London is a stranger-friendly city (London)

I used to hear it said that, being such a big city, London makes one feel lonely.

    My own experience of having lived here for 47 years now testifies to the opposite.  

    A lot of total strangers who happen to make eye contact with you on the pavement or the bus/Tube will instantly give you a smile.  A young man (black, mid-/late 20s??) a month ago even beamed radiantly at me as soon as I stepped into the Tube carriage, as if I were his old friend.

    A fortnight ago, I was right behind a young man (black, late 20s / early 30s??) who was about to take the seat nearest the door in the Tube carriage when he spotted me and immediately offered the seat to me.  I saw that there was an empty one next to it, so I pointed this out and took that seat instead, thanking him for the kind thought.  I then tapped him on the shoulder and whispered to him, “I’m small, so I only need one seat.”  He guffawed at this.

    Yesterday, I was carrying a loaded (cabin luggage-size) suitcase up the steps at Northfields Tube station (not far from Heathrow) when, about 5 or 6 steps near the top, it was suddenly picked up from behind by a young man (black, late 30s / early 40s??).  I said to him, “Where were you at the bottom of the steps?!?”  He said, “I only help at the end!”  We both laughed and went our separate ways.

(London, 2024)

You know you're getting old when… : 01

• ...people start offering you seats, or help you with your luggage, on the bus

• ...people (in/from S.E.Asia) start addressing you as “Aunty” (a term of respect for anyone female who’s of the older generation but not a relative)

• ...the manager of a Chinese restaurant in Chinatown uses her initiative and approaches you about their 15% discount for OAPs (old-aged pensioners)

• ...people start assuming you have a Freedom Pass (free travel on public transport for OAPs)

• ...you strike up conversations with strangers much more readily than before, especially at bus stops or on the bus — when once you used to feel sorry for people who did that, feeling that they were so lonely that they’d talk to anyone just to ease the loneliness