London, if nothing else, is a bloody massive place with a hell of lot a of people (9 million, to be more precise). We’d be lying if we said it didn’t often feel like a grind living here, but sometimes it’s the little things that remind you why we all do it. Sometimes, that’s an adorable puppy on the tube, and other times it’s sniggering at a Tube station with a funny name. Most of us have experience these moments, so we took to Facebook and Instagram to find out what yours are. Et voila.
42 little London moments that always brighten up your day
1) “The museums, the people, and all of the quaint pubs.”
2) “Musicians in underground stations.”
Always giving our commutes some much-needed cheer.
3) “Seeing the cherry blossoms start to bloom.”
Yes, there’s cherry blossom in many cities, but seeing the first shoots in the spring is the water-tight sign that we’re out of winter hibernation mode and for that, we love the pink stuff here in London.
4) “There is a good service operating on all lines.”
The first one of these in *ages* is going to hit like a soft gust of wind on a humid afternoon. Ahem, ready when you are, Bank.
5) “Just getting on the Tube at Epping and know I’m coming to the Capital….. there’s always something new to do, to see, to explore.”
6) “A little visit to the gardens behind St Paul’s church in Covent Garden. Very peaceful.”
Zen-like-calm even in the busiest of cities.
7) “Puppies on the tube.”
A rubber-stamped seal of approval from the Secret London team on this one.
8) “The walk from Tower Bridge to Big Ben along Southbank and finish in the beautiful St James Park.”
9) “Foxes peeping through the bushes.”
Or tipping your rubbish and food recycling bins everywhere. Pretty much the same thing.
10) “Randomly finding myself in central London every Saturday listening to street performers singing and playing music all over!”
11) “Walking in the sunshine… when we get it.”
Some more would be nice right about now @ sun.
12) “Glimpsing up and seeing so much history.”
All! Around! Us!
13) “After a long day, walking by the River Thames”.
Nailed on to brighten up your day.
14) “Getting your delicious morning coffee and walking to work, almost every nook and corner in London is 😍.”
15) “Early morning stroll through Camden before the chaos prevails.”
Our offices are in this neck of the woods, so, to some extent, we reckon we’re qualified to put our two cents in here: yes.
16) “The end of shift Friday buzz especially in the city when the pubs are heaving and you can hear and feel the end of week energy flowing.”
Just hook this feeling into my bloodstream.
17) “Seeing the sun shine and realising we have the best city going, nothing beats London in the sun.”
True. Would be a real shame if the rain, wind and grey clouds greeted us at the start of April.
18) “Strolling through Holland Park, Camden and along the canals in Little Venice I could go on and on! And the architecture! Stunning historical buildings in between amazing modern ones.”
Has to be said, the walks since the sun started going down later have hit the spot in a big way this year. Bring on summer.
19) “Thinking I’ll be there again in a couple of weeks!”
London even brightening up the days for those who aren’t here at the moment. The things we love to see.
20) “Travelling the bridge over the Thames, either by train or by foot never fails to make me happy.”
21) “Punks in Camden Town.”
22) “The screeching of the Bakerloo line every morning.”
This may be something of a Marmite answer, but I’m landing on the side of “hard agree”. Sorry, the screeching must stay!
23) “The handwritten quotes on London Underground & when tube staff get a little playful when making announcement.”
24) “Those flower baskets on the lamp posts.”
25) “Walking through Southbank and watching sunset at Tower Bridge.”
As you’d expect, there’s lots of love for the Southbank, and rightly so!
26) “The music band at Brixton station on Friday.”
27) “Walking around the streets & finding incredible vegan cafes & restaurants.”
28) “Somebody playing the piano at Euston Station.”
29) “A Pret not being too far away when you need a Pret break.”
The old saying goes that you’re never more than three-feet away from a rat in London. Now, you could probably throw “Pret” in as the object of that sentence without Londoners blinking — which is clearly good news for this commenter on our Instagram page!
30) “Coffee in Pret or cider in a pub garden.”
There are also lots of pubs, in case ya didn’t know.
31) “Pigeons walking along the pavement like people.”
32) “Seeing the goats at Kentish Town urban farm when on train. View from Southbank as sun sets. Cormorant on the Thames.”
33) “Wandering around the back lanes of Hampstead in the spring sunshine.”
Very much agreed. Look.
34) “Sitting on a bench in a quiet square, when a lyrical London cab shows up.”
35) “Watching the sunrise on the train platform.”
Just when you think those early commutes might overcome you, one of these comes along.
36) “The first 99 flake of the season in St James Park.”
37) “A music gig every day.”
38) “Borough Market, how amazing all the traders are.”
39) “Richmond park.”
Will never get tired of this place.
40) “Brick lane salt beef bagels! If you know, you know!”
Yes, yes, yes.
41) “When you see someone running for the tube before the doors shut and they make it.”
Damn straight. We’re all on the same team when it comes to making these trains on a busy commute.
42) “Cockfosters.”
One day we will all become “mature” and keep a straight face. But, no, today is not that day.