Moving to London: 11 Things that Have Surprised Us so Far

Meghan and I recently completed a move from San Francisco to London! We're still settling into our new home and are loving the new adventures already. For this post, I thought we'd highlight a few of the surprises we've run into so far as expats.

1. It's so much harder to open a bank account than we expected. We've gone to a major bank twice now only to be declined for 1) not having an actual bill from our utility (we had a letter saying 'welcome to your new house' but that wasn't good enough) and 2) not having an appointment. More on this in a future post.
2. The UK is years ahead of the USA when it comes to contactless payments. Apple pay is accepted almost everywhere. Paying for drinks at a pub? Tap your phone. Using the Tube to get around? Your ticket is your phone. If you're traveling to the UK make sure you've set up Apple Pay.
3. Delivery is much more normal here. Even coming from San Francisco, where you can get most things in an hour, it still didn't feel like the norm. Here, everything can be and is delivered. Every major grocery store does free (or very cheap) delivery and multiple major stores are delivery-only (Argos, Ocado, etc).
4. It takes a really, really long time for a ship to get from California to London. Our moving company arrived in San Francisco in mid-December. Our shipment isn't supposed to arrive until early March! We're learning the art of minimalism.
5. Where you live matters to Brits. In most cases—in SF and the other cities I've lived in—the neighborhood you decided to live in says more about your preferences than your perceived class. In the UK, people want to know the neighborhood you're living in immediately, as a way of understanding you. So if you're moving to London, I strongly suggest you read this Buzzfeed article so you at least have some idea what perception people will have about you.
6. Dogs are much more welcome here. It's not trivial to move here with your dog (see Meghan's post here for more on that) but once they're here they are welcome almost everywhere. Spark has been to a pub first opened in the early 1700s, enjoyed a ride on the Tube (okay, "enjoyed" is a stretch), and frolicked through the Hampstead Heath off-leash with other doggie friends. Many more posts to come on this, I am sure.
7. You can't get a phone plan without credit. You can't get credit without 3 months of a bank account. So we're stuck with pay-as-you-go phones. Besides being much more expensive, the worst part is you can't use WIFI calling, visual voicemail, and other features that make life easier. Also - when you switch your SIM, iMessages will no longer work with your old number, even if you still own it. We're now unreachable at our American numbers until we're back stateside.
8. There is green space all over. London has grassy fields and meadows throughout the city and (very) large parks abound. Hampstead Heath, Regents Park, Hyde Park, Clapham Common, and so many more dot the city. 47% of greater London in considered green space. That's almost double NYC (27%) and over 3.5x higher than San Francisco (13% green space). Source. Almost all parks are dog-friendly and very walkable.
9. Local shops are the norm, not the exception. I grew up in a city with mostly chain restaurants. Locally owned restaurants were the exception to the norm. In London, almost all the shops on the High Street are small local businesses. From the pub that opened 300+ years ago to the local office supply store - it's almost all locally owned. Biggest exceptions are grocery stores and most pharmacies.
10. Gluten-free food is way more available here in grocery stores than in the US. Meghan can't eat gluten - so this was a big relief. We came from San Francisco which, along with LA, is probably leading the war on gluten. Even so, the selection was limited to a few types of bread, pasta, and treats. In the UK you can find thousands of gluten-free items at the grocery store (check out this search on Ocado) all delivered to your doorstep for free.
11. You have to take your own meter readings! Your utility company will guestimate how much energy you use, but if you want an accurate bill, you have to find your meter and enter in the meter readings for gas and electric yourself! It looks like they're trying to upgrade people to smart meters but, in the meantime, we have to enter our meter readings every month.

Bonus Fun Fact: Did you know that a series of canals run throughout England - allowing boats to go from London to Liverpool without ever entering the ocean? Check out the map here and some cool history on the canals here. This is definitely on the list to explore more.

It's been an amazing journey so far - filled with surprises and discoveries. We'll keep sharing more as we go through this adventure!