Lauren Tabbron shares her favourite things to do in Manchester
Jess Astbury regales tales of festivities in warmer climates.
In many ways it is the anti-York. It’s a big city with vast shopping arenas, proper nightclubs, less tourists and, of course, no goose-shit.
When to Go
As detailed above, a trip to Leeds is best when you are sick of York and you need a break from the flooded, mundane, granny-filled pubfest that you call home 30 weeks of the year.
Getting there
The preferred way is by train and there are tons of trains leaving for Leeds from York station every day. Try and avoid rush hour if you can as it is a bit of a commute route and can get pretty rammed. A direct train only takes 20 minutes. For those going for a night out in the big city there are trains at 00:49am and 2:50am back to York. If you miss those you’ll have to wait until 4:50am for the first morning trains. If trains aren’t your bag baby try one of the many buses that link the two cities or splash out and get a taxi (or not).
Where to stay
There are hotels in the city centre aplenty and some hostels up near Hyde Park and the University of Leeds. It’s highly likely though that you know someone who has a place there and if you don’t, befriend one as they can be very useful!
Daytime
Most people go to Leeds during the day to sample the limitless shopping experience that is on offer. If you come out of the train station, you are immediately among the bustling shops. Leeds boasts a Harvey Nics, a massive and soul-destroying Primark and every high street shop known to man. In the city centre most of the best shops are part of the Victoria Quarter. The atriums here make for a pleasant, weather-free shopping experience. If you fancy something less mainstream try the Corn Exchange or the student area around Hyde Park which has some great boutiques full of crap you will never need but really want. Leeds is about more than just shopping - the cosmopolitan nature of the city means there are heaps of international restaurants and bars to search out. If the arts flick your bean then there is the Leeds City Art Gallery, the Henry Moore Institute and the Grand Theatre to meet your needs.
Night-time
The main reason why York students go to Leeds is to escape the aching familiarity of Toffs on a Tuesday, Ziggys on a Wednesday and Gallery on a Thursday. There is no doubt that the Leeds clubbing scene is far far far superior to York's and some say it is one of the best in the country. Every night there are always plenty of places accommodating students but here is a quick low-down about what’s hot during the week.
Monday – Freshers from both York and Leeds flock to inoffensive ‘Oceania’. ‘Rehab’ do a drinks for 80p 80s night on this night. Tuesday – Try ‘Space’ for some crazy funky house. Wednesday – ‘Mission’ is always good on this night Thursday – For something different go to ‘Nu’ which does a silent disco or the legendary gay night at 'Mission' or Tequila at ‘Rehab’. Friday and the Weekend – All the cool cats head to Call Lane for some cocktails.
The adventurous should try the famous ‘Otley Run’ which is a pub crawl of marathonesque proportions, taking in over 20 pubs through the centre of Leeds. In a nutshell, Leeds can offer any kind of clubber a brilliant night out.
The bottom line
Despite the great things Leeds can offer you, it is no limitless paradise. You can quickly get fed up with the grey urban-scape, especially if you are used to pretty little York. Also, while students can go out at night mostly unharassed during the week in York, in Leeds it is a different story - so may feel you need to be a bit more cautious. So the best thing about Leeds is that it makes you miss York and so you come back with new found affection and motivation for York and university life. Until you step in goose shit that is.
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