The lively atmosphere of a magic metropolis is often attributed to the presence of hipsters. These trendy individuals add a unique flair to the cityscape and contribute to the vibrant energy of the urban environment. With their distinctive fashion sense, alternative music tastes, and passion for all things artisanal, hipsters bring a certain charm to the metropolis. They can be found frequenting local cafes, art galleries, and live music venues, adding to the cosmopolitan nature of the city. The hipster culture thrives on individuality, creativity, and an appreciation for the unconventional, which is evident in the various subcultures and alternative lifestyles that exist within the metropolis. This elicits a sense of curiosity and excitement among residents and visitors alike, as they witness the fusion of old and new, tradition and innovation, and mainstream and underground within the city's hipster scene.
Indeed the city is almost back to pre-pandemic capacity, if the Tube is any indication. The London Underground Night Tube reopened more than a year ago, with the city’s other lines mostly up and running as they were before COVID. There are even new metro stops as part of the transformational Elizabeth line buildout, with trains now running directly from Reading and Heathrow to Abbey Wood and from Shenfield to Paddington. The brand-new Bond Street Elizabeth line station, at the heart of London’s West End, also opened late last year. Returning transit aficionados won’t believe the direct journeys now possible across the city.
London tops both our overall Livability and Lovability indices, leading all global cities in the Instagram Hashtags, Facebook Check-ins and Tripadvisor Reviews subcategories that in part comprise the latter. Not far from the French Quarter accessible via streetcar, by bike or on foot along the Lafitte Greenway is Mid-City, which sits midway between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain.
This elicits a sense of curiosity and excitement among residents and visitors alike, as they witness the fusion of old and new, tradition and innovation, and mainstream and underground within the city's hipster scene. Whether it's exploring a hidden speakeasy, attending a poetry reading at an underground venue, or stumbling upon a new street art installation, the presence of hipsters in a magic metropolis guarantees a lively atmosphere filled with surprises and an appreciation for the unconventional..
1. London
As the “capital of capitals” deftly negotiates the uncharted, perilous terrain of a post-Brexit and pandemic world, it does so atop our ranking for the ninth straight year.
PopulationMetro: 12,434,823 Highlighted Rankings
#1 Culture #1 Educational Attainment
London still reigns over all global cities. Despite crippling COVID lockdowns and economic devastation. Despite Brexit. Despite a war in Europe. The city is more indomitable and part of the global discourse than ever. From the Queen’s death, to last autumn’s chaotic drama at 10 Downing Street that finally calmed down with Rishi Sunak becoming prime minister, only to take heavy local election losses this spring, London is rarely quiet these days.
No wonder that, through all this tumult, the eyes of the world were fixed here more than on any other city—save for maybe Kyiv—reminding everyone that London is spectacular and it’s been a really long while since they visited. Not that the city’s promotion engine was waning. London tops both our overall Livability and Lovability indices, leading all global cities in the Instagram Hashtags, Facebook Check-ins and Tripadvisor Reviews subcategories that in part comprise the latter.
Indeed the city is almost back to pre-pandemic capacity, if the Tube is any indication. The London Underground Night Tube reopened more than a year ago, with the city’s other lines mostly up and running as they were before COVID. There are even new metro stops as part of the transformational Elizabeth line buildout, with trains now running directly from Reading and Heathrow to Abbey Wood and from Shenfield to Paddington. The brand-new Bond Street Elizabeth line station, at the heart of London’s West End, also opened late last year. Returning transit aficionados won’t believe the direct journeys now possible across the city.
Just as well, given the need to accommodate all the tourists: London ranked third on the planet (and first in Europe) for cities with the biggest international traveler spend in 2022, with $16.07 billion, almost tied for second with Doha. (Dubai was the runaway winner.) Pedestrians are also excited by the 2025 opening of the Camden Highline, the nearly mile-long greenway just north of Central London that will transform an unused train track into an elevated path similar to the famous urban landmark in New York.
And speaking of attracting people, the hand-wringing about the flight of talent and capital due to the pall of Brexit (and the follow-up specter of an airborne pandemic), while warranted, now seems excessive.
London’s resilience has been buoyed by a sinking currency that has attracted investment and, of course, previously priced-out tourists. And new residents. New wealthy residents who can now afford to check off a big item on the multi-millionaire bucket list: property in the planet’s most coveted city. (London also topped Resonance Consultancy’s Europe’s Best Cities earlier this year.)
According to the Financial Times and estate agency Savills, 2022 sales of luxury homes in the city were torrid, with 605 properties selling for £5 million ($6.3 million) or more in 2022, the most since at least 2006. The party did slow in 2023, with inflation, persistent high interest rates and flat equity market performance all cited as causes (to say nothing of the potential of the Labour Party forming the next government). “The number of properties sold in prime central London in the first quarter of 2023 was 29% lower than the same period last year, according to LonRes, which tracks the city’s high-end market,” reported the FT. “At the same time, buyer demand has fallen in nearly every part of prime London since last summer, says the data company PropCast.”
The highest-profile new residents span the globally super-rich, from Middle Eastern buying activity hitting a four-year high in the second half of 2022 to the arrival of tech royalty, although aggressive tech-sector cost-cutting has brought the deep tech investment seen earlier this decade to a halt.
Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri, who arrived seeking the most educated citizenry on the planet—available at a relative discount to Silicon Valley or New York—returned to the U.S. earlier this year. While the city remains Meta’s largest global engineering base outside of the U.S., its two offices in London’s King’s Cross neighborhood, opened in early 2022 after a three-year build (and designed by Bennetts Associates with interiors by TP Bennett based on a concept design by Gehry Partners), are pretty sparse these days. While Google is still planning to open its 11-story, 969,000-square-foot London HQ in 2024 between King’s Cross station and the King’s Boulevard, the 4,000 anticipated employees won’t be brought on for a while.
The office slowdown across the city has spotlighted the office vacancy crisis at Canary Wharf, London’s 128-acre banking district, with its 17% (and rising) vacancy rate, which is the highest in the city. As a result, owners Canary Wharf Group are planning to invest their way out by building a “Canary Wharf 3.0” in the area, focused on residential, entertainment and a 750,000-square-foot life-sciences center, which it says will be the largest commercial lab in Europe.
Despite these recent economic clouds, London is still hot globally. According to fDi Markets, the Financial Times’ foreign investment tracker, London has pulled in the most foreign direct investments into tech from international companies since 2018, ahead of New York, Singapore and Dubai.
Of course none of this happens without the sustained facilitation of London & Partners, London’s official publicity arm and the economic development organization that works to offer financial perks for all that relocation. Recent tax incentives have included the lowest corporate tax rate among G7 countries and a cornucopia of research and development tax credits. “Grow London, delivered by London & Partners, continues to support high growth companies from around the world to choose London for their international expansion, connect into our communities and meet their peers,” says Janet Coyle, managing director of business growth at London & Partners. “From Andreessen Horowitz picking London for its first office outside the U.S. to the Atlanta-based carbon credit fintech platform Cloverly expanding to London to support Mayor Sadiq Khan’s ambitious climate goals to become a zero-carbon, zero-pollution city by 2030 and a
zero-waste city by 2050, London is one of the best places to scale a business.”
All those newcomers will need to fuel up, and this is the right place, especially these days, when the culinary industry is being reborn after dozens of the city’s most iconic restaurants shuttered over the pandemic. The city with a Top 5 restaurant scene globally is buzzing again with big-name openings like Dubai-based izakaya-style restaurant Kinoya in Harrods. Hundreds of other rooms are soon to join this increasingly daring culinary destination serving—and welcoming—the world once more.
Fortunately for them, dozens of newly opened and equally daring hotels await, none more exciting than the urban reimagining of the Art’otel, with its 164 art-inspired rooms on the top levels of the recently reopened Battersea Power Station, a mid-1900s husk that today is stuffed with shops, restaurants, cinemas and a theater. Or the OWO Raffles in the Old War Office Building in Whitehall—it’s the first time the neo-Baroque building, used by the Ministry of Defence until the 1960s, will open to the public.
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Reviews for "The Art of Creating a Lively Atmosphere in a Hipster Metropolis"
- Emily - 1/5
I was really disappointed with the lively atmosphere at this place. The moment I walked in, I felt overwhelmed by the loud music and the constant chatter of hipsters trying to appear cool. It was impossible to have a conversation without having to shout over the noise. The service was also quite slow, and the staff seemed more interested in chatting amongst themselves than attending to the customers. Overall, I found the atmosphere too chaotic and not at all enjoyable.
- John - 2/5
I'm not a fan of big cities, to begin with, so going to a metropolis was already out of my comfort zone. However, the "lively" atmosphere at this place was just too much for me. The constant hustle and bustle made it impossible to relax and enjoy my meal. It seemed like everyone was in a rush, and the noise level was through the roof. Additionally, the hipster crowd made me feel out of place, with their pretentious attitudes and fashion choices. I think this place is more suited for people who enjoy a hectic and trendy environment, but it's definitely not for everyone.
- Sarah - 2/5
I've been to many hipster establishments, but this place was a bit too much for my liking. While the atmosphere was indeed lively, it felt more like an overcrowded party than a cozy hangout spot. It was hard to find a comfortable place to sit, and the wait for a table was ridiculously long. The drinks were average at best, and the food options were limited and overpriced. Not to mention the Instagram-obsessed crowd that seemed more interested in taking photos of their food than actually eating it. I can see why some people enjoy this place, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.