Six reasons why Bristol is better than London

Another week and another survey saying Bristol is the best place to live, this time for new graduates. 

Becky Smith (24) decided after graduating from Leeds that she should go West, Becky told Martina Lees of The Sunday Times: 

It’s like London –quite green and there are always new bars and clubs opening– but it’s not as expensive.  Like a smaller version.

Talk about being damned with faint praise.  Bristol is apparently like London only smaller – who knew?  So for Becky and other new graduates who have just moved to Bristol here are six reasons why you have won life’s lottery because Bristol is way better than London

1. People smile and say hello.  Have you been to London recently?  Noticed anything?  Everyone looks down no-one looks you in the eye and smiles.  In Bristol we are naturally friendly, we smile and people just say hello because IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
2. We can laugh at ourselves – Take the mickey out of a Cockney and you are asking for a "bunch of fives up the hooter my son". Us Bristolian's are so relaxed about ourselves that The Wurzels – a group of outsiders, one of whom is Scottish – can sing in local yokel accents that even people from Bridgewater would find offensive and yet we love them.
3. We are independent minded – Bristolians are an independent bunch with a healthy distrust of corporate life. We have an entrepreneurial tradition dating back to the Middle Ages and it carries on to this day.  Tell someone at a party that you own, or you are starting a company and people are interested, tell them you work for a multi-national and they start looking over your shoulder for someone more interesting. 
4. The pace of life is slower – Remember the Cadbury’s Caramel bunny?  That’s Bristol in a nutshell.  Londoners spend their time rushing around but they are just busy fools.  The slower pace of life in Bristol means we can enjoy our life and I would argue get more done.   We understand that there is more to life than being a hamster on a wheel
5.  Our countryside is better –  Within 30 minutes of the city centre you could be in: the ​Brecon Beacons, ​the Mendips, The Cotswolds or The Quantocks.  30 minutes from the centre of London and you could be in the "joys" of Hackney or Chiswick or Tower Hamlets or Peckham .  No contest!
6. We understand that Bristol is not the centre of the universe – Unlike Londoners who seem to think if it "aint in the Smoke it aint happenin alwight?"  Actually we really know that Bristol is the centre of the universe, we just don’t yell about it.

So there you have it six good reasons why Bristol is better than London and if you know Becky get her to read this, and please tell her she’s lucky to live here.