Thoughts on Shoreditch

My girlfriend and I are Americans working in Web Advertising and moving and working in central London (Knightsbridge area). We both like the Shoreditch area based on what we have seen online. Does anyone have thoughts on what is good and bad about the area? Anything we should be aware of if we were to rent a flat (between US$3,000- US$4,000 per month rent)?

Thank you,

DigitalGuru

Shoreditch can be really nice in some areas and not so nice in others.  It is trendy but in my opinion has gone downhill a bit over the past few years in terms of how aesthetically pleasing it looks to the eye.  There has been a lot of building work going on around there so I would look into that first before renting.  But don't let that put you off!!

Have you looked on rightmove.co.uk yet?

On the weekend Shoreditch is a great area, with Brick Lane just up the road and Columbia Road Flower Market and Spitlefields Market.  It is also right by Hoxton Square which has a few cool bars and restaurants and is great for hanging out in the spring & summer.

There are one or two dodgy night clubs in Shoreditch, including the 333 club which used to be really good but has turned into a bit of a dive.  Also, at night Hoxton Square seems to have gone downhill a little bit but I haven't been there for a while so might have improved recently.

To be honest and having lived not too far from Shoreditch most of my life, it is a really cool place and gets extremely busy on the weekend with loads of people coming to the markets or the local pubs.

It is probably one of the top trendiest places to live in London, although, I would suggest signing a short lease to start with in case you find somewhere else you'd rather be.

Also, I manage a baseball team based in Waltham Abbey, Essex which is about a 30 minute train ride from Liverpool St. Station (next door to Shoreditch) so if you are interested in playing for the 2010 season or just getting involved, drop me an email at [email protected]  our website is www.essexarrows.com (it is currently down but should be up and running again in the next few days!)

Shoreditch / old street is a nice area if you like going out. It is very central, and there are lots of pubs and clubs around. I really enjoyed going out in this part of London.

The cons ? It can be quite busy and noisy, depending where your flat is.