So boys and girls; I met some of you on the last DG tour in the UK and now I hope to meet many more!!

 I've decided to request a transfer to teh UK office where I can continue to do my traveling job over there - and consequently see Europe on their dime! :)  Only problem is, since it's a voluntary move, I won't get ANY help in finding a place to live, corporate housing, etc...

 So seeing as how my salary gets cut in half and anything I save is worth half as much, I need HELP finding a place to live in London (need to be near a major European airport).  I dont even know what neighborhoods to avoid or perhaps where an artsy affordable neighborhood might be, etc...

And I'm sure there's a gajillion other things I haven't even thought of that I need to plan and organize....but I have basically 8 months to get it all done - target move is holidays 08!  Eek!

 Those in the Uk or those who have made the move, any advice?!?!?

Hello young Lady

Seems a long time since Glasgow and Wolverhampton!!

Nice to hear you are coming over here.

Sorry i can not be any help as I have no idea about London area - I think it is a place i would avoid - but i know people who love it there or would love to live there.

I hear of places probably good to avoid but better get the info from a local.

When you do get here you could come to Cornwall for a visit if you got time in your busy schedule!!

Good luck in finding somewhere. Looks like you will be in time for DG's new album which will be out late this year - and probably a big tour - of USA lol

I remember you like gigging so should find plenty to do around London.

TC and stay safe Missy.

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Keep smiling - It's free!
Djk
:-)

Hi there MemphisQueen,

I remember meeting you in November. You do get around, don't you?

Unfortunately I can't provide the information you are looking for but I have found a few links that may be of help:

 http://www.allinlondon.co.uk/knowledge/     

 http://www.moving2london.com/

Looking forward to seeing you at gigs from time to time then.

Good luck to you.

Rena 

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Welcome to DavidGray.com

Hi Memphis queen,

sorry i can't offer you any tips on moving to London but wish you luck

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Where there's a will, there's a way

Thanks guys!  The movingtolondon link was very helpful!

I can't wait! i'm sure I'll get sick of london after awhile and want to explore further afield, but I figure it's a safe place to start. i'm a city girl and need to be near a major airport. :)  flats are super expensive though! i'm cutting my salary in half by moving; so i'll be rubbing nickels together trying to live!! 

no teasing about Us tours - the man never comes to the States (or if he does he plays cities so far apart you have to fly to them all!); so fingers crossed i'll get to drive up and down the UK often.

and dont' worry dave - i'll be counting on you to be my tour guide!! :)
 

Hey, I think I met you at the front of the Queue at the Glasgow Carling Academy gig las November.    If you are the person I'm thinking of you had little heat pads in your shoes in an attempt to keep warm!!!!  I was with my (non-DG fan) friend who was complaining bitterly about the cold!!  However, she loved the gig and is now a convert!  I can't give you any advice on London but wish you all the best with your move

Claire 

I like London but I do not live there so I can't offer you tips but The Guardian may have some very useful tips to spend your evenings in London ;-) :

The Guardian reveals its top ten music pubs in London

The Guardian has run a list of the top ten music venues in London. The article by Mic Wright – read it in full here – lists the following as the capital’s current top spots for live music and decent boozing:

1) Half Moon, Putney (link)
2) Dublin Castle, Camden (link)
3) The Black Sheep, Croydon (link)
4) The Old Blue Last, Shoreditch (link)
5) Filthy McNasty’s, Angel
6) Nambucca, Archway (link)
7) The Windmill, Brixton (link)
8) The George & Dragon, Old Street
9) The Hope & Anchor, Islington
10) New Cross Inn, New Cross

Source: http://www.drownedinsound.com/articles/3137243

P.S. You may find this news interesting:

House prices take biggest fall since 1992!!!

House prices fell by 2.5% during March, their biggest monthly fall since the 1990s housing crash, as the credit crunch and market jitters continued to deter homebuyers, the UK's biggest mortgage lender said today. Read more here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/apr/08/houseprices.property

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"There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in." Leonard Cohen

Hope the move goes well, if and when you get tired of London you will be so welcome in Manchester has everthing that London has and us northern folk are very friendly.

 

Mazx

Memphis Queen are you moving to London from Memphis?? A year and a half ago I moved to London from Nashville. To make you feel any better my husband and I didn't do much preparation for housing before we got here. It may have been lucky but the first place we found is the one we ended up moving into. Of course we had to take a look at a couple more to realize our luck on the first one. That being said get yourself a  couple of estate agents. London is not like New York where there is hardly any places to live. Also neighborhoods are not separated like I know Nashville and Atlanta is. Like how it is obviously a nice area and then an area you can call a ghetto. Since council housing is well spread out everywhere it keeps neighborhoods fairly even for the most part. Also I find London a lot safer than most American cities as well. As for being close to an airport I'm not sure where you are hoping to live but there are 3 airports (Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton) and all of them are fairly easy to get to (ofcourse they are spread out so depending on where you live one will be closer). I guess the most important thing is to find a place you could rent for a temporary stay when you get here so you have time to look and find a flat. It took my husband and I 2 and a half weeks from the day we arrived to the move in date on our flat. However, you should plan that it will take a little longer than that. I just know I could not afford to stay in a hotel for 2 and a half weeks in London. I don't really know where to go from here with info. so if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. I hope this will help you out a little. Best of luck.

Let's just say for the record... The Guardian slipped up. The Dublin Castle is definitely #1

Yeah I'm hoping work will cover a hotel for a few weeks until I can get my bearings, but as it's considered a lateral move (since it's voluntary and not forced) I dont know how much I can finagle them to cover. Plus I have a cat, and most hotels don't dig animals.  I'm hoping for a month of corporate housing....*fingers crossed*

Having said - yes that was me with the foot warmers that didn't work AT ALL.  (But on a side note, I was in Alaska this past February when it was bitterly cold on a tour to cross the arctic circle in -60F weather - yes I was crazy - and a Japanese woman gave me some foot warmers that are stickers that you attach to your socks.  Worked like a charm!  They were amazing!!!!) 

The list of venues was key - I'll be hopping from one to the other and keeping my eye on their gig lists. Thanks!!!!!!

Oh and I live in Atlanta - from MEmphis originally, though, hence the naming after the boat that goes up and down the Mississippi..... :)

What is the popular opinion on St Johns Wood?  All I know is Abbey Road studios but is it a quirky artsy neighborhood or totally a tourist trap??

Hi MemhisQueen,

I have just read that you are planning to bring your cat to the UK.  As the UK is known to have very strict rules regarding pets you may want to check his official goverment run site first
 

http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/index.htm 

I hope everything will  work out well for you!

 

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Welcome to DavidGray.com

yes, fortuantely, though, i live in the states, where we tend to get away with just about everything these days! :)

all i have to do is have my baby boy pass a blood test showing he has the rabies vaccination at least 6 months prior to entry by a USDA approved vet. he can wait out his 6 month "quarantine" at home with me. then has to have a tapeworm vaccination done 24-48 hours prior to entry into the UK and flown over via an approved carrier.  NWA from JFK to LHR does the trick (and i earn delta miles!).

so smokey will be good to go once we get there, assuming his microchip can be read upon entry and his tapeworm test comes out negative.

he's such a fraidy cat, though, i'm hoping he can cope with the move. he hates take off and landing and cries through it and refuses to eat or drink while flying. it'll be a long day if he doesn't; so i hope i can coax him to do so.