Portobello Road is one of the most famous streets in the world, but living there isn't as magical as it looks

• I'm lucky enough to live on Portobello Road, one of the most famous streets in the world
• Living here is dreamy, but there are always tourists posing for photos outside my front door.
• The best time to be here is the Notting Hill Carnival since I can watch the parade from my windows.

Portobello Road is one of the most magical streets in London, and somehow I ended up living on it.

With its pastel houses, renowned front doors featured in movies, and a market that draws people from all over, this road is a famous piece of the tourist-favorite Notting Hill area.

I moved there a few years ago, and now I wouldn't live anywhere else on the planet, even though it has its downsides.

I ended up living in West London after moving in with a friend a few years ago

Although I was initially doubtful about residing in such a well-known area, I was completely smitten after just a few days.

The community feel and atmosphere of Notting Hill, combined with the charm of the neighborhood and the great shops, restaurants, and hangout spots right on my doorstep won me over.

It truly feels like a village in the middle of the city.

Residents who were born here and grew up here are rightfully proud of where they're from, and there is a strong sense of place and history which is less obvious in other well-known parts of London.

There's also something fun about telling people where I live and seeing them recognizing the name

It's also an undeniably cool place to live.

To me, Notting Hill is the name of the place I stand up for when it's announced on the tube, but to others, it's something they've heard in movies and TV shows.

Of course, many know it from the classic '90s rom-com "Notting Hill," led by Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. The colorful district is also featured on tons of postcards and all over Instagram.

But having such a famous address has its downsides

Sometimes people judge me for living somewhere so popular.

A lot of people comment that this must be a pricey place to live in, but I haven't found it to be more expensive than the rest of London (this isn't saying much, as anyone paying London rent prices knows).

Plus Notting Hill, in general, and Portobello Road, in particular, are some of the most touristy areas of London.

On market days and during high season, the streets are thronged with people desperate to experience Portobello for themselves.

Portobello can become as crowded as the standing area of a concert, with visitors packed shoulder to shoulder snapping photos of everything from the falafel stalls to the dog park.

I used to be lucky enough to live inside one of the neighborhood's famous pastel houses and was often woken up early on the weekends by tourists posing for photos outside of my front door.

It can get a bit tiring to have to constantly ask the wide-eyed tourists eating containers of street food while sitting in the entrance to my house to vacate their picnic spot so I can open my front door.

I can't tell you the number of times I've unwittingly walked into someone's selfie when I'm just trying to sign for a package.

It can also feel like an intrusion of privacy to know hundreds of people are photographing the place where you live every day. I've also gotten used to picking up the trash left behind by tourists.

Still, I don't get too annoyed with tourists - as someone who loves traveling, both being a tourist and dealing with tourists are just part of existing in the world and being lucky enough to visit new places.

And it feels like if people are lined up outside of your house to pose for a photo you've picked a pretty cool place to live.

Sometimes I take advantage of the photo opportunities, too, during rare moments when the streets are pretty empty.

I see why tourists like the area so much - it has a lot of great places to shop and grab food

One of the undeniable pros of living on Portobello Road is the number of interesting people, shops, and places that surround me.

There really is everything on my doorstep, from antique shops and incredible eateries to cool bars and bookstores.

Since living here, I've also become friends with antique dealers, stallholders, and locals who've never lived anywhere but here.

One of my favorite things about living on Portobello Road is the proximity to the famous market and carnival

On my doorstep is a market that's so famous it has a song written about it.

It has world-class produce, antiques so expensive they could take your breath away, vintage clothes, every kind of street food you could ever dream of, gorgeous bunches of flowers, and plenty of stuff that could be worthless or a priceless gem.

And at the end of every summer, the whole area explodes into a party as the Notting Hill Carnival arrives.

It's the biggest street party in Europe and living here during the August Bank holiday is like having a VIP ticket to the hottest club in town.

A lot of my neighbors who don't like the busyness, noise, and inability to use the tube or drive a car within the Carnival boundaries try to plan their vacations for this weekend.

For me, it's one of the best times of the year.

The whole of London descends on my little patch of the world and I get to show my friends the best spots to hang out and hear music, and head to the places to see the parade that only true locals know.

Even better, when the crowded streets become too much I can retreat to my well-placed flat and enjoy the incredible views over the parade and the partying masses. Plus I'm guaranteed to have access to a working toilet without a line, a premium on Carnival weekend.

It's a privilege to get to live in the middle of a cultural experience so important to the Notting Hill community.

Even though it has its downsides, I feel so lucky to love where I live

Every day I step outside my flat and feel grateful that I get to live here and experience an area of London that many people only see in photographs.

It's totally worth the price, even if I have to dodge tourists to get to my front door.