Edmund Street
by Galahad
If like me you are interested in some of Birmingham's best 19th century buildings walk down Edmund Street from Chamberlain Square at one end to Snow Hill Railway Station at the other. Along the way there are the Birmingham Corporation Gas Company Offices, (now part of the Art Gallery), the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design (now the College of Art of the University of Central England) past another group of buildings which made up a collection of hospital buildings. The Ear and Throat Hospital (now offices) and the Eye Hospital (now the Hotel du Vin), and another hospital which I have yet to identify.
The individual buildings will soon have their own VT "things to do" pages. Walking along the Street to catch my train back home at Snow Hill Railway Station on a warm sunny June evening, after attending a seminar at the Shakespeare Memorial Library.
One for the trainspotters
by sourbugger
The town of Stourbridge is well connected to Birmingham, but to get to it by train you have to alight at Storbridge Junction and travel the one stop to Stourbridge town.
This branch line is certainly the shortest in the Uk and many claim it is the shortest in the world.
There are currently plans to use a new and clever light rail car on the route that works with a flywheel - very environmentally sound I'm sure. More info about the innovative transport solution can be found below :
Bristol Road
by kayleigh06 about Bristol Road
Bristol Road, Selly Oak has few Bars and Places to eat as it is a (mainly) student area because of the University of Birmingham.
There is something to do for most people if you don't want to go drinking.
You can smoke seesha at one of the few cafes, you can play pool at Lakeside (which is 5 mins down the road on Pershore Rd) have anthing you want to eat from Indian, Balti, Chineses, Southern Fried Chicken, Persian, Pizza, Kebabs, Chip Shops & much much more.
Centre of the Country
by DUNK67
Birmingham is very easy to get to due to the central location of the city. There is a superb rail network linking Birmingham with the rest of the country and Birmingham International Airport is only about 15 minutes away by train. The Motorways M1, M5 , M6, M6 Toll Road and M42 are all pretty close by. Most of the motorways join up to form the famous Gravelly Hill Interchange, better known as Spaghetti Junction.
Getting round Birmingham can be achieved in several ways, by your own transport, bus, train, taxi, tram and even by canal.
Birmingham is said to have more canals than Venice.
Great Italian
by leffe3 about Piccolino
Piccolino is another of the upmarket restaurants to be found in the Brindley Place development, opposite Cielo (see separate tip) and directly next door to the Ikon Gallery.
It's big, it's contemporary, it's very red and it's also very good. Attracting a diverse clientele (from office workers at the attractive bar area through to double-dating couples), the service from the moment we walked through the doors was exceptional.
Tables and chairs running down the two sides of the restaurant with a central aisle of low-lying half-circular banquets. One noticeable (and incredibly simple and effective) touch was the 'net' curtain running across half the restaurant in the early part of the evening, reducing the size and increasing the intimacy of the restaurant. As it became busier, so the netting was drawn. There's a large outdoor terrace directly out front for both drinks and dining.
One thing that surprised me was to discover that Piccolino is a chain of restaurants with more than 20 restaurants throughout England. T certainly did not have the feel of being part of a chain. Excellent gnocchi (2 or 3 choices of accompaniments) and lamb, duck options were very good.
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Market Cross in the foreground
stained glass in the staircase
Interior Seating of La Vita
Bull Ring bridge at night
