Walking into the city centre yesterday to meet a friend, alone, I had an epiphany. Epiphany is my favourite word-of-the-day, and you'd be surprised the number of times it crops up in conversation, if you're a bit sneaky about the whole thing. So, my epiphany was: I LOVE Bristol. I just really reallly love it. And it's funny when you live somewhere, and you never notice how lucky you are. So as I was wondering through Stokes Croft, feeling quite cold but very happy, I decided Bristol is one of the coolest places. Just in general.
Although decidedly one of the dodgier areas of city, the people and cafes and little boutiques are some of the coolest and most understated in the city. Without the pretentiousness of Clifton Village, with its duck-egg front doors, gourmet brasseries and overpriced photoframes-and-posh-soaps shoops, Stokes Croft is the epitomy (another great word) of bohemian cool. And if that's sounding a bit much like a footprint guide, here are the top five reasons that Bristol is the BEST place to grow up:
1. the hills! its never boring, never flat, and always garanteed to make me out of breath. plus we have some amazing views...
2. the charity shops. i have never found any to equal them.
3. bristol is the city with the most parks in england, so its very very green, AND is a cycling city. so everyone cycles.
4. its close enough to london, close enough to the sea, but far away enough from both to never have many tourists.
5. the music! definately some of the best bands in the country are bristolians...
and number 6... the people! Everyone is just so smiley and generally friendly.
