Vinz,
I've lived in Hackney on and off for fifteen years nay bother. I'm originally from a provincial seaside town where Friday nights where synonymous with violence and a trip to A & E. The great thing about London and maybe the worst is that no one gives a fuck. Having said that it pays to not look like a victim, oh and try not to step in da blood.

Mare St is generally okay, is quite a long street. More central than Seven Sisters. Both are okay, I didn't really like Seven Sisters mainly because it felt a bit suburban and quite far out.

yea both are alright. getting around from seven sisters whilst not on a bike is easier then mare st. but mare st is more central as h2o said. have a look at the flats and if one takes to ure liking dont let the area scare u out

Jeez. It's a sad day when no-one knows who she is.

I live just off Mare Street. The area's a little bleak, but I find that most of affordable London is that way. I don't feel intimidated when I'm out and about, but some of the surrounding area is a little more worrying.

My flat is the main problem. What an astonishing heap of shit for the money. One day someone will let me in on the secret of getting non-shit flats for affordable money in London.

On the other hand it takes 20 minutes flat-out to get to my office at the bottom of the BT tower, and my missus in Norwich can get here in half the time of my old flat in Brixton.

Or can spell her name properly.

it's more important to know who's in/out of big bruvver.

I think something about the name Hackney scares people.

Lots of areas in London are rough but you don't hear about it as much as it's not a place where people want to move to.

I have had the most trouble in Wood Green but as someone else mentioned earlier, it's time/luck based and thats because I have spent most of my life there.

Move somewhere you like and don't worry about it.

I have a book of short stories about aviation, and her despatch recording a trip in a night-fighter in the winter of 44/45 is simply brilliant. What I have read of her journalism is much better than Hemingway's.

Sorry but I have seen blood on the street of murder mile.
at 11am as well.

But Hackney is okay. And if you do move to Mare St, make sure you check out Anatoylia Kebabs - proper Turkish charcoal grill.

I lived in Hackney for around 10 years, mostly in Stamford Hill. Never had any crime problems. Did get depressed one Xmas when 10 people were shot in Hackney in one week!

The thing that really got me down was the absolutely hopeless council. Even after the admin was changed (to Lib/Con from Lab) they were still hopeless. Even basic stuff like picking up litter seemed to be a problem. The collection of council tax was around 55%, which is useless, given that a lot of people in Hackney are on benefit (one of the poorest boroughs in the country), and their c tax is paid automatically.

live east, die young

Seven Sister's waaay worse mate.
Yes, Hackney has the potential to be dangerous BUT you get a lot of nice things you wouldn't get in other parts (in my experience), ie. you feel like you live around humans, not robots.
The turkinsh guy in my off-license offered me his summer house by the Black Sea for free... That's what I mean.
Although an uber-trendy nu raver would probably not get the same treatment...

The Face of War is pretty amazing. as this customer articulately points out:

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Set back for those who consider war glamorous, 17 Nov 2000
By A Customer

Very well written, reads easily and gives a good recount over time of the horror of war and effect on every day human suffering. This is a definite X-mas present to buy !
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Works better in caps.

LIVE EAST DIE YOUNG

lived in Clapton right by murder mile for three years, it was fine, didn't see anything dodgy, after i'd moved on someone from the house down the street got shot out of a top floor window. i always think Islington is far more dodgy.

i think you should move to hackney.

like a human cannonball?

Yup. I lived in Homerton during the peak of the "murder mile" period, and never had any problems. Being quite a big guy it might not be surprising that I never got beaten up or harassed, but my petite girlf and our housemates never had any problems either. Saw lots of "witness appeal" signs though.

During the same period, my friends in Clapham were getting mugged on a bi-monthly basis. We moved to Kentish Town, and a few months later we were burgled by some crackheads. We've not lived on the ground floor since, and generally have had concierges. Wouldn't go back to Hackney though - maybe I'm a snob, but it's just too grimy and nasty.

I've always meant to read her work - I read long ago that she and Hemingway had fallen out whilst covering the second world war because he couldn't accept what a good journalist his wife was. Ta for reminding me to track down some of her stuff.

What are you reading for?

i find it helps broaden the mind, passes the time.

what are you reading for?

huh?!?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uvs2g5Nj0NI

Classic Hicks.

Lived in Hackney for 4 years;

0 Anything

No muggings, robbings, buggerings. Luck of the draw I guess.

Move to Hackney. I Used to live there - Richmond road. then, Tower hamlets mile end. Now, Camden... Itching to get back east...

Nothing bad ever happened to me- and I'm small.

in retrospect- it probably should have- I used to ride a bright Orange top end Klien... hmph.

I looked at the flat and liked it. I also looked at some places in Bethnal Green and Shoreditch and Kilburn but they were shitholes. So im moving to Hackney. Woo!