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Livin' it up in Leeds - yay!
What does Leeds evoke for you? Perhaps just the Yorkshire accent, a music festival or TV programmes like 'Emmerdale' or 'At Home With The Braithwaites' or Mel B. Well for me, it makes me nostalgic of the time I had at uni!
I went to university in Leeds for 3 years, graduating a year ago. I am now back in Brum. Quite a few of my friends stayed up there though, so every now and again I go up visiting for a boozy weekend.
What made me choose Leeds? Well I wanted to go to a northern university, in a city not quite as big as Birmingham, with good nightlife and shops. I went up for the open day and as soon as we drove into Leeds I knew this was the place for me – it had such a cool atmosphere.
I really wanted to post this in the Campus section as I had an excellent time at Leeds University and would like to encourage others to go there. But seeing as this op is about the city in general, thought I’d better do it properly!
Leeds is pretty easy to get to. If going by car, you can reach the city via the M1 or M62. Trains and coaches often go there directly. Obviously ticket prices vary from where you’re travelling. However, from Birmingham a return ticket on the coach costs about £22 and on the train £33. I don’t pay that though, as the main train line is a Virgin one and if I book a week or so in advance I can normally get a Virgin Value ticket for about £11!
Leeds is about 35 miles north from Sheffield. It is surrounded by beautiful Yorkshire countryside, but is also close to a number of smaller villages, towns and cities that are well worth visiting (particularly Ilkley and Knaresborough).
Nearby towns and cities include Bradford, Ilkley, Skipton, Harrogate, Knaresborough, Wetherby, York, Tadcaster, Selby, Castleford, Pontefract, Wakefield, Barnsley, Huddersfield, Dewsbury, and Halifax (listed clockwise from Bradford). I know many Northerners probably know this already, but when I went to uni there I didn’t have a clue, as my geography is pretty rubbish!!
~~~~ Leeds City Centre ~~~~
~The Loop Road – beware!
The route around Leeds city centre runs in a clock-wise loop around the main shopping areas - there are many one-way streets. The council website states that it takes as little as 7 minutes to go round the loop road, but obviously it can get congested with rush hour traffic. I am not a car driver, but as a passenger I have heard many people moan about this system being very awkward and not very well signposted.
Buses are frequent to areas inside the city, the fares are pretty cheap and the bus drivers give change – fantastic particularly if you're used to West Midlands Travel buses! Night buses are also available to most areas.
There are several hotels in the city centre, such as The Marriott, Hyatt, Malmaison and The Calls. However, these are pretty expensive. There are a number of cheaper B&B’s and hotels in Headingley, especially on Cardigan Road.
~Shopping~
Some relatives of mine often travel to Leeds for shopping sprees. This is mainly for the good range of shops. But the beauty of Leeds is that the shopping area is mostly pedestrianised. It is central and compact, and roads/walkways criss-cross in a sort of network pattern - so you don’t have to walk miles to reach a particular shop and there is always a short cut.
There are quite a few arcades and malls, like the Merrion Centre, Headrow and St John’s Centre.
Dotted around the centre are all the usual high street shops like M&S, Debenhams, Topshop, Miss Selfridge, Bay Trading Company, Boots, TK MAXX, Oasis, Warehouse, Next, H & M, New Look, Virgin, HMV, Dorothy Perkins, Body Shop, Ann Summers, La Senza, The Gadget Shop, Allders, Argos, WHSmith, Habitat… to name but a few.
There is also a Harvey Nichols store (sweetie darling!) - I have only ever bought some Jelly Beans from there though as it is sooooo expensive! There are a few body piercing and tattoo parlours near the market area. What distinguishes Leeds from other shopping centres though, is the Corn Exchange and the Victoria Quarter.
The Corn Exchange is on Call Lane, very near to Kirkgate Market (large indoor and outdoor market on Vicar Lane). It is a very old building and looks a bit like an amphitheatre (apparently it is a Grade 1 listed building!). It has a polished wooden interior, with curvy staircases and a domed glazed roof. From inside, it looks a bit like an upside down ship!
There are 3 floors full of interesting, original shops with names like Grin and Hippypottermouse, selling things such as gemstones and jewellery, bonsai trees, funky cards and gifts, clothes (from designer fashion to rock/metal street-wear to second-hand 1970s retro gear), art & crafts, second-hand records and CDs, posters, aromatherapy oils and incense. There is also The Condom Shop on the top floor, which sells, err condoms – but also cheeky cards and prezzies!
The Corn Exchange is open 7 days a week and occasionally has lovely craft fairs, one year I bought practically all my Christmas presents from there!
The Victoria Quarter is a lovely ornate arcade with a stained glass roof and a couple of fountains slap bang in the middle of the central shopping area, in between Briggate and Vicar Lane. It is very close to Harvey Nicks. It is full of arty shops, cafes, hairdressers and stylish clothes shops, including Karen Millen, Ted Baker, Jigsaw & Kookai as well as designer shops like Vivienne Westwood.
*Personal shopping fave: The Corn Exchange
~Drinkin’~
Being a student when I lived in Leeds, a LOT of my time was spent boozing! There are tons of pubs, bars and clubs in Leeds, which change constantly. There are always new ones being opened or refurbished in the city centre to try out!
If you're a star-spotter - some of the younger members of the 'Emmerdale' cast are seen about town and Liv Tyler has been spotted in Safeway's in Headingley!
~Pubs~
Pubs-wise, there are the usual chain pubs like Edwards, Yates', O’Neills and a couple of Firkin pubs. The Rat & Parrot, opposite Morrison's, is massive (supposedly the biggest pub in Britain!); you can always find a seat in there even on Saturday nights! There is also The Dry Dock (an ‘It’s a scream’ pub), which is a converted barge situated in the middle of a dual carriageway opposite the main Leeds Metropolitan University (LMU) site near the city centre.
There are loads of pubs in the student area of Headingley, which is where the Cricket Ground and the Leeds Rhino’s rugby ground are. Headingley is a couple of miles from the city centre. Most of the pubs are on the Otley Road/Headingley Lane: The Original Oak, The Skyrack, Headingley Taps (just off the main road near Safeway’s) are all good, quite large and very popular.
There are several pubs, including those mentioned above, along the main road leading from Headingley, through Hyde Park, past the University into Leeds City Centre. Many a student has at least spent one night, in fancy dress or three-legged, doing the ‘Otley Run’ - a major pub crawl from Woodie's in Headingley, down a few yards to O’Hagan’s, a short walk to the Headingley taps, then on to the Skyrack, the Original Oak, further up the road to The Hyde Park, The Fenton, The Packhorse, The Eldon, and so on until they eventually collapse from alcohol poisoning or make it into town (or both)!!
*Personal boozer faves:
Rat & Parrot as it's so huge, central and does nice well-priced food & The Original Oak cos of it's large beer garden and student environment
~Bars~
Bars and clubs dominate the city centre rather than traditional pubs. They are mainly on the outskirts of the shopping areas.
There are loads to choose from, bars I’d recommend are Quid Pro Quo (which has a Buy One Get One Free happy hour on Saturday nights), The Elbow Rooms (casual snooker & pool hall with diner, club & bar playing funky tunes), The Old Monk, Café Inseine, Milo’s, MOJO, Norman’s, Tequila! Tequila!, North Bar, The Townhouse, Pitcher & Piano, Po Na Na and others behind the Corn Exchange near the canal (otherwise known as the Exchange Quarter - beware of the queues to bars in this area on a Friday or Saturday night as most are open until 2am)……
There are quite a few bars near the town hall and art gallery, such as Carpe Diem, The Courtyard and Brown's - near the millenium square.
*Personal wine bar fave:
Quid Pro Quo because I'm a sucker for B.O.G.O.F. especially if it involves booze - it also has sophisticated decor and nice fairly dim lighting.
~Clubs~
Nightclubs range from being cheesy to rock. Whatever music you’re into you will find somewhere to suit your tastes.
Majestyk, Bondi Beach (formerly Planet Earth), Uropa, The Observatory, Heaven & Hell, Creation (formerly the Town & Country club), Evolution (out of city centre in Kirkstall not far from Headingley) are all clubs which predominantly play chart, pop and cheesy dance music. If you're on the pull, these are places to go!
For those of you that prefer ‘more serious’ dance music, you could go to Space, The Mint Club, Think Tank, Fuse (formerly Casa Loco) house music in the Chinese Quarter, The Orbit - trance and techno night on Saturdays at The After Dark (in Morley roughly 10 miles out of the city centre), Speed Queen (gay friendly club night at The Warehouse on Saturday nights).
Trendier smaller clubs, which play a range of funk, soul, jazz, latin, and hip-hop sounds are The Fruit Cupboard, The HiFi Club (formerly Liquid), The Atrium, and The Wardrobe. There are also salsa nights and classes at bars/clubs like Po Na Na and The Wardrobe.
There are a few clubs that have alternative/indie/metal nights including Bar Phono (in the Merrion Centre), The Basement and The Cockpit as well as club nights within the student unions.
There is also a thriving gay scene, with gay bars/clubs such as Queen’s Court, Fibre and Bar Metz.
If you fancy doing something a bit different, there is also a casino and a couple of bowling alleys in the city centre.
*Personal clubbing fave:
The Hifi Club - it's small, yet funky
~Live Music~
Bands often play at The Cockpit, The Wardrobe, The Irish Centre, Leeds University and Leeds Metropolitan University as well as Joseph’s Well (near the university campus), the New Roscoe (a pub about 10 minutes walk from The West Yorkshire Playhouse), The Termite Club (metal/alternative gigs at various venues such as The Royal Park Pub in Hyde Park, in between Headingley and the City Centre). For those who enjoy a bit of classical music, the town hall is the place to go.
~Eating Out~
Rather than heading for Burger King or McDonalds for lunch or a snack, pubs and bars in Headingley and the City Centre (mentioned above) offer reasonably priced and tasty hot and cold food during the day.
There are also some lovely cafes, particularly in Hyde Park and Headingley (the student areas). The Clock Café in Hyde Park, close to the university, offers cheap yet very filling authentic ciabatta or baguette sandwiches, as well as a range of home-made cakes.
A similar café exists in Headingley – the Dare café – according to a magazine I read ages ago it is part owned by Gaynor Faye (Judy Mallett from Coronation Street) and her partner.
It offers similar food to the Clock Café, baguettes and ciabatta with a large range of fillings such as Prawn, mayo and avocado; all day breakfasts; pastries; salads; and fantastic dutch fries (potato wedges covered with melted cheese, served with a garlic dip). Prices are amazingly cheap - e.g. £1.90 for a prawn marie rose baguette to eat in.
There are a range of restaurants in Leeds, whether you fancy Fish n Chips (try Bryan’s in Headingley opposite the Headingley Taps pub), French (Brasserie 44 for example), Indian…
There are fewer Greek, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Mexican restaurants, but they do exist in and around the city centre. I highly recommend the Italian restaurants, especially Dino’s, Est Est Est and BiBi’s.
*Personal 'stuff your face with gorgeous food' fave:
Dino's - fantastic gourmet Italian restaurant kinda underneath the train station. It's central, most of the waiters are Italian, the food sends me into orbit every time (and I've dined there A LOT on special occasions)! It is quite expensive though.
~Arts~
Leeds is home to the West Yorkshire Playhouse (for ‘serious theatre’), City Varieties (for comedy nights, live music), The Civic Theatre (for amateur and semi-professional productions) and the Grand Theatre (for West End shows and operatic and musical performances), which are situated around the city centre. The student unions of both uni’s also put on a number of performances which are generally extremely good, such as The Wiz and Carmen.
There is also the City Art Gallery and Henry Moore Institute in central Leeds, on The Headrow, near the Town Hall. The Art Gallery displays mainly classical paintings, whereas the Henry Moore Institute focuses on modern and contemporary sculptures and paintings.
There are a lot of museums and touristy places to visit, such as the Royal Armouries, Kirkstall Abbey, Lotherton Hall, Temple Newsam (where the Carling festival is held) and Middleton Railway.
I can’t remember much of Lotherton Hall except that it has vast grounds, it’s quite far away from the city centre and it’s where my graduation ball was held – say no more!
Tropical World is also quite a good place to visit, near Roundhay Park - it has lovely gardens, a number of insects and tropical animals, including bats, birds and butterflies. Can’t say I was too keen on the butterfly farm, but it was a nice place to visit and really interesting – kids love it too!
Obviously you can tell that I love the city of Leeds - forever the place of my student days! Of course, there are bad points to any city, there are bad areas, such as Chapeltown and Seacroft. And one thing that does annoy me, is the constant building work in the city, but if you want an entertaining place to go to university or a city-break, I'd definitely recommend it for a great time!!!
Good websites to check out for further information are:
www.leeds.gov.uk (council website, with very good tourism page)
www.leeds.ac.uk (University of Leeds website)
www.lmu.ac.uk (Leeds Metropolitan University website)
www.bbc.co.uk/leeds (BBC Leeds page)
www.thisisleeds.co.uk (excellent entertainment and restaurant guide)
www.leeds-today.com (Local guide)
www.dinedirect.net (Entertainment guide)
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