Don't know about the 10 year stuff but I agree. It's been great the past week with the bank holiday/summer holiday combination as the sheer volume of people around has reduced.
I've been in Highbury/Angel since I've moved here and it is great though - loads of restaurants, bars, pubs, parks etc. I can imagine if you were in Soho, Camden, Oxford Street, Brixton, it can be overwhelming. But most areas aren't there.