Birmingham Lifestyle
going out
From being straddled with the reputation of having Britain’s ugliest town centre and less culture than a yoghurt, Birmingham has bounced back in the last 10 years to become something special.
From the purpose-built party mile of Broad Street to the new Little Venice of the tastefully redeveloped canal district at Brindley Place, Birmingham has benefited from £7 billion of investment and a lot of thought about how to make the city more attractive.
The result of this is not only a city with renewed pride in itself, nor a whole new skyline, but a city that is great fun to be in. Birmingham can provide the kind of night out which can rival London’s West End so much so that many overseas tourists include a visit there as part of their holiday. With its improved facilities such as the International Convention Centre (ICC) it is also a regular host to major conferences, sporting events and music festivals.
First off is Broad Street, which stretches from just after the end of New Street in the very centre of town out to Five Ways and the far edge of the wealthy inner suburb of Edgbaston. This redeveloped ‘strip’ now features everything from the futuristic Hyatt Hotel to the Hard Rock Café and from chain bars like All Bar One and Revolution Vodka Bar to cool restaurants like The Living Room.
Along Broad Street is also the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, the ICC and super modern Symphony Hall, as well as a multiplex cinema, a casino and one of the best progressive art galleries in Britain in the shape of the Ikon.
But Birmingham is not just Broad Street. About two minutes walk from the strip is the canal development of Brindley Place which is full of waterside apartments, Mediterranean-style restaurants and packed bars playing live music from jazz to rock to a slightly older crowd than the Club 18-30 crowd that dominates Broad Street.
A little closer to the centre of town is the new Mailbox development. A multi-million pound project that combines luxury flats with top-tier shopping and trendy bars. In the summer expect to see people relaxing at the terrace tables at the chic bars at the back of the Mailbox in a way most once thought you had to fly to France for.
The effect of these new centres is that New Street and Corporation Street – the two main streets of the city centre - are now relatively quiet in the evenings. However, if you venture into the old industrial side of town just South of the centre you will find a whole new development – the Custard Factory.
What started in 1990 as a derelict factory in the very un-salubrious Digbeth area, the Custard Factory has now turned into the Bohemian/Fashionista hub of the city. Within the huge white building are many artists’ studios while on the ground floor are music and clothes shops and one of the best bars in the city – the super cool Medicine Bar. The area is quickly developing a real buzz and attracts those who like a little taste of the underground vibe with their pint. The Factory also hosts a number of music festivals including the groundbreaking Supersonic Festival which each year showcases the best DJs, dance artists and even Hoxton art-punk rockers.
eating out
Although you will find balti restaurants all over the city, the true heart of the Indian cooking phenomenon is just off Moseley as you head down into the Sparkbook area. However, foodies also will find some high class dining too. The growth of the financial sector emanating from Colmore Row and stretching to the Ikon Gallery off Broad Street has helped provide enough wealthy diners to fund a number of classy restaurants.
Top dining can be had at Raymond White’s Le Petit Blanc as well as the ultra-modern Bank, both at Brindley Place. There is also Jessica’s French cuisine in Edgbaston, which some locals tip as a likely Michelin Star winner any day soon.
art and music
For those seeking more cerebral entertainment Birmingham’s Art Gallery boasts the world’s best collection of Pre-Raphaelite painting including many of Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s most famous works. Just down the road from Moseley is the Midlands Art Centre, set in the pleasant Cannon Hill Park and featuring arts cinema and progressive theatre and dance acts from all over the world.
Music-lovers will find that the giant National Exhibition Centre not far from Birmingham Airport plays host to just about every major act from the UK and the States from James Brown to Robbie Williams. Smaller, and perhaps cooler, bands will be found at the respected Birmingham Academy in the centre of town.
sport
Those who prefer sport to art and music will be pleased to find Birmingham is the home to 3 Premiership sides – West Bromwich Albion, Birmingham City and Aston Villa. The city also boats one of the country’s main Test Cricket grounds in the shape of Edgbaston and its National Indoor Arena regularly hosts major gymnastic and track competitions.
Finally, those who want to escape the city entirely will be pleasantly surprised to find they can drive out of Birmingham and into the countryside to beauty spots such as the Lickey Hills or Clent in about 30 minutes.
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