Comment by lanza
15 hours ago
I always find it really weird when somebody on the anonymous internet talks about local places as if we're all neighbors or something. Googling "Richmond Hill" gave me multiple pages of results that had nothing to do with the one that Attenborough lives at.
Not to sound hipster about it, but if it's done in this way I find it charming. I also had to piece it together, which took me on a little virtual travel tour, and had me wonder about what Richmond Hill means to the locals. Rather fitting in context, too.
The "everyone on the internet is American" stuff in e.g. politics or job market convos is a lot more grating.
I really enjoyed OP's story, and the way they told it. Knowing the location of Richmond Hill is really not the point.
Well yes but it does open the question for me as to what the place is like and why he'd like it so much.
Yes, but it’s refreshing that for once it isn’t a San Francisco neighbourhood!
If you're familiar with London, you know where Richmond is and that it's a wealthy area. A search confirms there's a Richmond Hill in Richmond.
Or if you've seen Ted Lasso
In hindsight it maybe should have also been obvious from the language alone. "Richmond Hill" feels a bit like saying "Rich Hill Hill" which is basically like saying "Wealthy Desirable Area."
4 replies →
Aa in the the old English folk song "The lass of Richmond Hill".
That's about Yorkshire, but yes
London isn’t exactly a small “local place” and there is only one Richmond Hill in London. So I’m not sure what the issue you’re having is.
Less than 0.2% of the world's population lives in the wider metropolitan area of London.
I live in Europe, I've been to London a few times, I have no idea what "Richmond Hill" is or whether Sir Attenborough actually lives in London.
I get where he's coming from, Attenbrorough is vocal about being a londoner to the point he has a whole documentary about the city, and he's very present in UK media.
I get why it doesn't seem so obvious from the outside, but for British people it's as obvious as Apple headquarters being in California.
You didn’t need to know any that because the GP literally referenced London in their comment.
The second sentence was unnecessary.
It's in the Richmond that's in London, not the one in Yorkshire.
would you rather less anecdotes or more hard coordinates?
I'd bet "Richmond Hill, London" would have been geographically adequate. Don't we criticize USAians for their provincialism?
For me, I know "Richmond" is used numerous places near me locally, so my assumption would've been that "Richmond hill" is too generic a query.
"David Attenborough Richmond hill" would've been the way. I'd hardly fault OP for my own choice in query.
Try this search: The Open Book in Richmond UK
Richmond Hill, London
Now I just hear the Cinema Sins "ding!".
and when you googled the book shop name?