hkskyline's 2017 in London - exploring so many changes
I used to be a frequent visitor to London but with flights directly into the continent getting cheaper, I haven't returned for a while. Looking back at my website, most of the content is quite old ... 2004, 2009. So it was time for an update.
1. Canary Wharf is reeling from Brexit. What I liked about this part of town is the plentiful residential buildings around the docks so it is possible to rent a place near work. There are plenty of jogging paths and the area looked clean and tidy. http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8774.jpg 2. Not long ago, HSBC thought of moving back to its roots. They decided not to, and now they have to deal with Brexit. Good luck to them. Their major revenue driver is not the UK anymore. http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8786.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8807.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8813.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8847.jpg 6. The Thames Path is a wonderful walking trail that extends almost 300km, with sections on both banks of the river through London. With beautiful blue skies, I decided to walk the stretch between Canary Wharf and Tower Bridge. I have never tried this hike before but only did a river cruise way back, but with so many new buildings coming up in the City, I had great expectations. http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8867.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8877.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8876.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8884.jpg 10. Many residentials now line the riverfront. The port is long gone from this part of London. The heights are not too overwhelming around here. I wonder when will the tall skyscrapers arrive? http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8899.jpg 11. In the distance, change is in the air. http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8913.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8912.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8923.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8936.jpg 15. The path hugs along the riverfront for the most part, but there are privatized sections where I needed to detour to the street inland to continue. The trail is well sign-posted but surprisingly empty. http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8937.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8949.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8950.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8958.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8960.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8962.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8968.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8976.jpg 23. It was a chilly December morning, and there was a bit of frost on the ground. The temperature wouldn't deter me from exploring under the rare London blue sky. http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8977.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8983.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8984.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8993.jpg 27. I didn't pass through any dodgy neighbourhoods, namely Limehouse and Wapping, along the way. It looks like the old warehouses have found new uses. http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8999.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_8998.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_9008.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_9014.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_9016.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_9017.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_9026.jpg 34. I didn't see many buses although I did pass by one train station along the way. I wonder how to people get around? Despite being in between the City and Canary Wharf, is it an easy and short commute? http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_9027.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_9028.jpg More coming. I am revamping my London photo gallery with new content. Check it out here : http://www.globalphotos.org/london.htm |
Nice pics!
I guess if you are that close to Canary Wharf you probably don't need a bus or tube to get to work, you can walk it in a few minutes. :dunno: |
My adoration for London grows with each visit.
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Nice pictures. It's interesting to see some of the less-historic places in London!
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Canary Wharf is a bit soulless, but it’s also quite far from everything. You really need to live close to the right transit lines to commute there easily. As a result, there is demand from expats who are posted there temporarily (a year or two) for flats in the area within walking distance.
Greenwich, to the south, is very nice, and accessible by DLR, but it’s a quite sleepy area. More appropriate for middle-aged CW workers with children than young ones. Meanwhile there should be a lot of development soon. The “O2 peninsula” to the east is getting a lot of residential development, and the former Surrey Docks area (around Canada Water tube station) should be redeveloped soon. It was first developed in the 1980s, with predictable results (a big, auto-centric shopping mall, and suburban residential development which looks like something out of a ‘90s British sitcom set in the Midlands. As you’d expect, there is a lot of NIMBY backlash, but really the whole peninsula needs to be rebuilt. Lastly, I think there is great potential to redevelop Whitechapel, Shadwell and Stepney over time. The part right along the river which hkskyline posted is full of historic warehouses, so those aren’t going anywhere, but there is a ton of quite ugly, low-rise, postwar building stock that could and should be redeveloped. One could increase density and create more housing (both market rate and council) along the DLR line between the City and Canary Wharf. Eventually, that could create a skyline which stretched right from the City of London to Canary Wharf. |
Does it get any better?
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Great to see London! I'd move there in a heartbeat if I had the right job opportunity. Love that city.
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Great pics. The contrast of ultra-modern skyscrapers right next to historic buildings is wild.
I hope there are more to come! |
Nice pictures again! It blows my mind to think that the Tower of London was built in the 1000s, and that it may have been surrounded by fields or farms or forests! I can't even imagine what London was like when it was completed!
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:tup:The juxtaposition of old and new.......
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51. The business district has creeped south of the Thames with the construction of the Shard. Supported by the State of Qatar in 2008, the vision of redeveloping prime lands above London Bridge station come to fruition.
http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_9351.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_9365.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_9371.jpg 54. To get a free view of all that progress, head up the Tate Modern's viewing gallery. http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_9395.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_9402.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_9409.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_9415.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...9/IMG_9424.jpg 59. Suburbs in the southeast of London are only a short train ride from Canary Wharf's skyscrapers, but they are mostly lowrise, quiet, and still within the middle class family's price range. http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9448.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9452.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9453.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9458.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9462.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9463.jpg 65. Brixton Market has covered arcades to protect from the elements, making shopping a bit more comfortable in wet and cold wintry London. http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9465.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9469.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9466.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9473.jpg 69. London typically doesn't get big snowstorms. While this one seems little compared to Canadian standards, it was enough to paralyze the train network already. http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9484.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9481.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9486.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9491.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9495.jpg More photos on my website : http://www.globalphotos.org/london-walk.htm |
Fabulous tour. Interestingly, a couple of buildings on your docklands tour have been listed in the last few days.
https://www.theguardian.com/artandde...storic-england |
Stunning!!!!!
Dr. Johnson would be proud. |
74. Oxford and Regent Streets are a delight to walk around in the lead-up to Christmas. The crowds are awful but traffic isn't too insane so it is worth braving it out to head for the median and snap snap.
http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9506.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9513.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9509.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9516.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9521.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9529.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9537.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9562.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9577.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9603.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9593.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9591.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9626.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9623.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9635.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9636.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9693.jpg http://www.globalphotos.org/london/2...0/IMG_9711.jpg More on my website : https://www.globalphotos.org/london-xmas.htm |
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