It has been an absolutely brilliant 24 hours! We spent Thursday and Friday exploring London with our relocation consultant looking at flats. We knew that we wanted something under our budget, not too large, nice condition, and good location due to the fact that Bo and I will be back and forth between Geneva and the airports and his work will be the number one commuting locations.
We explored St John’s Wood, Marylebone, South Kensington, Chelsea, Notting Hill, and Sloane Square. Needless to say, it was EXHAUSTING. Even though yesterday was longer than today, my legs didn’t appreciate all the walk ups and stairs after my long run this morning. Luckily, Bo and I were both smart enough to sacrifice style over comfort and wore our trainers (aka running shoes) for the house hunting excursion.
I thought it’d be fun to share some pictures of the flats we saw just so you can get a peak inside the diversity of London flats. Also to note, we required a furnished flat as they are not much more expensive here and it saves us from having to buy more furniture since we shipped the majority of our furniture from New York to Geneva.
Here are a few things we learned:
- The London real estate market is very fast, meaning that if you see something in the morning it may be gone in the evening.
- All things considered, your money goes a bit further than it does in New York City.
- We were surprised how many flats were on the market.
- We saw primarily walk up flats versus large corporate buildings.
- Every flat we saw had a washer & dryer in the kitchen, under the counter.
We actually just found out that the offer we made on our favorite flat from yesterday in Marylebone was just accepted! It’s time to celebrate! We absolutely love the flat as it’s only 1 block from the nearest tube station, two blocks from the High Street which reminds us of the West Village in New York City, there are great restaurants and shops in walking distance, and it’s located between Hyde Park and Regents Park which means there are plenty of running trails! Unfortunately, as it is currently occupied until the end of the month, the only pictures I have are of its out door space!
Was in London for the first time a few months ago. Had great fish and chips at Sea Shell Restaurant in Marylebone after a friend recommended it. It seemed like a great neighborhood spot!
Thanks for the recommendation! We’ve started a running list of suggestions so this will be added tonight!
Congrats! I was in London last fall and stayed in Marlyebone, a couple blocks from the high street. There’s a funny market called Cabbages & Frocks in a church yard near the Baker St tube . It’s a great location, I walked everywhere. And I loved exploring the side streets and seeing all the carriage houses that are now homes. So different from Canada.
Yes, Marylebone’s side streets are wonderful! We’ll have to check out that market soon!
Congrats! I’ve always loved your blog but I’m really, really enjoying reading all about your new life in Europe!
Thanks Betsy! I hope you continue to enjoy it. I imagine that weekend posts will tend to be about the cities while the posts during the week revolve more around training. 🙂
Yay! Love that housing is coming together so well for you two! You’ll be so close to great parks there, which is wonderful. Your photos make me miss London! Such a wonderful city — for me, it’s the only city that rivals NYC 🙂
Thanks Jen! I am so excited to run in the parks during my last month of training since we move late August!
You guys are on such an amazing adventure — I’m just glad we’re all lucky enough that you’re a blogger and we can tag along for the ride ;). Seems like things are moving so fast for you guys!
You will be very close to one of the best yoga studios in London- Indaba Yoga. Try Jivamukti with Emma Henry or, if you are an advanced yogini, Dharma Mittra with Mark Kan or Yogasana with Stewart Gilchrist.
Look sfabulous! I miss London so much. I lived there for 6 weeks during my study abroad year in Germany, and then went back again before heading back to the US. Went back to Europe 5 years later (in Summer 2012) and spent a week there, then 3 weeks traveling around Ireland and Germany, and then another week back in London. I’d be lying if I said that I wouldn’t move there in a heartbeat!