Visit to York - ideas?

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Sly Boots
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Visit to York - ideas?

Post by Sly Boots » Sun Feb 05, 2023 4:12 pm

Hey fellow Armsians, a friend of mine from the US is visiting the UK next month, and one of the places they're going is York. I know WB and Raid live in those parts, do you (or anyone else familiar with the city) have any good suggestions for things to do or places they should check out while they're there?

They're also stopping over in Nottingham and Cheltenham if anyone is likewise familiar with those places...

Cheers! :)

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Re: Visit to York - ideas?

Post by Raid » Sun Feb 05, 2023 4:31 pm

Err, I live in the very opposite of York I'm afraid, from a 15th century perspective anyway.

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Re: Visit to York - ideas?

Post by Sly Boots » Sun Feb 05, 2023 4:34 pm

Lol, thought I'd remembered you talking about it, obviously not :lol:

It's all the same 'oop North', isn't it? :-k

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Re: Visit to York - ideas?

Post by Maturin » Sun Feb 05, 2023 5:03 pm

There's the Cheltenham Festival (Gold Cup) in mid-March if your friend fancies a flutter. My brother lives there - the place does get a bit crowded around that time though.

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Re: Visit to York - ideas?

Post by Wrathbone » Sun Feb 05, 2023 5:03 pm

It's all the same 'oop North', isn't it? :-k
To quote Phoenix Nights, you don't mix the counties! ;)

Saying that, I live in Lancaster but I'm from Yorkshire and I know York fairly well. The key touristy bits are:

- The Jorvik centre. I've not been in years, but it's still extremely popular. Mostly I remember the distinctive 'viking smell' they vent into the rooms, which is a bit like BBQ sauce.

- The Shambles. This is what I suspect many Americans picture when they think of a British street, as it's what Harry Potter's Diagon Alley was inspired by. It used to be full of unique curio shops, but now it's inundated with Harry Potter merchandise. There's a cocktail bar called Evil Eye which is fantastic, though.

- Clifford's Tower. To be honest, despite its fame and popularity, it's not all that exiting. It's a big, round stone tower on a hill.

- York Minster. I believe the restoration work on it has finished now so its no longer covered in scaffolding.

- The National Railway museum, which is really first rate, even if you've no particular interest in trains.

- The City Walls. Not an attraction as such, as they're just a fixture of the city, but you can walk round them and get a nice view.

Food-wise there are tonnes of great pubs and restaurants, to the point where you'd be hard-pressed to find a bad place. Personally I'd recommend a place in the centre called Lendal Cellars, which a great steakhouse. There's also the famous Betty's Tearooms, though there's usually a queue of an hour or more for a table. You can just bypass the queue to go and buy their cakes, though, which is certainly worthwhile.

Hopefully that's a bit to go on! :)

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Re: Visit to York - ideas?

Post by Sly Boots » Sun Feb 05, 2023 5:16 pm

Thanks chaps! :)

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Re: Visit to York - ideas?

Post by Tommy » Fri Mar 03, 2023 8:47 pm

Late to the party here. I lived in York for four years, know it relatively well?

If you give me an idea what you want from it (and it's not too late) I can give you a good idea.

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Re: Visit to York - ideas?

Post by Sly Boots » Fri Mar 03, 2023 9:10 pm

Tommy wrote:
Fri Mar 03, 2023 8:47 pm
Late to the party here. I lived in York for four years, know it relatively well?

If you give me an idea what you want from it (and it's not too late) I can give you a good idea.
Well, it's not me, it's a friend from the US. I think they'd be fine with touristy/cultural stuff, but good pubs and restaurants would be good too I'm sure!

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Re: Visit to York - ideas?

Post by Mantis » Fri Mar 03, 2023 11:01 pm

What kind of food are they into? Nottingham is my locale and there's a ton of good places to go depending on what you like.

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Re: Visit to York - ideas?

Post by Sly Boots » Sat Mar 04, 2023 8:32 am

Nice, I'll check with them and report back

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Re: Visit to York - ideas?

Post by Sly Boots » Wed Mar 15, 2023 5:25 pm

Hey, forgot to ask them, but having just remembered they say they wouldn't mind a good Indian place recommendation, and maybe a good place to get fish and chips to try out the legendary British cuisine :lol:

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Re: Visit to York - ideas?

Post by Mantis » Wed Mar 15, 2023 8:40 pm

One of the best Indian restaurants I've ever been to is in Nottingham. Kottaram on Maid Marian Way is a two minute walk up the hill from the market square. If that's too pricey then Mem Saab is a few doors up and also very nice.

For fish and chips, the chippy chain George's has a proper sit in restaurant on Queen's Street literally just off the square which is pretty decent. If you wanted a proper chippy takeaway experience with it served on a tray wrapped in paper then either Lace Market Fish Bar or Carrington's are the two best chippies in town. Ones a bit out of the way in the independent filled area which has a lot of other nice bars and eateries whilst Carrington's is just down the hill as you walk towards the city centre from the train station.

Pubwise, Barrel Drop is a hidden gem in a little alley way off the Market Square called Hurts Yard. Lots of nice and interesting ale flavours in there. Junkyard is another nice hidden one just off Bridlesmith Walk.

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Re: Visit to York - ideas?

Post by Sly Boots » Wed Mar 15, 2023 9:41 pm

Great, cheers! :)

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