City guide: Brimingham

Looking for a short break? Need a couple of days away from it all? You could do worse than consider visiting Britain’s largest city and possibly its most multi-cultural. With a myriad of transport options, you don’t even need to fly, so cut down those carbon emissions.

Birmingham city centre is compact, easy to navigate and has an excellent selection of shops, funny looking pubs and bits of crap ’60s concrete. The main attraction for many is the newly developed Bullring centre, with Selfridges & Co and Debenhams at opposing ends and a plethora of retail emporia in between. Plus a few stalls selling cookies, Eng-ur-land tops and dried apricots. Whatever.

Sorry to go on about it, but Selfridges & Co is outstanding, visually and sensually. Enter on the ground floor via the food court and marvel at the sheer scale of it all. This is shopping as entertainment. Sushi bar, champagne bar, noodle bar, deli bar—this place has it all, at prices to take your breath away. In the food hall especially, chimps armed with calculators were pricing the goods for sale—it really is the only rational explanation for some of the extortionate prices on display. Shame on anyone paying them and supporting this ludicrous endeavor. However, it is a real giggle wandering around, watching the Krispy Kreme doughnut stand do its bit, eating the free sweets, drinking the free champagne upstairs and passing through the Alienware-inspired electrical department. This store is a feast for the senses and I’ve said far too much already.

From outside, the streets sweep down towards all the market areas, packed with car boot sellers and locals, picking up bargains. Birminghams famous Rag Market is also in this area, from bargains and fantastic one off pieces to vintage and collectors items. Chinatown is in this direction too, as well as the local Barfly. In addition, there is a cavernous Carling Academy, as well as many smaller gig venues, so plenty to do in the evenings.

Broad Street, over the other side of town, is the centre of the city’s nightlife and it does show. Tacky pub after chain club after stripjoint after multiplex stretches into the distance, but you know what? It’s all good, clean fun. If you can ignore the ambulances parked in sidestreets awaiting their call to duty.

This area also has the conference centre, the canal and the commercial heart of Birmingham. Many multinationals are based here, in towering spires of ferroconcrete and blond stone. Only a street away from the strip is a soothing oasis of tasteful restaurants, bland conference hotels, sedate wine bars and a floating coffee shop. On a barge. Who even do breakfasts.

Other infamous Birmingham attractions include their Sealife Centre; complete with tiddy baby seahorses, defacating otters and two giant green sea turtles, the Balti Triangle; with over 50 restaurants crammed into a tiny quarter of the city, and the former Birds Custard factory, now a massive arts and media centre with galleries, studios, an achingly stylish bar, nightclub and much more.

[cookie]

I could be wrong but I think it's Broad St that has all the tacky chain pubs, not Bread St...

Selfridges & Co is heaven, if I had the money I'd buy half the store!

[poprock]

Originally Posted by cookie

I could be wrong but I think it's Broad St that has all the tacky chain pubs, not Bread St...

Indeed it is. Wee typo there, fixed now.

[Foxglove]

Interesting take on Birmingham. It is not my favourite city - in main due to the problems I have had on a number of occasions there in relation to football (apart from Portsmouth it is the most unpleasant experience when it comes to football I have had - and I have visited about 2/3 of English Clubs and their respective towns/cities). However, there are some superb restaurants and I have spent a fantastic weekend at a wedding dancing to Madness and having a great time at Edgbaston.

I know a few people in Birmingham and if you pick the area you go to wisely then it is a lovely place to visit once .

[Potatojunkie]

A short guide to Birmingham: stay the fuck out of Birmingham.

They have one vowel.

[LesMTS]

I find Birmingham really disorientating. I've no idea why, but every time I'm in Birmingham I can't tell what direction I'm facing and it makes me feel uncomfortable.

[Potatojunkie]

Birmingham is filled with powerful electromagnets.

[Foxglove]

Originally Posted by LesMTS

I find Birmingham really disorientating. I've no idea why, but every time I'm in Birmingham I can't tell what direction I'm facing and it makes me feel uncomfortable.

Stick to the Edbaston area - easy to navigate and easy to get out I prefer the surrounding area to the city itself. I think that is Birmingham's biggest problem. There are so many better places near it that it is not hard to avoid the place. I have had good weekends there with friends but it is not somewhere I would go back to out of choice.

[Kenny]

I know I'm going to regret saying this, but - with all due respect to Jen's piece, which is perfectly good and informative - I'd quite like to see an Alternative Nation guide to a city featuring things like rock pubs, piercing studios, gig venues and record shops.

[Mrs.Evil of Hesselink]

Britain's largest city? Isn't that London?

Birmingham accents do my heid in.

[Pink punk]

Fair enough Kenny, but in all honesty, I didn't see any or go searching for them. Keep an eye out for the next few and see how you get feel.

[Charlie Parker]

Nice article

[Connor O'Bain]

spent a week in birmingham last year with work. enjoyed it but would have been better as a vacation with someone/s

and the bullring center is pretty impressive