Birmingham (England)

...to write a review of Birmingham by Rachel, aka Rabbiter, after she wrote an excellent piece about her home town of Nottingham. Also, since there haven't been any reviews written in 2005, some things might have changed. With this review, I am just trying to prove that Birmingham is the greatest city in Britain to live in at the moment, and inform tourists of all the things to see and do (and maybe try to boost Brum's tourism industry in the process ...
...about Birmingham - that it's boring, dirty and full of concrete. Forget about the brummie dialect and accent, which I have to admit I don't like, and forget about how Birmingham has more miles of canal than Venice (sorry, I had to put that in somewhere). Most of these things are completely not true, or at least unimportant and unreflective of what Birmingham really is. Birmingham is England's second city, not Manchester; it's the home of UB40 and ... more

I was inspired to write a review of Birmingham by Rachel, aka Rabbiter, after she wrote an excellent piece about her home town of Nottingham. Also, since there haven't been any reviews written in 2005, some things might have changed. With this review, I am just trying to prove that Birmingham is the greatest city in Britain to live in at the moment, and inform tourists of all the things to see and do (and maybe try to boost Brum's tourism industry in the process with my glowing praise).

Forget the myths about Birmingham - that it's boring, dirty and full of concrete. Forget about the brummie dialect and accent, which I have to admit I don't like, and forget about how Birmingham has more miles of canal than Venice (sorry, I had to put that in somewhere). Most of these things are completely not true, or at least unimportant and unreflective of what Birmingham really is. Birmingham is England's second city, not Manchester; it's the home of UB40 and Ozzy Osbourne, the home of 3 premiership football teams, the home of one of the biggest collections of pre-Raphaelite art in the world, and now the home of one of the best and most talked-about buildings in the UK - the Bullring Selfridges store. There is so much to see and do in and around Birmingham, so I'll split it into categories to make it simpler.

SHOPPING

Now I know this is what many tourists come to Birmingham to do, so I'm not saying it's the best thing to do in Brum, but it seems a popular place to begin. The new Bullring shopping centre. What more do I need to say? It cost millions to build (over half a million pounds a day), and has completely regenerated a previously grotty area of the city centre into a gleaming, modern and fashionable tourist attraction that would grace any European city. The architecture is fantastic, and it's completely clean and high-tech. But the obvious attraction is the shops - brand new stores such as H+M, GAP, Mango, Topshop and Topman, a huge Debenhams, and the absolutely fantastic Selfridges flagship store, complete with 15,000 aluminium discs. If you want something other than clothes, pop into the Perfume Shop, the Apple Store, or even the Swarovski Crystal shop, and if you get peckish, there is everything from a Nandos and a Pizza Hut to a Café Rouge and Baguette du Monde.

As well as the Bullring, there is the Mailbox, which is a bit more posh and swanky, with higher prices and designer fashions to match. This was also recently opened, and is now home to the BBC West Midlands TV and Radio. As well as Bullring and the Mailbox, there were already plenty of shops around the pretty big Birmingham city centre, including my favourite Primark, and just outside Birmingham is yet another shopping centre, Merry Hill, with practically every shop you could want. In all, I think Birmingham is probably the best city outside London to go for a shopping trip. In fact - forget that, it's better than London!

SIGHTS

Birmingham is also full to the brim of places to visit. There are lots of art galleries in the centre: the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, which holds lots of pre-Raphaelite paintings and a huge dinosaur skeleton; the Gas Hall, which holds exhibitions on a wide range of subjects; the new-ish Ikon Gallery, displaying contemporary art if that's your thing, and probably some more which I forget now. If you prefer plays, musicals and shows, there are three theatres in Birmingham city centre: the Alexandra Theatre (which is currently being sued, but don't let that put you off!), the Repertory Theatre (REP) and the Hippodrome. Also in the city centre you will find the Wheel of Birmingham, which goes 60m up in the air, Think Tank at Millennium Point, which boasts an Imax Cinema and an excellent science museum, and the Sea Life Centre near Brindley Place. This is another recently refurbished area, which contains lots of smart offices and some of Birmingham's most picturesque canals. At the moment there is a display of the Earth From The Air photos all around some parts of the centre, which are worth a look.

In the outskirts of Birmingham, there are loads of places you must go to. Cadbury World, situated in the factory at Bournville, is an essential attraction for families, or anyone who loves chocolate! The Botanical Gardens in Edgbaston are superb. For sports fans, Birmingham is home to Edgbaston Cricket Ground, home of Warwickshire and the venue for many England Test matches, plus the stadiums of Aston Villa, Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion.

EATING AND DRINKING

Birmingham is the home of lots and lots of great restaurants, of all different styles. If you want a true flavour of Birmingham, be sure to visit a curry house, and there are plenty of great Chinese restaurants in the China Town. The city centre has loads of sandwich and coffee shops, not to mention about ten Starbucks! For those with a more sophisticated palate, you can find more up-market cuisine at Brindley Place, just off Broad Street. Sit by the canals, watching the sun set, whilst eating at the Café Rouge or the expensive place owned by a French chef that I can't remember the name of. Broad Street has to be the first stop for those who want to dine, drink and have some fun, with its countless trendy bars and restaurants, such as Hard Rock Café and Old Orleans.

PUBS, CLUBS AND NIGHTLIFE

However, if you go to Broad Street on a Friday or Saturday night, be prepared for all hell to break loose, as all the clubbers swing into action. There are loads of clubs there, from Flares to Riza, Shimla Pinks to the Rococo lounge. Broad Street is slightly notorious for trouble, and the road gets so congested that buses were recently stopped from going there. Further into the city centre there are lots more clubs, such as Snobs and Subway City. However, not all of these are good, particularly that last one, so you might have to be careful. If you'd rather just go to the pub, there are lots of these on Broad Street too, including the Australian-themed Walkabout. Elsewhere around Birmingham there are plenty of drinking establishments, but I'm going to concentrate on the city centre since there are so many.

GETTING AROUND

The public transport in Birmingham is excellent, despite what you may hear. The best way to visit the Bullring or city centre is by bus or train, since there can be a lot of traffic for cars, and parking is an issue. Buses and trains are (mostly) clean and safe, and are fairly good for coming regularly and not being delayed. There are three main train stations in Birmingham: Moor Street and Snow Street, which deal with regional lines, and New Street Station, which is the biggest of the three, and deals with trains to and from the rest of the country. There are countless buses which go to from the city centre to all over the whole of Birmingham and other parts of the West Midlands. A new metro system has been introduced, which looks clean and shiny, but I've never actually tried it, as it's unclear where it actually goes to. But I'd probably recommend you give that a try if you wanted to investigate! And if you're flying to Birmingham, you'll probably go to Birmingham International Airport, which is fairly big and quite modern, with a new maglev "Sky train". Finally, I can't talk about Birmingham's transport without mentioning the famous number 11 bus route. This is now a real tourist attraction, as it goes all around the whole of Birmingham in a ring, taking several hours and stopping at several hundred stops! If you want to see literally all the different parts of Birmingham, this is a must!

BIRMINGHAM IN GENERAL

To conclude, I have to just say that Birmingham is a really nice place to visit, and an even better place to live! It is remarkably clean in the city centre, which is important. I've noticed that when I've visited other cities such as Liverpool and Manchester, the streets are much dirtier than they are back home, and I'm not making that up! It's another well-quoted fact that, as well as the canals, Birmingham has more trees per person than any other European city, and you can really notice it whilst walking around. There are loads of parks and nature reserves if you want to get away from all the hustle and bustle of the city. So, Rachel, that is why Birmingham is better than Nottingham, and I hope I have inspired all of you to forget your preconceptions of good old Brum, and come and visit!
 

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