# Birmingham UK - American feeling but quintessentially British



## Oaronuviss (Dec 11, 2002)

Thanx for the pics! Very nice.
Can't say I've ever really paid attention to that city in particular!


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## Flogging Molly (Apr 1, 2007)

Bluegate74 said:


> 60 POSTS ! there you go exagerrating again, I have never posted even half nor quarter that amount and I dont expect a post to revolve around me at all. I was simply putting my views across. The last time I heard we had freedom of speech in this country however I am ever so sorry if I didnt put my views on the correct page naughty me!hno: hno:


Fine views you have there aswell ... such as this for starters. 

Just a quote from the Ireland/Belgium thread. Seems the only reason you venture on to half of them is to shit stir so excuse me if I dislike you continous negative views when really you can leave them to yourself and post on things you do like. 



> I wouldnt go to either, they're both piss boring, provincial shit holes. If you do go to Brussells take a pair of wellies as you'll have to manouvere your way around tons of dog crap and litter....


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## Flogging Molly (Apr 1, 2007)

Oaronuviss said:


> Thanx for the pics! Very nice.
> Can't say I've ever really paid attention to that city in particular!


It had a piss poor reputation up until the late 90's and to quite a few (Bluegate) it still does. There's a reason why its regarded as one of the best examples of modern redevelopment in Europe but for some it still fails to sink in that Birmingham has undergone a huge renaissance. There's alot of things still to fix but other then that its now a very welcoming and enjoyable city with a bit of a buzz around the place.


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## Bond James Bond (Aug 23, 2002)

Hmm, doesn't look very American to me. Maybe it's got a vague resemblance to Boston or a few other cities along the Northeast coast, but that's about it.

Otherwise, looks quite nice!


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## poshbakerloo (Jan 16, 2007)

when people asked me "do you want to go to Birmingham" i would have said "NO!" but since i've now actualy been there and seen these photos it actualty doesn't look like a bad place and the skyline isn't bad at all...for and English city...


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## Its AlL gUUd (Jan 24, 2006)

Great Pics Molly


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## Flogging Molly (Apr 1, 2007)

As stated. Not mine. Mostly Simleyface's. I just thought they deserved showing. We dont try and do pretty and there's no point only posting perfectly clean images of the place but these just show that out of darkness cometh light and its mkaing huge strides as a city.


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Looks good at street level, but doesn't seem American at all. Seems very European to me.


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## Evil Bert (Feb 20, 2003)

i remember the city being much nicer than those photos......no justice at all in my opinion,

its a very british city....very mediocore 60's 70's 80's but some nice gems in the mix too with a very impressive university as well


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## ranny fash (Apr 24, 2005)

tbh i don't get the comparisons with american cities. it's a bit more "comcrete jungle" than most european cities but otherwise very european


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## Delirium (Oct 8, 2005)

^^ i guess its sort of in layout etc. its hard to pin down but when you think about it, its a sort of odd when you compare it to other cities in Europe.


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## rousseau (Nov 4, 2005)

You Brummies sound funny when you talk, innit?


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## Jaeger (May 11, 2006)

Birmingham has always had a good underground scene and is home to 
The Moody Blues, Move (Flowers in the Rain), Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Led Zeppelin, Steve Winwood, UB40, Duran Duran, Ocean Colour Scene
etc etc.

Birmingham has lots of restaurants, bars, clubs, and is even home to the largest lap dancing club in the world. It has some good music venues and clubs, as well as arenas and smaller venues such as the Carling Academy. 

In terms of Sport Birmingham is home to the nearby Belfry Golf Course,
one of the most famous in the World. The city also has one of the best indoor athletics centres in Europe and a world famous cricket ground in the leafy suburb of Edgbaston, as well as being home to a number of major football teams and having an all-weather flood lit horse racing track at nearby Wolverhampton.

The city also has a very impressive symphony hall and a good cultural scene.

Birmingham has good universities, and has historic towns such as Stratford Upon Avon, Warwick and Oxford nearby, as well as being only 80 minutes from London by train (even less to major cities such as Sheffield and Manchester) and having good airport links with Europe. 

The city is very cosmopolitan with a mix of cultures and people, and it has some attractive leafy suburbs.

All in all Birmingham is an underated city, and one which most people who actually take the time to visit will enjoy, especially with the now redeveloped canal district and the superb new shopping facilities.



:cheers:


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## Jaeger (May 11, 2006)

Street Scenes - Birmingham - England









































































Leafy Birmingham Suburb


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## Jaeger (May 11, 2006)

I am not from Birmingham, but have been inspired to post because of the
negativity of others towards a city which isn't imo bad at all.

It's almost as if Birmingham Forumers shouldn't be proud of their city, and thay seem to come under a barrage of attack from some sad know it all every time they post pics.


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

Jaeger said:


> Birmingham has mile upon mile of restaurants, bars, clubs, and is even home to the largest lap dancing club in the world. It has some great music venues and clubs, as well as arenas and smaller venues such as the Carling Academy. In fact the city has one of the most vibrant nightlifes in Europe.


I don't think Birmingham has great nightlife at all, Broad St is the main strip of bars, restaurants and clubs in and around the city centre but most of the places there are bland corporate theme bars and chain restaurants and at the weekend it's not particularly pleasant, full of people shouting, puking and fighting. In the city centre proper around The Bullring, New St, Corporation St, Victoria/Chamberlain Sqs, Colmore Row, Temple Row etc the nightlife options are very limited indeed, there are not many attractive pubs, bars and restaurants compared to many cities both in the UK and in the rest of Europe.

Birmingham nightlife cannot be said to compare to Madrid or Berlin or London (or several other British cities, imo Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Nottingham, Brighton, Edinburgh, Newcastle are all better).

In terms of culture the theatres, music venues etc are all ok but not outstanding by any means for a city at the heart of a metro region of 3m+.


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## Jaeger (May 11, 2006)

Jonesy55 said:


> I don't think Birmingham has great nightlife at all, Broad St is the main strip of bars, restaurants and clubs in and around the city centre but most of the places there are bland corporate theme bars and chain restaurants and at the weekend it's not particularly pleasant, full of people shouting, puking and fighting. In the city centre proper around The Bullring, New St, Corporation St, Victoria/Chamberlain Sqs, Colmore Row, Temple Row etc the nightlife options are very limited indeed, there are not many attractive pubs, bars and restaurants compared to many cities both in the UK and in the rest of Europe.
> 
> Birmingham nightlife cannot be said to compare to Madrid or Berlin or London (or several other British cities, imo Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, Nottingham, Brighton, Edinburgh, Newcastle are all better).
> 
> In terms of culture the theatres, music venues etc are all ok but not outstanding by any means for a city at the heart of a metro region of 3m+.


I am quite sure other cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle etc have their share of theme pubs and restaurants chains. I am also sure they have their fair share of people shouting, puking and fighting.

Birmingham is not a capital city like Madrid, Berlin or London and does not pretend to be.

Any way here's a nightlife web page for Birmingham if any one 
is interested.

http://www.mybrum.co.uk/birmingham/bars&Music.htm

As for Music Venues, both the Symphony Hall and NEC Arena are
extremely good venues and better than other major cities such
as Leeds have.

Symphony Hall - Birmingham.


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

Jaeger said:


> I am quite sure other cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle etc have their share of theme pubs and restaurants chains. I am also sure they have their fair share of people shouting, puking and fighting..


They have in some areas but central Birmingham's nightlife seems to be heavily concentrated in that one area (Broad St) with little outside it.

Those other cities I mentioned seem to have more seperate smaller areas of bars/restaurants etc some more shouty/pukey than others. For example Manchester has Castlefield, The Northern Quarter, Canal St, The Deansgate area, Oxford Road etc all with their own little clusters of nightlife.

The Arcadian Centre/Chinatown area is an alternative in Brum but that's about it really.



Jaeger said:


> Birmingham is not a capital city like Madrid, Berlin or London and does not pretend to be.


And hence it does not have one of Europe's most vibrant nightlife scenes.


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## Telfordboy (Feb 22, 2006)

What about the Irish pubs in Digbeth? The Custard Factory, Mailbox, Brindleyplace, Summer Row, The Jewellery Quarter?


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## Flogging Molly (Apr 1, 2007)

Jonesy it seems to me you only venture to the corporate nightlife areas. You really need to make it down to "gigbeth" and surrounding areas. The best nightlife in Brum is walking round the canals going into the vast amount of pubs and bars that are all round the city, especially on a warm summers night. To rate places like Bristol and Nottingham ahead of it :nuts: I go there almost more then I do Birmingham due to friends and they dont even come close. 

Infact - half of Europes biggest clubs orriginated in Birmingham, the likes of GodsKitchen, Miss Moneypennys, Sundissential, Gatecrasher.

We now have the likes of Air, Jam House, Edwards - and if you like it the most strip clubs per square mile in Europe. It has comedy houses, themed bars - you can go to a concert at the NIA before even hitting the town. 

Gigbeth as its getting to be known across the music world is the most up and coming live music area in the UK rivalling the Hacienda in Manchester aat its peak. From the Twang, Enemy, Guillemots and other local bands making debuts there. 

Custrad Factors is just WOW. best place for night out in Brum. 

I just think you see and hear what you want without really experiencing it.

Kerrang also locate in Digbeth and treat us to some great music. Scouting for girls are on this friday if anyones intrested regional lot and The Maccabees tommorow night but im down in London watching England score draw.


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

Telfordboy said:


> What about the Irish pubs in Digbeth? The Custard Factory, Mailbox, Brindleyplace, Summer Row, The Jewellery Quarter?


The mailbox and brindleyplace are effectively offshoots of broad street, especially brindleyplace.

I've never been out at the custard factory at night, walked around in the day and it looks quite pleasant but there doesn't seem to be a huge amount going on and it's a long walk away from the city centre. 

The jewellery quarter area has a couple of nice bars but again it's at least a good ten minute walk from the city centre, through areas of no nightlife interest and over a dirty big ring road.

Don't get me wrong, I think that Birmingham city centre is quite nice during the day, New St/Corporation St are nice, the Bullring is nice, Victoria and Chamberlain Squares are pleasant, the square with St Phillips Cathedral is nice to sit in on a summers day, I like the markets but I just think it's a bit dead at night and i'm not a big fan of Broad St.


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

Maybe i'll have to go out in Digbeth to sample some nightlife, i've always been put off because it looks like such a dump and again it's cut off from the city centre proper.

As someone who generally prefers open-air bars, cafes, restaurants and street based nightlife rather than being locked away in a dark nightclub I think that i'll probably always prefer places like Barcelona though.


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## Flogging Molly (Apr 1, 2007)

I think its fair to say you've missed quite a deal when it comes to brum's nightlife. Infact it seems you probably went out with either your eyes shut or you were either extremely drunk! 

Birmingham has plenty of places to sit outside now more then ever thanks to the smoking ban! You dont get locked up in nightclubs. Digbeth my be a bit out the loop but it has plenty around there and it wont be so out in the wilderness soon enough. 

Surely however if you enjoy open air bars, cafes and resturants. Birminghams canal area is perfect for you? even if it is an offshoot from Broad Street there's plenty to go around.


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## wiggleyleeds (May 31, 2007)

Great photos. However when you put birmingham up on such a high pedestool like that with this opening thread, its only gonna get nocked down a peg or two.

And if anything, looking at all those photos made me cringe, because Birmingham (or other uk cities), and *not* american at all, and they do not have impressive skylines with which can even be compared with any US city, so a thread suggesting that is doomed to failure. 

Where birmingham (or other uk cities) does excell, and which should be shown is at ts street level. Streetscapes, cafe bars, shops, and pedestrianied areas.Thse are the fotos you should have focused on. However, even here, Bham doesnt rate very highly compared to other uk cities, or more in partcular european cities.

Yes, our uk cities dont look particularly great on pictures, but they have bags of character at street level, and there are some much better photos flying around of birmingham or uk cities.


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## Telfordboy (Feb 22, 2006)

wiggleyleeds said:


> Great photos. However when you put birmingham up on such a high pedestool like that with this opening thread, its only gonna get nocked down a peg or two.
> 
> And if anything, looking at all those photos made me cringe, because Birmingham (or other uk cities), and *not* american at all, and they do not have impressive skylines with which can even be compared with any US city, so a thread suggesting that is doomed to failure.
> 
> ...



But what about all the stuff Birmingham is usually condemmed for? Its the kind of thing associated with American cities e.g Wide roads, the domination of the car, the way the Aston Expressway cuts right through the city into the city centre. I believe Boston had an expressway similar to that until it was put under ground.
Yeah Birminghams skyline doesn't look American at all really but the city probably has a more American feel than most others.
I would probably agree more with the quintessential British city bit though, not European and not American = British just like so much stuff in this country, we seem to be half way between both.

Oh yeah and don't forget Spaghetti junction. How many European cities have one of those


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## Flogging Molly (Apr 1, 2007)

wiggleyleeds said:


> Great photos. However when you put birmingham up on such a high pedestool like that with this opening thread, its only gonna get nocked down a peg or two.
> 
> And if anything, looking at all those photos made me cringe, because Birmingham (or other uk cities), and *not* american at all, and they do not have impressive skylines with which can even be compared with any US city, so a thread suggesting that is doomed to failure.
> 
> ...


Err, well it does have an American feeling but is quintessentially British. You have yet to visit so I'll take ti with a pinch of salt and a high-pedestol? What are you on about? 

There are small American cities you know with quite vast and mid-rise skylines with a couple of biggies. We're not talking New York here. 

I love how you have to have sly digs. 



> even here, Bham doesnt rate very highly


Why fool people by posting perfectly cute pictures. Im fed up with people who do that. I enjoy the rough and ready as do many. Its called character.

Oh and "fotos" is spelt Photo's.


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## Flogging Molly (Apr 1, 2007)

Birminghams not like any UK city at street level nor upwards. Thats not to say its a good thing. Infact its a reason why so many developments are leaning to a european style then what had gone before it.


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## poshbakerloo (Jan 16, 2007)

i like the place (ish) but i dnt think it looks very american...most cities over there have more of a grid street layout and i 'downtown' area with skyscrapers grouped together even the small ones have a few 80-100m buildings together for the banks etc...


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## wiggleyleeds (May 31, 2007)

now they are better pictures. its not american tho in terms of layout, streetscapes, buildings, or skyline. 

Yes, its got a lot more concrete than some other cities in the UK that makes it a little more disjointed than some city centres, but i personally still dont think that makes it american, that have lots of grid systems, and a car is needed to get from one retail park to the next, as opposed to a small central shopping district that is walkable. 

Molly, why dont ya post some of those banners of Bham - they look good.


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## samsonyuen (Sep 23, 2003)

I've been to Brum lots of times, but don't really see the American comparison...


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## Delirium (Oct 8, 2005)

Birmingham's the UK equivalent to Houston :shifty: or at least that what i think...


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## dallastexjr (Dec 5, 2006)

Thanks for those photos. Birmingham isn't the sort of city one would normally think much about; being so close to London I guess most of its thunder is stolen.


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## Delirium (Oct 8, 2005)

^^ its close to London if your Australian! 300 mile round trip is normal for a day out for you guys  to brits and certain Europeans they're about as close to each other as we are to the sun,  :lol:


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## Octoman (Nov 16, 2006)

Birmingham doesnt deserve the bad rap it keeps getting any more IMO. It really has improved hugely over the past ten or so years. I still think that it is pretty ugly in parts and lacks a coherent feel but it has a pretty good atmosphere at street level and is no worse than most other regional cities. 

Giving the population surrounding birmingham it always surprises my that the city centre feels so small. Not sure if thats due to the disconnected nature of the place making it hard to get a proper feel of its scale but to me it feels little different to provincial city centres such as plymouth, Ipswich etc. Not saying thats necessarily a bad thing but given that Birmingham is bigger than many european capitals it really seems to have something missing. No wow factor I guess.

I also thnk the new bullring, although a huge improvement, is a missed opportunity. Its yet another custom designed mega mall that will age in time. When will Birmingham realise that these malls canot adapt or grow with the city? They are representative of a particular point in time and after a while will always end up looking dated and faced with little alternative but removal / replacement. Building these things on city fringes is fine but having them as a key part of a city centre is just stupid.


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

^^ Nah, Brum is close to London by any reasonable definition, not much over 100 miles drive, you can leave Brum and be in central London in less than 2 hours by car, the train only takes 90 minutes.



flogging molly said:


> high-pedestal? What are you on about?


Maybe he's talking about clearly exaggerated claims like these:



flogging molly said:


> The French call the city the Shanghai of Europe


:laugh: Brum's not bad but c'mon who are you trying to kid!! Making statements like this is just inviting people to knock you down a peg or two


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## Flogging Molly (Apr 1, 2007)

Actually that was in remark to a previous statement. However - we are no Shanghai but to be seen as that by people of a different nation clearly proves the redevelopment has'nt gone un-noticed. 

The Bullring IMO was built with future development in mind. The developments that are due to surround it will effectively make it more popular then it is today. When you have a city center as small as Brum multi-storey malls are needed to keep it in competition. 

Martineau Galleries is also due to connect it more which is another 2.9msqft development. 

No body is saying its American, alot are ignoring the last piece of the thread title. It has an american feeling. 

Quote from a bbc magazine the other day



> Clean streets, 4x4s and high-rise buildings form the first impressions of an Indian IT consultant who comes to the UK. It's not like in Dickens, he tells his brother in e-mails charting his progress in making a new life with his family.
> 
> Vish Madughiri, 43, moved to the UK from Bangalore in 2003. He arrived with his son Akshay in Birmingham, where his wife Leela had settled some months earlier.
> 
> ..."I used to love listening to the news and plays and imagining what the studios were like over in London. Well, it's not exactly how I imagined it would be. In my mind I thought it would be all green and spruce but some bits look almost like America, so modern with high rise buildings. And, it's much wealthier than I'd expected: the roads are full of such expensive cars - these huge 4x4s are all around. It's really not like the cities in the Dickens adaptations I listened to."...


It does have an aura due to the vast greeness of its suburbs and its highrise center which is sparse to say the least. Signle major developments are the norm in Birmingham rather then continual streets as in places such as Leeds, Bristol, Nottingham etc. Highrise blocks were built en masse during the 60's and 70's - highways run through the city - its alot different from any other UK city in streetscape and its layout. Thats the point. I think people are worrying to much about something that is rather ireelvent to talk about for so many posts. a reason why QUINTESSENTIALLY BRITISH was the main part of the title.


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

Flogging Molly said:


> Actually that was in remark to a previous statement. However - we are no Shanghai but to be seen as that by people of a different nation clearly proves the redevelopment has'nt gone un-noticed.


But they don't, that's the point. I'm pretty confident that if you asked 100 Frenchmen to name 'the shanghai of europe' Brum wouldn't be one of the top answers.

I don't know where you've got it from but it was probably some french mayor or property developer visiting the city who was being interviewed by local media and was flattering them for publicity purposes.

In fact a google search on - birmingham "shanghai de l'europe" - finds precisely zero hits. - Birmingham "Shanghai of europe" - produces 5 hits, four of which are your threads! :rofl: (The other is totally unrelated).


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## Jaeger (May 11, 2006)

Jonesy55 said:


> But they don't, that's the point. I'm pretty confident that if you asked 100 Frenchmen to name 'the shanghai of europe' Brum wouldn't be one of the top answers.
> 
> I don't know where you've got it from but it was probably some french mayor or property developer visiting the city who was being interviewed by local media and was flattering them for publicity purposes.
> 
> In fact a google search on - birmingham "shanghai de l'europe" - finds precisely zero hits. - Birmingham "Shanghai of europe" - produces 5 hits, four of which are your threads! :lmao: (The other is totally unrelated).


I don't really care what the French call Birmingham. :lol: 

The truth is Birmingham has seen massive regeneration and redevelopment
in recent years, and with interesting future projects, the city will have a
decent skyline by European Standards.


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

Jaeger said:


> I don't really care what the French call Birmingham. :lol:
> 
> The truth is Birmingham has seen massive regeneration and redevelopment
> in recent years, and with interesting future projects, the city will have a
> decent skyline by European Standards.


I agree, but let's not get carried away with silly claims, it just looks like desperation!!


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## Flogging Molly (Apr 1, 2007)

Actually, it was stated before MIPIM in Cannes and had nothing to do with Birmingham at the time. It was a French report on French television posted by someone in France informing us. 

I know you're a bit of a turd sometimes JOnesy, but you really are excelling yourself today. Havent had a good word to say. Its as if you're slightly dissappointed Shrewsbury is'nt as progressive as Brum. Maybe you could lighten up a bit and stop with the remarks. I think quite a lot of Brummiesm praised Shrewsbury alot when you posted a picture diary of the place and Shropshire and those places have nothing compared to Birmingham so really I fail to see your huge dissappointment with the place. 

Seem the reason for you trolling is to shoot the city down on the world forum. Maybe locate the postives. Every resident knows its not perfect but its a hell of a lot better then what you give it credit for.


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

Don't throw a strop little chap, I have said positive things about Birmingham on this thread and elsewhere plenty of times, i'm just saying that going OTT with claims about things makes it look like you are desperate for recognition like if i'd said on my Shrewsbury thread that "The Germans think that Shrewsbury is the little Paris of England" or something equally ridiculous.

It's the same with the oft-repeated phrase that Brum is the 'Venice of the North' because it has some canals and after 10 years the local media still mentions a throwaway comment by Bill Clinton praising an aspect of the city's regeneration, it's just cringeworthy and smacks of a city lacking self-confidence and desperate to hang on to any form of outside recognition no matter how small and meaningless.


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## Bluegate74 (Nov 28, 2005)

Flogging Molly said:


> Actually, it was stated before MIPIM in Cannes and had nothing to do with Birmingham at the time. It was a French report on French television posted by someone in France informing us.
> 
> I know you're a bit of a turd sometimes JOnesy, but you really are excelling yourself today. Havent had a good word to say. Its as if you're slightly dissappointed Shrewsbury is'nt as progressive as Brum. Maybe you could lighten up a bit and stop with the remarks. I think quite a lot of Brummiesm praised Shrewsbury alot when you posted a picture diary of the place and Shropshire and those places have nothing compared to Birmingham so really I fail to see your huge dissappointment with the place.
> 
> Seem the reason for you trolling is to shoot the city down on the world forum. Maybe locate the postives. Every resident knows its not perfect but its a hell of a lot better then what you give it credit for.



There you go again taking every whisper of critisicm as a personal attack. Everyone who has slightly disagreed with your above you have torn into and spat back at. It seems to me someone needs to take a chill pill and not take every comment on this sight so seriously and also realise that EVERYONE is entitled to their own views and do not have to agree with everything you say.


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## Octoman (Nov 16, 2006)

Flogging Molly said:


> When you have a city center as small as Brum multi-storey malls are needed to keep it in competition.


Thats a fair point actually. Although I still think with some careful thought it would be possible to expand the city centre using more traditional street layouts.

Anyway, like I said I still think Birmingham has come on a long way and when I last visited a year ago it definitely had an improving atmosphere to the place. I also think that the latest raft of buildings could deliver part of the wow factor that seems to be a little absent.


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## Snowy (Nov 6, 2006)

Birmingham is a one-of-a-kind. Of all the UK's major cities, it's the only one which feels quintessentially 20th century, with the others feeling more Victorian, or at least mixed-parts Victorian and 20th / 21st century and whilst it admittedly lacks the character of cities such as London and Manchester, it isn't without it's own charms, with places like the Council House and the Jewellery Quarter.

Due to the lack of sensitive, historical areas and the abundance of high-rise buildings already there, there is a good chance that 20-30 years from now, Birmingham will have the best overall skyline of any major city in the UK. The sky's the limit quite frankly, although they'll have to improve upon the recent batch of scrapers (Orion, Holloway Circus etc.) The future looks bright for Birmingham and considering the amount the flak that is constantly thrown at the city, it's no less than you Brummies (who I've always thought to be decent, self-deprecating, unpretentious people) deserve.

Go Brum!


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Birmingham has an undeserved grimy reputation. From what I can see, it's a very nice European style city.


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## Brisbaner21 (Jul 17, 2007)

Birmingham looks very nice. I always get it confused on where that one major bombing went off at, but I know that was Manchester. Both cities seem to be making comebacks.


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## Jaeger (May 11, 2006)

Brisbaner21 said:


> Birmingham looks very nice. I always get it confused on where that one major bombing went off at, but I know that was Manchester. Both cities seem to be making comebacks.


They were both bombed, Birmingham had the pub bombings in 1974, which killed 21 people and badly injured 182. The bomb in Manchester in 1996, although massive, didn't actually kill anyone, but 200 were injured.

Birmingham Pub Bombs - 

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

Manchester Bomb -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996_Manchester_City_Centre_bombing

Birmingham, Coventry and the West Midlands were also heavily bombed by the German Airforce during WW2, which is one of the reasons why the city is more modern than many other British Cities.

Birmingham Pub Bombings


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## Flogging Molly (Apr 1, 2007)

Bluegate I dont mind critisism believe me. I give the city more then it really deserves. If you read carefully I even keep an open mindset about how its being far from perfect in this thread aswell. However I find it really very frsutrating when it comes from people who barely know the place, making snide remarks as if the only reason for venturing on the thread is to say something demeaning like you do on almost every thread you visit, which is clarified by a few other forumers around here. Jonesy continues to result in little swiped at the city, its marketing etc. Every city does it, however for some reason ... it smakcs of Birmingham lacking self-confidence where as places like Manchester its seen as great advertisment. Its a lose, lose situation with a few narrowminded people like yourself and im not going to hold back and not say it, because its true and deep down even you know it. 

End off now. Its a picture thread. want to moan about the place do it over in the Brum forum where other localites can inform you of certain misinformation you seem to have gathered. 

P.S yep a huge bomb ripped threw Manchester in 1996 and got huge funding to redevelop the city. Birmingham got a huge bomb that killed 21 people and is still stuck with New Street. Oh the joys. :nuts:


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## Mr Bricks (May 6, 2005)

Wow! Never new that Birmingham could look that good.


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## mike7743 (Oct 23, 2007)

wow this is probably one of the ugliest cities I have ever seen.


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## Comfortably Numb (Dec 19, 2007)

mike7743 said:


> wow this is probably one of the ugliest cities I have ever seen.


Unfortunately, not even close.


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