after a long term sabbatical away from the net i have now returned after summer of exams and holiday...
after a long term sabbatical away from the net i have now returned after summer of exams and holidays. I return now a second year undergraduate at Sheffield Hallam University, still skint! Happy reading, hope u like the reviews!
Member since:31.01.2001
Reviews:54
Members who trust:9
After giving you my opinion on my adopted city Sheffield, I thought that it was only right to give you my view of the city that falls in close proximity to my hometown Dudley. Birmingham is a vibrant city, which is full of life and entertainment for it's residents and the outside world.
----Pubs, Clubs and Bars---- Birmingham city centre has a whole range of entertainment venues that would give any city a run for its money. The most well known club night outside the city is called Gods Kitchen held on a Friday night at the Code nightclub in Digbeth. GK used to be held at the Sanctuary nightclub nearby but has just moved to this new super venue. Don't be alarmed if you haven't been to the new venue yet as it is only a short distance from the old venue. The other major club night is Miss Moneypennys at Bonds nightclub. This is a little way outside the main city centre but is only a short taxi ride away. Now if you want to stay in one area for a night out then the place to go is Broad Street. This is the main nightlife area in the city centre and is busier at 3 in the morning than it is at 3 in the afternoon!! Bars include Key Largo, Stoodi Bakers, The Rat & Parrot, The Aussie Bar, Sports Bar, Seamus O Donnels, Brass House and Ministry of
Sound bar. This is a great place to finish the night if you want to stay in the one area and not venture too far. Even though it is around a fiver to get in the best dj's and sounds can be regularly heard from the bar. If you are heading for Birmingham for a night out then make sure you hit Broad Street, as it is the only place to find the best nightlife and people.
----Shopping---- Birmingham is a great place to empty your wallet if you have a few coppers to spend, or even a few hundred to spend. Major names like Rackhams, FCUK, Ted Baker, Reiss, Diesel, Schuh and Gap all have stores in the city centre along with the favourite women shops like Morgan and Kookai. Rackhams can be very handy for you busy shoppers if you can't find your desired purchase in their individual stores. The store has 4 levels for men, women, ladies wear (?!) and café and food. As you would expect with a world famous brand, there are the usual fashionable names like Armani and D&G to indulge your fantasies in, and Rackhams is clearly the best store in Brums crown. If you have a few extra few thousand quid to spend then there are many boutiques hidden away in the backwaters of the centre to court the extravegent. Excuse me for not knowing their names as being a student means that I don't have the necessary resources for these types of items!! Birmingham has a very interesting market area where the bargains are aplenty and it is worth a look if you are one of those bargain hunters who just love the sales!! Whatever your wallet size, there is everything in brum for you shoppers.
----Sporting events---- As per usual with every major city, there are major sporting teams to boot. Two football teams are resident in the city and even though they are leagues apart, both supply great excitement to all sporting fans. The main team is Aston Villa who play at Villa Park in the Carling Premiership. The stadium has just been redeveloped and recently hosted the England v Spain international friendly. Tickets are not the dearest in the top flight and expect to pay between £15-£30 depending on your age and the position of your seat. Across the city, Birmingham City ply their trade in the Nationwide 1st division. Although they are a league below there rivals, City's stadium St Andrews equals if not betters Villa Park. With Birmingham not playing in the Premiership expect to pay a little less then at the Villa but don't expect to enjoy a lesser quality of football. Both play good football and you wouldn't be going wrong if you decided to see either of these two. If footy is not your game then how about going to see the Birmingham Bullets Basketball team at the NIA? Basketball is fast growing in the UK and every game provides excitement for the faithful fans. Tickets are not too dear and the bullets are well worth a look if you ever visit the city. As all cricket fans would know, Edgbaston is the home of Warwickshire cricket club and also hosts England test matches and one-day internationals during the summer months. Edgbaston is well signposted from the motorway and therefore is pretty easy to get to.
----Transport---- This is one of the main sticking points of the city of Birmingham. I'll get to the bad points in a moment but first the good points. New Street train station is more like an airport of sorts and welcomes trains from all over the country. You are likely to encounter some delays here however but being in the centre of the city, it is an excellent point to start your visit. Other local stations include Snow Hill, Five Ways and Moore Street, these however are for mainly local services and take you away from the city centre. A new tram system is no in place connecting Wolverhampton, West Bromwich and Birmingham. Again however, these are more useful for local users and are of no use if you want a day out in the centre of Birmingham. The bus network in the city of Birmingham is not very good at all. There are so many bus stops in the centre of the city that it is hard to find which is your stop and when the bus will come. I suspect even local residents would sometimes have trouble understanding the timetable for the city and I would believe that outsiders would be appalled by the state of the network. While this is a nag of mine I wouldn't drag the whole transport network of Birmingham down with it. Getting to the city is very easy and major motorways M6, M5, and M40 are all routes that can lead into the city.
----Other Stuff---- The new entertainment venue called Star City has just recently opened in Birmingham. This is clearly visible from the M6 motorway and is cinema and entertainment venue rolled into one. There are about 30 screens inside the venue and I think is one of the biggest cinemas in the country. Away from the razzamatazz of Star City are two international venues that hold a galaxy of stars every year. The National Indoor Arena (NIA) and National Exhibition Centre (NEC) are top arena's which host top music stars and actors every year. Robbie Williams, The Spice Girls, Boyzone and Westlife have all graced the NEC in the past amongst others and you can guarantee that if a top star is doing the rounds, then they will be at the NEC.
Well, that's my insight into the second city and I hope you enjoyed. While it may not be as good or cosmopolitan s London or Milan, it most definitely has it's own unique feeling and atmosphere….even if it does rain half the time!!!!! Ciao.
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Advantages: Mostly free, fascinating, reflects the city's industrial heritage Disadvantages: Not well publicised enough, buried under the city's poor reputation
michaird 31.12.2002 (31.12.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Birmingham in general
Advantages: Huge, multi-cultural, lots to do and see, nice atmosphere. Disadvantages: Far from the coast, some of the buildings, the spaghetti junction and the accent.
Advantages: Redevelopment, pedestrianisation, improved nightlife, cleaner, no traffic Disadvantages: still souless, no greenary, wildlife, do the local benefit?
dreamstar70 03.01.2001 (03.01.2001)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Birmingham in general
Advantages: Mostly free, fascinating, reflects the city's industrial heritage Disadvantages: Not well publicised enough, buried under the city's poor reputation
michaird 31.12.2002 (31.12.2002)
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Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Birmingham in general
Advantages: Huge, multi-cultural, lots to do and see, nice atmosphere. Disadvantages: Far from the coast, some of the buildings, the spaghetti junction and the accent.
Mar 3rd, 2001
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