I'm still in two minds about Chester. First off, I have to say that I didn't have a massive amount of time to spend in the city, which is definitely a shame. Architecture freaks will appreciate the Tudor designs, and even the attempts to continue this in later times are remarkably effective; most notably the Royal Bank of Scotland building. You can lose yourself completely by wandering around with your head pointed up in the sky, marvelling at the brilliance and, yes, cuteness of the buildings.
As if this weren't enough, the town is also distinctive for its own version of "streets in the sky" - shops set above street level accessible only by a gangway from the main street. A haven for slightly off-beat restaurants and the more expensive jewellers, these are a delight and well worth a trip to Chester by themselves - although drinking on them is forbidden by an ancient by-law. A shame, but the handful of pubs up there have more than enough history to compensate for this.
The architectural niceties are not confined to Tudor design, either. The Town Hall is a remarkable piece of work, and to the right of this are the library, which preserves the facade of an earlier building, and a 1930's Odeon cinema, built in the Art Deco tradition. It's worth buying a zoom lens camera just to go to Chester, and to spend a good few days trying to capture it all. For a bit of relief from the buildings, you can always wander down to the river Dee, which has a truly beautiful riverbank on a summers' day such as the one I went on.
As far as Chester's Roman roots are concerned, these are scanty in places but add to the town's appeal. Obviously the main attraction is the walls, but other than this a half-excavated ampitheatre and a random roman column stood near the Forum shopping centre are the main points of interest, though there is also a museum devoted in a Jorvik viking centre style (for anyone who has visited York) to the time of Roman occupation.
So, what is the problem with Chester? In a nutshell, there's nothing to actually DO there, apart from wandering around in wonderment. Access by road is, to put it politely, a nightmare once you're near the centre, though in fairness the train links are reasonable. Basically, if you're intending to stay in Chester rather than have a day there, you'd just better be obsessive about your buildings and architecture, that's all. Don't get me wrong though - this side of York and Norwich, there are very few other more pleasant places to visit in England than Chester.
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How about the concerts, the theatre, the nightlife, the zoo, laser quest, cinemas, museums, boat trips, historical sites?
Emmak 14.02.2001 13:08
Did you know that Chester has a park and ride system, which is very good, and means you can avoid actually having to drive into the city centre yourself, and worry about parking. Or you can always just watch Hollyoaks.
I've also had a read of your Travis review, nice to see people promoting the lovely Belle and Sebastian.
How come you've not reviewed Clint Boon, given your name?
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Jul 21st, 2000
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