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London Finsbury Park or Greenwich

Hi

Looking for some help. I'm moving to London in Sept to go to uni.
I'm going to BIMM which is SW6 1EN Fulham.

In terms of accommodation options, i've got two:

iQ Flinders House in Greenwich SE10 0FQ. I can get a small studio there. I've read some good reviews about Flinders House, and Greenwich looks nice. Its 2 tube lines - Jubilee then District - 50 minutes away from uni.

The other option is an ensuite room in iQ Highbury which is in Finsbury park N7 7JR. This is two tubes Victoria then District - 42 minutes away from uni. I've read some really bad reviews about the noise from the train line which is right next to iQ Highbury.

The studio in Greenwich is £24 per week / £102 per month more than Finsbury park.

Anybody got any advice on these?
Any idea which is the best idea?
Is one better than the other?
Has anyone stayed at either of these?
Is the noise really bad at iQ Highbury?
What's the commute like from Greenwich to north of river - i've never really been south?

Thanks

Reply 1

Anonymous #1

Original post by trash116

I used to live in the Finsbury Park area, but I have never lived in Grenwich (partly becuase it was far from where I worked, and partly because it was a lot more expensive). Having said that, I didn't live right next to the light railway area; more so off the high street,

My general rules of thumbs:

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Areas south of the river usually are quieter and nicer than those North of the river (usually being a very ambiguous word)

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The closer you are to Central, the nicer the restaurants generally (they are usually more expensive as well)

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Commute in the south is a nightmare because most of the links are in the north of the river (a surprising pattern when it comes to urban geography, irrespective of the city); your best bet is the bus routes, which isn't particularly nice during rush hour

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It's said that living in an area within 30 minutes commute (walking, driving, train, whatever) is usually better for your psychology (as well as your sleep) than if you lived further away, and commuting can take up a huge part of your day

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Areas in the south are generally cheaper than the north because of the transport links (but it's partly because there's more stuff located in the north, also partly due to the transport links).

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Typically, the fewer the number of stops, the quicker the journey despite the distance. You will usually be charged based on which zones you cross though; if you go into Central often, expect your fares to skyrocket.

Pointers:

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The thing with Finsbury Park, is that you get to live near the Turkish community, where you often find good food (if you like Turkish food)

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Grenwich generally doesn't have that many convenience shops, to my knowledge

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Grenwich is generally more expensive than Finsbury due to its location to the river as well as being close to the financial district, where workers have money (according to my understanding)

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Grenwich is closer to Billingsgate, which is a good fish market to go to if you like cooking

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Rush hour traffic in FInsbury is somewhat average from what I have seen for London traffic (typical connotations of squashing onto trains like sardines, or scrambling to find a spot on buses). I don't know what the traffic is like for Grenwich

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Get an Oyster Card irrespective of where you live; you're welcome.

Of course, I am biased, so you might want a second opinion.

My question is why are you renting a studio as opposed to renting a room like the ones you can find on SpareRoom.com (generally cheaper)? Do you specifically need one for music/art that you do as part of your course?