nottingham! ...nottingham?

26.april.05: i've heard different things from different people about nottingham. everything from "it's a lot of fun" to "it's alright" to "fantastic nightlife and culture scene" to "crime capital of the uk." so when i first arrived, i took a look around the main central plaza.

"weird," my mind said.

and it was stuck in that loop. no matter how much i tried to bring to a "good" or "bad" conclusion, the brain was still turning on its little hamster wheel, trying to figure the place out. i mean, there's so many gorgeous old historic buildings that were converted into modern stores and fast food joints and... i mean, the place is JARRING. one building, a sleek curvy glass structure with neon, sat right next to a 17th century 3-storey pub. it was too much. and if this was america, i would protest. but here the rules are different.

i walked around a little more and tried to do some random shopping. most stores were more high end than my cheap tastes – i mean, "affordable" tastes – so i wasn't really kept busy with the shops.

however, like i do wherever i travel, i'm drawn to the restaurants. i experience different cities and cultures through food. and nottingham has a bazillion places to eat out, from restaurants to cafes and pubs.

there was one in particular that i adored: it was called broadway. it's primarily an art house movie theatre, but it has a great little cafe attached right to it. they were playing "a very long engagement" when i was there (i didn't see it, though). they had scheduled films like chicago, napoleon dynamite and eternal sunshine of the spotless mind – all movies bigger in america than they were in britain.

the verdict was still out about this place called nottingham. but i knew that if 8,000 students can conquer this city, certainly i could too. i was willing to give it a try.