I’m an American living in Britain – here’s the difference between Londoners and New Yorkers

An American woman living in London claims Londoners are ‘not nice’ and says people look at her like she is ‘crazy’ for thanking bus drivers.

Aurora Lofton, originally from Virginia, moved to Britain almost two years ago and is often surprised by the stark differences between the two countries.

The 27-year-old posts candid videos on her TikTok account (@aurora._victoria) about adjusting to life in Britain and has built up quite a fanbase, with 628,000 followers and 2.2 million likes to date.

We’ve previously reported on her thoughts on ‘confusing’ street signs, British cinema snacks and her troubles finding long-life bread in supermarkets.

MailOnline Travel spoke to Aurora to find out more about her ‘whirlwind’ life in London and what she likes and dislikes about the city.

The 27-year-old claims Londoners are ‘not nice’ and says people look at her like she’s ‘crazy’ for thanking bus drivers

The content creator and management consultant said: ‘Generally speaking, people are not “nice”. I wouldn’t use that word to describe the people down here.’

Her reasoning? She said: ‘When I get off the bus, people look at me like I’m crazy for thanking the bus driver.’

Aurora, who lives in east London, said the city is very “individualistic”. She explained: ‘People don’t smile back at you, or when you walk past someone on the street and say good morning. They don’t say good morning back. People don’t open doors for each other.’

She even claimed that people are friendlier in New York, as she previously lived in Brooklyn, where she said that “people will say hi to each other.”

She added: ‘Here (London) you stay in your own lane. You don’t interact with anyone. You have your specific colleagues, your specific friends and acquaintances and everyone else with whom you have no contact at all.’

Aurora moved to London almost two years ago and said she has now ‘adjusted’ to life in the city

Aurora has become so accustomed to the London way of life that she has been surprised when she visits other countries.

When she visited her family in Switzerland, she said, “Someone said ‘hello’ to me on the street. I thought, “Oh my god.” I’m the meanest person on the street now. Because I have adapted to the London way of acting. I just forgot you were supposed to do that.”

However, she said, “Aside from all those things, I’ve built such an incredible life here. I love the friends I have and have met such incredible people.”

Aurora claims that London is the best city for twenty-somethings to be in. She said, ‘Whatever you want, London can bring it to you.

‘I don’t know any other city with so much diversity, green space and access to the world and Europe. Nothing compares to London.

Aurora said she has built an ‘incredible’ life in London and loves the ‘diversity’ and ‘green spaces’ the city offers. She can be seen in the photo on the left in a cafe in Little Venice and on the right in Holland Park

Aurora told MailOnline Travel: ‘Whatever you want, London can bring it to you.’ She is seen above at The Standard Hotel in London

‘You can meet people from all over the world. It’s such a melting pot.’

But she cautions those thinking of moving in the spring. She said: ‘Winter is terrible, it’s terrible. It is undeniable.

‘But spring and summer are an atmosphere. So hold on and come in the spring.”

When asked if she would ever move back to the US, she said: ‘Maybe one day I’ll love America, so my heart is in two places. I still love being an American.”

But she’s not ready to trade her life in Britain anytime soon.

To see more of Aurora, visit her on TikTok www.tiktok.com/@aurora._victoria and Instagram www.instagram.com/aurora._victoria/?hl=en.