I moved here in 2021 because I got a discounted rent coming out of quarantine.
I’ll be honest: Canary Wharf wouldn’t be my first choice. It’s like Milton Keynes but with less personality. (I’m from Milton Keynes). Unless the soul is money, it is completely soulless.
But actually I fell in love with this place.
I was living in Shoreditch. I think Canary Wharf is more honest and real in many ways. Shoreditch seems cool and trendy, but the truth is you need a lot of money to live there.
What I love about Canary Wharf is that it doesn’t pretend to be anything other than what it is. There is some truth to this. Rich young Chinese women with small dogs. It is Hawksmoor. This is Dishoom. So clean. He has his own private security running around. This is not nonsense. And I liked it.
I’m in a different place in my life now. I knew I could make more money in my life by moving here. I don’t want to go to Shoreditch House and see rich kids pretending to be poor and creative. I’d rather just raise my head and go: How will I get a pension? I try to get myself into that kind of headspace.
Eating and drinking
I don’t drink alcohol but I love food.
You can walk to Dishoom on Water Street in less than five minutes. This is my favorite place.
Canary Wharf shopping center has a great food court in the basement. There’s a place called Biang where a great bowl of noodles costs around £12. There’s also an Argentinian Grill where you can spend £12 or £13 and get rice with a nice Chimichurri sauce or a cutting board full of fries and steak.
There’s also a Paul who makes giant macarons. I really like them. For coffee, there’s a new plant-based place on Park Drive called Mallow.
Where do I work
It depends on what budget I have. If I’m feeling good, we have Third Space in Canada Square, which is also quite expensive. Alternatively, there’s a place in Harbord Square called In2Sports, which costs around £20 a month and has a bit of a charitable feel to it.
I also signed up to my local Better leisure center on Tiller Road. You have access to all the health centers, but you need to time it so you don’t have to go to the gym when schools just start. Students can use the gym from 16.30 to 18.30, I learned this by mistake once.
I spent 46 years avoiding children; I don’t want to have to train with them.
To integrate with nature
I’m right next to the river. You can walk along parts of the Thames Path. I love the river; It makes me feel like I’m not in the city. It’s quiet and if you walk to the bottom of the Isle of Dogs you almost feel like you’re by the sea.
Mudchute Park is amazing. They have animals on the farm there and there is a lot of open space. There’s a hill where you can sit in the greenery but you’re looking out over the skyline of Canary Wharf. This is good.
grocery shopping
I need to be careful about how much I spend at Amazon Fresh on Water Street. It’s useful, but it doesn’t give you the best bang for your buck. Even though I didn’t have Waitrose money, I used to shop at Waitrose in Canada Square. Now the big Asda on Ferry Road is my supermarket.
For culture correction
You don’t come to Canary Wharf for the culture.
But I love Waterstones in Cabot Square and I love going to the Everyman Cinema in Crossrail Place, even though it’s £20 to get a seat. Normally I take the metro and head into the city.
To wander
Public transport is really good.
We have the Lizzy line, the DLR and the Jubilee line; These are my favorite because you get signal. There is also Overground just one stop away on Canada Water.
dream street
My dream is to have a riverside flat in Marsh Wall. There’s a £2 million flat on my visualization board: three bedrooms, two bathrooms, super high and full-height windows overlooking London.
Something you can only see in Canary Wharf
Unobstructed views of London. And also seagulls.
What’s the purpose?
Sometimes it feels like I’ve gone a little out of my depth. I feel like people don’t come and visit me as much as they did when I lived in Shoreditch.
in three words
Futuristic. Soulless. He was beaten.
Conway’s show, Talk Dirty To Me, will be on tour through July 18. eleanorconway.com tickets, discount codes and to help plan their tours.
Schools
There are seven nearby primary schools rated as outstanding, and a further eight primary schools rated as good.
Top picks include Woolmore, Mayflower and Bygrove. For secondary schools, New City College, Canary Wharf College Crossharbour and Langdon Park Community School are some of the top-rated options nearby
What does it cost
Purchasing in Canary Wharf
Average property price: £528,840
Renting in Canary Wharf
Average fixed price, pcm: £2,560
Average house price, pcm: £3,360
Source: Hamptons and the Register of Deeds