Favourite UK City

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The bigger the better, (one of) my main problems with Edinburgh is it's too small f'rinstance (that and not having a river running thru the centre of it)

― Tom D., Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:21 (seventeen years ago) link

Cities without rivers confuse me.

I mean, a coast is OK, but still not quite the same. A coast doesn't divide a city into neat sections like a river does.

― Masonic Boom, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:22 (seventeen years ago) link

Brighton should be on the list. I live here. Not that that's what makes it great but it can't hurt.

Some of those definitely shouldn't be there. I quote:

"Sometimes ups outnumber the downs/But not in Notting-ham"

― Uptoeleven, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:24 (seventeen years ago) link

A river is a must!

― Tom D., Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:25 (seventeen years ago) link

Alma matters in mind, body and soul - Leicester it is.

― CharlieNo4, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:28 (seventeen years ago) link

I voted Manc. Hard to say why really. At least it's the one I've visited the most tho (all this decade) and I've had some good nights out there.

Haven't been to Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, Newcastle, Sheffield or Leicester (tho passed thru the last two).

― blueski, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:31 (seventeen years ago) link

Never mind Belfast, what about Derry!!

― Tom D., Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:33 (seventeen years ago) link

I'm ashamed to say I've only been to Cardiff & Birmingham. I've flown from Manchester airport but I don't think that counts.

― Colonel Poo, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:34 (seventeen years ago) link

Alma matters in mind, body and soul - Leicester it is.

-- CharlieNo4, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:28 (9 minutes ago)

Another Leicester vote? - I thought I would be the only one in the world.

Leicester and Nottingham have both rivers and canals.

― Ned Trifle II, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:40 (seventeen years ago) link

No river is indeed Edinburgh's biggest problem.

― ledge, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:52 (seventeen years ago) link

According to the very half-arsed Google search I just performed, Bradford is the sixth largest city in the UK by population?

― Matt DC, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:54 (seventeen years ago) link

Probably

― Tom D., Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:55 (seventeen years ago) link

Above Manchester!

― Matt DC, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:56 (seventeen years ago) link

Bradford's unique natural beauty, wonderful architecture, thriving economy, and tightly-knit communities stretching across racial divides would give it an unfair advantage in this poll, though.

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:58 (seventeen years ago) link

bradford has always been one of the larger cities in england, industrial revolution powerhouse and all that.

your figure is probably the bradford metropolitan district though, rather than bradford itself. as an actual city bradford is more like 10th or 11th in size

― 600, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 11:59 (seventeen years ago) link

Actually, in fairness, the best sandwich I've ever had in my life was from Bradford. Mango Ploughman's.

― Dom Passantino, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:00 (seventeen years ago) link

ie bradford and 'greater bradford' are conflated, whereas manchester is not conflated as its constricted by bolton, bury, rochdale, oldham etc

― 600, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:00 (seventeen years ago) link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_cities_by_population

― onimo, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:01 (seventeen years ago) link

"Population of entire Greater Manchester Urban Area is 2,244,931 (2005 estimate)"

but it is silent on leeds-bradford as conurbation.

― That one guy that quit, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:05 (seventeen years ago) link

Who needs a river when you've got an enormous extinct volcano. Anyway there is a river, it's called the Water of Leith (not to mention the presently pooey firth of forth).

― leigh, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:06 (seventeen years ago) link

the way the above works really really counts against cities like Newcastle!

― 600, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:06 (seventeen years ago) link

leeds-bradford isnt usually described as a single conurbation. although the two cities blur, they are usually thought of as two conurbations. when they are conflated its usually as the west yorkshire conurbation, also comprising halifax, huddersfield, wakefield, dewsbury etc

― 600, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:07 (seventeen years ago) link

Anyway there is a river, it's called the Water of Leith

I know, but a river should flow thru the centre of a city

― Tom D., Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:08 (seventeen years ago) link

Wait... since when is Luton a fucking city? And since when is it so big?

― the next grozart, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:14 (seventeen years ago) link

the main thing with embra is that there is a RAILWAY LINE where the river should be...

― CarsmileSteve, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:19 (seventeen years ago) link

I know, it's ALWAYS a disappointment when you look over the bridge

― Tom D., Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:20 (seventeen years ago) link

oxford and brighton are the only other places in the uk i like, apart from london

― lex pretend, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:22 (seventeen years ago) link

oh i didn't see the scottish ones actually! i'll tick edinburgh, i've never been to glasgow but i think i'd like it

― lex pretend, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:22 (seventeen years ago) link

that's probably true

crosspost

― RJG, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:25 (seventeen years ago) link

first thing i think of in each case:

Belfast: ornate yet somehow generic old buildings and churches
Birmingham: the bull ring, still
Bristol: the bridge
Cardiff: that nice looking city centre featured every 3 seconds in Torchwood:
Edinburgh: the big hilltop and stoney walls
Glasgow: the cathedral and necropolis
Leeds: the corn exchange
Leicester: hmm, the train station?
Liverpool: the docks and the cathedral
Manchester: terracotta brickwork and the canal
Newcastle: the Tyne bridge but also that great-looking art building
Nottingham: memory of visting their Nostalgia & Comics
Sheffield: the ski village!

― blueski, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:44 (seventeen years ago) link

good post blueski

― 600, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:47 (seventeen years ago) link

first for me

belfast: a postcard of a dock
birmingham: yes, the bullring
bristol: yes, the bridge
cardiff: no picture in my mind
edinburgh: some people drinking outside next to some old wall
glasgow: a postcard of a dock
leeds: parkinson building, but corn exchange close behind
leicester: no picture in my mind
liverpool: the train station
manchester: oldham st, cheetham hill, oxford rd
newcastle: st james park
nottingham: university flats
sheffield: water sculpture in train station

― 600, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:50 (seventeen years ago) link

Manchester: erroneous belief in second city status

― Michael Philip Philip Philip philip Annoyman, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:51 (seventeen years ago) link

^ thats not true they think their the first city lol etc

― 600, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:52 (seventeen years ago) link

― Michael Philip Philip Philip philip Annoyman, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 12:54 (seventeen years ago) link

Out of the ones I've been to on that list it's Glasgow.

― chap, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 13:09 (seventeen years ago) link

The thing about the bridge in Bristol is that it leads from the suburbs out into the countryside but looking down when you're walking across it is really fucking terrifying. I think I immediately identify with the area around the docks first and foremost though.

Glasgow would be my #2 fwiw, then Sheffield for sentimental reasons. Leicester can eat a dick.

― Matt DC, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 13:14 (seventeen years ago) link

Leicester can eat a dick.

Not only will we, but we won't mind if you're unhappy with the service. We aim to please.

But, any particular reason you'd like us to do it?

― Ned Trifle II, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 13:48 (seventeen years ago) link

Leicester just seems so nothingy, I can't think of anything interesting about it at all, is there anything?

― Tom D., Tuesday, 24 April 2007 13:49 (seventeen years ago) link

they has a bucket.

― blueski, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 13:51 (seventeen years ago) link

Leicester can eat a dick.

Sadly it looks like London may be leading the way there...

Man cuts off his own penis in busy restaurant

― NickB, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 13:52 (seventeen years ago) link

Oh yes, several. But it takes time to appreciate it's nothingness as somethingness.

― Ned Trifle II, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 13:52 (seventeen years ago) link

the clock tower is lovely tho i must say. perhaps one of the better relatively small-scale clock towers (better than Brighton's imo)?

― blueski, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 13:53 (seventeen years ago) link

looking at wikipedia famous Leiecestarians...i thought Diesel Park West were Scottish!

― blueski, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 13:55 (seventeen years ago) link

they has a bucket.

That reminds me of a old joke:

(interior of record shop)
Customer: "Have you got anything by the Doors?"
Sales Assistant: "Yes, a bucket of sand and a fire extinguisher"

― Tom D., Tuesday, 24 April 2007 13:55 (seventeen years ago) link

belfast: bombs
birmingham: jasper carrot
bristol: skins and trip hop
cardiff: a street full of takeaway shops
edinburgh: kilts and people talking "quite nicely".
glasgow: rickets and fighting. and my dad.
leeds: leeks
leicester: cheddar with food dye in it.
liverpool: Bill Drummond
manchester: people being shot in nightclubs in the early 90s
newcastle: jacketless people going "givusareegananyatits!"
nottingham: a wood. for some reason.
sheffield: the boardwalk

― the next grozart, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 13:57 (seventeen years ago) link

I suspect I may be the only person voting for Bristol here.

i nearly voted for it. i really liked it, although people there kept warning us about how dangerous it was and made it seem like getting stabbed by a crackhead was inevitable.

― lauren, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 14:23 (seventeen years ago) link

how absurd.

― blueski, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 14:31 (seventeen years ago) link

I like Bristol but I'm always drunk when I'm there and never get to see much beyond the route from whatever hotel I'm in to whatever pub I'm meeting friends in.

― onimo, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 14:33 (seventeen years ago) link

it seemed pretty absurd. though actually a fair number of brits seem to like to tell americans how dangerous their cities actually are, like it's some sort of transatlantic contest.

― lauren, Tuesday, 24 April 2007 14:38 (seventeen years ago) link

Skipping 43 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

after doing some googling, according to the 2001 census link

"Leicester is the most ethnically diverse of all UK cities, with a white population of 60.5 per cent. It is expected to be the first European city with a non-white majority. "

exciting!

― zappi, Friday, 27 April 2007 12:41 (sixteen years ago) link

Sheffield's gonna walk this I reckon.

― the next grozart, Friday, 27 April 2007 12:57 (sixteen years ago) link

seems that way, an unexpected success if so (though i guess sheffield university is quite well represented by ilxors?)

― 600, Friday, 27 April 2007 13:01 (sixteen years ago) link

there used to be more Mancs on ILX.

― blueski, Friday, 27 April 2007 13:21 (sixteen years ago) link

[/i]Leicester - does it really exist? I have never met anyone from there or who's been there.[i]

I live there and it's great. But people really do seem to have something against the place. A friend of mine met someone at a party and when asked where they lived said South Leicestershire even though they lived within the city boundaries.

― Ned Trifle II, Friday, 27 April 2007 13:39 (sixteen years ago) link

The someone said that not my friend I hasten to add.

― Ned Trifle II, Friday, 27 April 2007 13:39 (sixteen years ago) link

Glasgow - went to a wedding there in 1997. Loved it! Might be coming back soon on business.

Business that involves going to pubs, I hope.

― ailsa, Friday, 27 April 2007 16:42 (sixteen years ago) link

It is odd how few Mancs are on ilx these days. Is it just myself and Pisces repping for the cit-ay? What happened to Tag and Yer Mam and the rest? (a minutes silence for Graham, the boy who Manchester did mangle)

― NI, Saturday, 28 April 2007 16:16 (sixteen years ago) link

Tag thinks ILX is full of *****.

― Keith, Saturday, 28 April 2007 16:34 (sixteen years ago) link

Oh come on; Glasgow's full of shite!

― Keith, Monday, 30 April 2007 00:39 (sixteen years ago) link

But Sheffield is third... I bet it was "Threads" that did it.

― Keith, Monday, 30 April 2007 00:40 (sixteen years ago) link

a spirited try by sheffield, but in the end couldnt really compete with pre match favourites glasgow. not a bad showing by ilxs bete noir cities leeds and manchester

― 600, Monday, 30 April 2007 08:49 (sixteen years ago) link

Scottish Independence now.

― Ed, Monday, 30 April 2007 08:52 (sixteen years ago) link

I can't believe Birmingham only got 2 votes. It's the Glasgow of the Midlands.

― Ned Trifle II, Monday, 30 April 2007 09:07 (sixteen years ago) link

Liverpool sonned. I know it's always been under-represented on ILX but I didn't expect no votes at all.

Glasgow was always going to win, wasn't it?

― Matt DC, Monday, 30 April 2007 09:10 (sixteen years ago) link

fraid so, it was a mere dream to think plucky sheffield could challenge

― 600, Monday, 30 April 2007 09:13 (sixteen years ago) link

I wonder what result an STV voting system would have brought us.

― Ed, Monday, 30 April 2007 09:13 (sixteen years ago) link

never thought of sheffield as spririted or plucky

― RJG, Monday, 30 April 2007 09:17 (sixteen years ago) link

gritty and queer

― blueski, Monday, 30 April 2007 09:59 (sixteen years ago) link

sooty and sweep

― blueski, Monday, 30 April 2007 09:59 (sixteen years ago) link

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