Stuff

There are plenty of people who do guides on YouTube or whatever, to all places, not just London, and who talk about “tourist traps”.

We have our ideas of what this means:

• it’s a place frequented by visitors but rarely by locals
• people go there because people go there
• it is heavily advertised in those free glossy magazines you get in hotels, and often there are coupons
• it’s often visited and promoted by bus tours
• it’s expensive and ultimately disappointing
• there are long queues
• all round the area are dodgy shops and stalls selling food that won’t quite kill you and tacky souvenirs at high prices, including noddy presidents and royals and famous people
• it’s an area of high crime, especially pick pocketing, and there are many vagrants and beggars

OK, so that’s what we think of. What about in London?

We love this city, but that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. Here are five things you will come across that are horrible.

Graffiti

It’s everywhere. Find a reasonably flat surface and yes, there’s graffiti. We don’t mean nice, artistic wall murals, it’s just vandalism. On walls, windows, fences, even the ground.

If you come into London by train, especially King’s Cross or Paddington, you will see it everywhere. OK, it’s true in other cities too, but that doesn’t make it right.

And what’s being done to prevent it, or remove it? As far as we can see, nothing. Some parts of London look very neglected. Many people find it threatening.

Vagrants

There have been rough sleepers here as far back as anyone can remember. When COVID-19 hit, many were given places to stay and the problem was not as bad, apparently. Now it’s terrible.

Especially in central London, and The Strand has always been very bad, so many shop entrances have people sleeping in. This is not just boarded up properties. In some cases, the sleepers will be there the next morning when the shop opens.

What do you do about it? Climb over them, I am told. Don’t give them money, if they ask, and if they get aggressive, find police.