Advantages: Mostly free, fascinating, reflects the city's industrial heritage Disadvantages: Not well publicised enough, buried under the city's poor reputation
Well, recently Birmingham was short-listed to be the European capital of culture in 2008. We face stiff competition from Bristol, Cardiff, Liverpool, Newcastle & Gateshead and Oxford and the decision has had many people who do not know the city well cry out ‘what, that grim dirty hole! What do they have that’s cultural?’
Well, apart from Theatres, the Royal ballet, symphony hall, great shopping, bars and restaurants and a vast redevelopment of the ... ...of those who lived in Birmingham one hundred years ago and where you can learn all about the work of some of the city’s greatest figures such as Joseph Chamberlain and George Cadbury. Plus exhibits of artefacts from other ancient civilisations. The applied art collections pay homage to Birmingham’s long history as an industrial centre. Collections of metalwork, jewellery and silversmithing work details not only Birmingham’s contribution to the manufacturing ...
michaird 31.12.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Birmingham in general
Advantages: A great shopping experience, mainly good transport links. Disadvantages: BUSES-NIGHTMARE!!! rains all the time.
...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 ... ...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. ...
scottyk 03.03.2001
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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.
I was born in Birmingham and until I was 18 I always thought of it as a grey, industrial city, mocked by the rest of the country (although I wasn't sure what for) and I was wary of saying to people that I came from Birmingham.
It is, of course, supposed to be the country's second city but is most often overlooked in favour of Manchester. I don't know how it has happened exactly, but Manchester seems to have taken all the privileges of a second city ... ...decided that I love Birmingham and I am back here to stay, possibly not permanently as we do have thoughts of moving to another hemisphere entirely, but while I am in England, Birmingham will be my home.
Sure, it has changed a lot in the last 10-15 years, so maybe our reputation of dullness, stupidity, concrete and traffic used to be based on some home truths. But now, things are different.
In many parts of Birmingham, you could look around you, ...
Motley 01.01.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Birmingham in general
Advantages: Loads of things to do, great night life, friendly people Disadvantages: It has a bad reputation and doesn't get the coverage it deserves!
...think people get confused between Birmingham accents and Black country accents (like Lenny Henry) when really they are quite different. I feel quite defensive about what I consider to be my home town. When my friend from Spain visited me, she said she preferred Birmingham to Manchester and Liverpool. Me too! The people of Birmingham are generally down to earth and friendly. You have a great choice of shops, clubs and restaruants without the inflated ... ...Shopping Birmingham city centre is great for shopping. Not only is there a great selection of shops, but it is mostly pedestrianised and compact. All the usual suspects, like Top Shop, H+M, Marks+Sparks, WHSmith, but also some great individual shops. The new Bull Ring hosts the rag market, which is clean and spacious in its' new home. You can pick up some great buys at the markets, from fruit and veg, to rugs, to T-shirts. The new Mailbox complex ...
MissDirect 25.11.2001 (02.04.2002)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Birmingham in general
Advantages: It's in the centre of England Disadvantages: It's full of Brummies
Birmingham is a city is renewed vibrancy. Soon to go is the concrete hellhole better known as the Bull Ring (www.bullring.co.uk). 26 football pitches-worth of shops, including Selfridges, homes and leisure areas will appear in the city between now and 2007. Everywhere you look something new is being built to transform this old place of misguided sixties brutalist architecture and drag it into the twenty-first century. Indeed this makeover culminated ... ...The latest Rough Guide nominates Birmingham as the 60th most desirable place to live, ahead of Rome, Milan, Barcelona and Hong Kong. If you risk going into the city you will be pleasantly delighted by embarrassment of riches that Birmingham nightlife holds.
If you do decide to venture forth, leave your car in the car park, driving into town in not recommended. Traffic in Birmingham can be as bad as any day in central London. Parking is available ...
rene.millman 13.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Birmingham in general
Advantages: Redevelopment, pedestrianisation, improved nightlife, cleaner, no traffic Disadvantages: still souless, no greenary, wildlife, do the local benefit?
...soulless.
I first visited Birmingham 20 years ago and my impression of the place was...damn...'nuff said!!
However, my boyfriend is a Brummie lad so a few weeks ago I pushed myself to take another trip northwards up the M40 to the city of nightmares.
Well bless my stockings!
With my boyfriend as guide I was genuinely surprised at the total transformation of the city hub. Even though it was still a nightmare to get into with all the one-way systems ... ...towers & skyscrapers?
Yes, Birmingham has changed for the better but a lot still has to be done both for the tourist, the businessman & the local people. Until then my attitude towards cities in general and Brum in particular remains unmoved.
Give me quaint little Oxford anyday. The problem is, I've got to convince my Brummy Boyfriend that moving to little old Oxford will be the best move he will ever make...will he cope I wonder lol ...
dreamstar70 03.01.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Birmingham in general
Advantages: lots to do, easy to park and friendly people Disadvantages: Brummie accents (I'm allowed 'cus i'm a native!)
Birmingham has lots of features that people choose to overlook, so as a born-and-bred Brummie it is my duty to inform you! I no longer live there but I love to go back. It is one of the few city centres that you are able to drive and park in relatively easily (and I've visited a few). When in the centre there's lots to do all within a short distance. There's the National Indoor Arena (where Gladiators and several horse jumping events are held)located ... ...a stones throw from the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, the Museum and Art Gallery, Central Library (ok so Prince Charles did liken the building to an incinerator, but it is the largest reference library in Europe - or was when I lived there!). These are all located amongst the central shopping areas where you can buy virtually anything, for any taste. Of course there are also loads of things to do within a short drive of the City centre such as the ...
hillbilly1 09.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Birmingham in general
Advantages: Easy access, lots to do/see/buy, open spaces, smog free, friendly Disadvantages: inner ring roads still lurk, not enough nightclubs, restaurants, needs to cater more for foreign tourist
...and an enduring complaint that Birmingham city centre is all chimney pots & cobbled streets, its now safe to say that the nightmare is almost at an end and the urban utopia is within a whisker of being complete.
Firstly, getting to Birmingham.
Birmingham Internation Airport is about 14 miles from the city centre and caters for most of the major airlines from around European & America. The airport, like Birmingham itself, has undergone huge redevelopment ... ...the tallest building in Europe) & cultural centres.
Birmingham has changed considerably over the years, so don't be taken in by the old criticisms of smog & dingy streets. Visit Birmingham day or night, there is plenty to do & see. You'll be assured of a warm welcome! ...
Sonatine 02.08.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Birmingham in general
Advantages: Seeing the City in a ifferent light Disadvantages: Takes a while to walk around
The redevelopment of Birmingham's city centre since the 1980's has seen an increase in the amount of public art on the streets. Two particularly striking works are the monumental "Forward" by Raymond Mason in Centenary Square and the "iron man" in Victoria Square. Both relate to Birmingham's changing role as a city from the place of a thousand trades and mass production to a gleaming post modern centre of service and consumption. "Forward" depicts ... ...and forges towards the ICC, the flagship of all that is meant to be good about our "new" city. Needless to say it doesn't mention the underspending in education and housing services by the council that went towards financing the redevelopment. The "iron man" leans slightly and left unpainted to corrode forms a less heroic statement about the demise of the industrial past. Exploring the City is an eye opener if you just step back, lower your barriers ...
jrcoup 09.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Birmingham in general
Advantages: Great variety of attractions Disadvantages: Outskirts a little dingy
...have lived quite near to Birmingham for quite a few years, and I am surprised that so many people seem to think little of it. The city centre has a wonderful variety of attractions and I would recommend anybody to visit it for a day. I think that it is best to keep away from the outskirts of town, mind you, as these areas are not quite so pleasant. The town centre offers culture with the National Symphony hall, and a variety of theatres, and entertainment ...
robertjake 30.09.2000
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Review of Birmingham in general
Advantages: Loads to do Disadvantages: Brummy Accent
...a whole Street, Broad Street, dedicated to all those looking for a late night out. Other entertainment can be found by the bucket load. Cinemas, bowling, ice skating, eating and drinking are all popular and Birmingham caters for this suburbly!! Overall, a great city to call home!!! ...
Sabrina_imogen 12.09.2000
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Review of Birmingham in general
Advantages: Central England,Good for touring,Great modern city. Disadvantages: City centre not recommended for the motorist!
...etc are all within a day-trip distance.
If you like fine restaurants, especially Chinese and Balti, Brum really cannot be beaten! Transport to Brum is easy by Train to New St Station, by air to Birmingham International airport, or by road via the M5,M6,M1,or M42 motorways. ...
wiseoldowl 20.08.2000
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...always coming back home to Birmingham in between. I came to the conclusion that everywhere is the same - psychologically.
I am now settled in Birmingham and I love it. It has a really cosmopolitan feel to it and is so multi-cultural now that at times, when I stans outside a bar or I am driving past Balti mile, I really do think I could be anywhere in the world.
Birmingham has had a lot of money spent on it in the last 15 years and is almost unrecognisable ... ...once was in the 60s and 70s. Now there are more open spaces, more parkland, more clubs, shops and more designer stores. The choice here is great, that's one of the things I love about Birmingham. It's big enough to get lost in but small enough to have a community in. There are three universities to choose from in the centre of town and plenty more if you are prepared to commute 40 minutes or so.
It's a great place and it keeps getting better as ...
JimmyMuffin 02.09.2000
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Advantages: Plenty of places to eat, drink and be merry! Disadvantages: It's not cheap
I've lived in Birmingham all my life now - 23 years. Only recently has it become a great place to go though, with the developements up by Broad Street. If you're after a place to go for a drink, or out for a meal, then head up there and you wont be disappointed. There's even a 12 screen cinema there now too.
Places there include Sports Bar (great fun), O'Neills pub, Ministry Bar and Radio Café. Great stuff! :)
As for shopping, well, the centre ...
debug 27.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Birmingham in general
Advantages: Great city centre and some nice nightspots Disadvantages: Can get crowded and has its rougher edges
Birmingham is the second city of England, but in many circles has a bad reputation which is largely undeserved. Facing the dubious honour of being neither North nor South but truly Midlands territory, the city centre has been dramatically improved in the recent era. For a start, there are the magnificent facilities such as the international convention centre (ICC) and the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) a little way out of town. Also, there is a ... ...when on the way out of the town centre, which is worth an afternoon of anyone’s shopping time. Nightlife is famous and varied, from trendy clubs like Bakers and the Steering Wheel worth a look if you are on the look for a wild night out, to classy restaurant, hotels and brasseries which can be found on Broad Street. ...
BIGHORSE 02.08.2000
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