Birmingham Life

[Xela]

5 hours ago, Stevo985 said:

Last time I walked down Broad Street (not that long ago) during the day, I saw a hen party who were, I assume, just starting their day. On **** Broad Street

I was honestly close to stopping them and giving them a list of places they could go and have a great time rather than Broad Street.

 

No wonder people think Birmingham is a crap night out when they turn up and go there

Late 90s / early 00s Broad St was brilliant. Cheesy but brilliant. A lot of the bars shut and reopened as take away places or restaurants. Lost its edge. Still some drinking places there but nothing like it used to be. 

[Xela]

5 hours ago, Chindie said:

I liked the Empire, I had a soft spot for it. It's the cinema I first went to and the one I'd been to most. I also kinda liked how shit it was, part of the charm.

It'll miss it's car park.

I'm also not likely to get there any time soon

 

Always be the Odeon for me. Watched my first '18' films there. Se7en and Casino from memory. 

Remember watching Batman there as well (the Micheal Keaton / Jack Nicholson one). Plus plenty of Disney screenings as a kid. With intervals and a woman coming around selling ice creams!

Glad to see it opening up again. 

[sidcow]

9 minutes ago, Xela said:

Always be the Odeon for me. Watched my first '18' films there. Se7en and Casino from memory. 

Remember watching Batman there as well (the Micheal Keaton / Jack Nicholson one). Plus plenty of Disney screenings as a kid. With intervals and a woman coming around selling ice creams!

Glad to see it opening up again. 

I saw Condor Man there. Has a finer film ever been made? 

[Chindie]

I can probably remember every movie I've seen there. The first film I ever saw at the cinema was there. Some of the best memories I have of the cinema were there, and the worst. And it's convenient.

[Stevo985]

43 minutes ago, Xela said:

Late 90s / early 00s Broad St was brilliant. Cheesy but brilliant. A lot of the bars shut and reopened as take away places or restaurants. Lost its edge. Still some drinking places there but nothing like it used to be. 

It wouldn’t make the top 10 places to go on a night out in the city centre these days. IMO

Edited August 6 by Stevo985

[sidcow]

2 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

It wouldn’t make the top 10 places to go on a night out in the city centre 

Can't actually remember the last time I went to a bar there.

Last year I did a pub crawl called "Broad Street without going to Broad Street" which featured a lot of pubs in the vicinity of Broad Street but none actually on Broad Street. 

[Stevo985]

13 minutes ago, sidcow said:

Can't actually remember the last time I went to a bar there.

Last year I did a pub crawl called "Broad Street without going to Broad Street" which featured a lot of pubs in the vicinity of Broad Street but none actually on Broad Street. 

The vicinity is fine. Some lovely bars in brindley place for example or on the canal. But Broad Street itself is shite

[Chindie]

My first night out on Broad Street I'll never forget. The first place we went, Risa, had someone being pulled out having been stabbed as we were going in, and then having bought a drink I went upstairs and was greeted by the entire upstairs doing the Soulja Boy dance, and then I realised I probably wasn't a 'Broad Street person'.

[theboyangel]

9 hours ago, Xela said:

Always be the Odeon for me. Watched my first '18' films there. Se7en and Casino from memory. 

Remember watching Batman there as well (the Micheal Keaton / Jack Nicholson one). Plus plenty of Disney screenings as a kid. With intervals and a woman coming around selling ice creams!

Glad to see it opening up again. 

Was the location of my childhood cinema outings - stand out memories include being the last ones allowed in to see Condorman after queues stretched down to While Road, watching the Star Wars trilogy back to back in one day and watching Silence of the Lambs on opening night, packed and with no spoilers - the night vision scenes were brutally intense with the whole cinema pushed back in their seats.

That's not to mention all the Indy, Rocky, Back To The Future movies etc.

So pleased it has been done up and reopened. Will have to revisit when back in Sutton sometime

 

[one_ian_taylor]

11 hours ago, sidcow said:

Can't actually remember the last time I went to a bar there.

Last year I did a pub crawl called "Broad Street without going to Broad Street" which featured a lot of pubs in the vicinity of Broad Street but none actually on Broad Street. 

Tap and Spile is one of my favourites

[sidcow]

1 minute ago, one_ian_taylor said:

Tap and Spile is one of my favourites

It's where the crawl finished

[Lichfield Dean]

1 hour ago, one_ian_taylor said:

Tap and Spile is one of my favourites

According to its current sign the Tap And Spile was established in 2023 

It looks a lot less scruffy than it used to though.

[one_ian_taylor]

2 hours ago, Lichfield Dean said:

According to its current sign the Tap And Spile was established in 2023 

It looks a lot less scruffy than it used to though.

I like my pubs to have a bit of scruff, but the location and layout means it's  still great 

[Lichfield Dean]

The Jamaican festival in Victoria Square is really great. Loads of food stores and little souvenir stalls, and there will be live music I guess later on.

I mean, most of the food stalls are doing bbq jerk chicken, but not complaining!

[osmark86]

Lived in Birmingham 2010-2011 and remember hanging out a lot at The Flapper by the canal. Also dug a place near the library/broad st called the Yardbird. Been so long though and seems like the Yardbird closed a couple of years back.

[sidcow]

32 minutes ago, osmark86 said:

Lived in Birmingham 2010-2011 and remember hanging out a lot at The Flapper by the canal. Also dug a place near the library/broad st called the Yardbird. Been so long though and seems like the Yardbird closed a couple of years back.

the Yardbird was completely demolished as part of the enormous changes to Paradise.  It's a huge development.  Where it was is under a massive office building now.

[trekka]

On 07/08/2024 at 07:06, one_ian_taylor said:

Tap and Spile is one of my favourites

Yep, always plan a visit there if I'm up and I arrange a night out with friends.  Years ago, the manager used to walk around just offering out free pizza slices and things to people - it's a shame nowadays it doesn't have the same kind of vibe but it's still a great pub.  

[Lichfield Dean]

Very busy and a good vibe in Sutton town centre today. Film cars were here (two batmobiles, KITT, Mystery Machine etc ) and Villa were here doing kids footie stuff. Followed by a couple of top beers at The Duke.

 

[T-Dog]

Brum is class. I've worked in London, I've seen a lot of the 'best' cities as a tourist, I used to have friends and family all round the big cities in the UK, and as much as I love other cities, Manchester in particular, none of them even come close. 

The only negative about Brum is the toothless simpletons down the road.

The ONE thing I'd like to see more of - celebration of our musical heritage, I love Ozzy but there's so much more to be proud about.

[Lichfield Dean]

3 hours ago, T-Dog said:

Brum is class. I've worked in London, I've seen a lot of the 'best' cities as a tourist, I used to have friends and family all round the big cities in the UK, and as much as I love other cities, Manchester in particular, none of them even come close. 

The only negative about Brum is the toothless simpletons down the road.

The ONE thing I'd like to see more of - celebration of our musical heritage, I love Ozzy but there's so much more to be proud about.

Totally agree. And musically, yes, Sabbath are he obvious, but yeah, Duran Duran, half of Zeppelin, dexys, the beat, the move, napalm death.... You could go on forever. There so needs to be a proper Brum/Midlands music museum or something, and I know lots of people are trying to sort that out.