What is life like in london and barcelona?

In terms of overall quality of life, West London or East London ?

• and which part of London scares you the most in terms of 'reputation' of crime etc ? West London has Acton, Sheps Bush and on the other side - the East End, you've got places like Hackney, Tower Hamlets and East Ham. An American friend of mine (shes of Lebanese origin) who flew out to see me in London in late 2006 remarked 'East ham is the cess pit of London - its multiculturalism gone horribly wrong' on a bus, in front of LOADS of bemused passengers - i guess she didn't feel the least bit worried given that where she comes from (South Los Angeles, predominantly crip neighborhood part) this was like nothing. She prefered the west end ten fold - although admitted that the east end felt more like the place jack the ripper would have hung out lol

• Answer:

  There are good and bad parts in both. London is small enough that you can go one tube stop away and be in a less good area or a better area. Even bad areas have good streets and vice versa. I would say overall, West London is more affluent because of Notting Hill and surrounding areas whereas there is a large illegal immigrant population in East London who are not contributing as much to the local council to maintain it.