haven't seen anywhere.

After lunch I go see somewhere on London Bridge I got persuaded into seeing by Mr Pushy Foxtons. It's not as agoraphobically immense as the previous favourite, but it's in a super-nice area (Shad Thames [map]) and it's all furnished and modern inside. It's within a 20 minute commute to work. It's less than 300 a week (a miracle). I get underground parking.

By this point my optimism is stretched and flats are clearly getting snapped up within hours of being viewed. So I make a few calls to gauge Actual Londoners' reaction to the new address, which comes up positive. And finally I sign my soul away to Foxton's for a flat in Vanilla & Sesame Court (eesh).

Foxtons are great for seeing places quickly. Yes. But they will happily skin you 300-400 pounds as a 'letting fee'. You won't find that on the website front page.