City thread of the week: Newcastle

[dr beat]

Aye that new shipping container bar is alright actually.

[hummingofevil]

I too hate the shipping containers though you get a much better view from them looking back at Newcastle then sat on Newcastle side. In fact I dislike a lot of the Wylam sites even though they are beatutiful and serve good beers. Can't put my finger on it. They not the Bodega or Free Trade is a lot of it. :)

You mentioned Shieldfield. Location is excellent but honestly get yourself another half-mile up Warwick st into Heaton. Shieldfield is filling up with student accomodation which is replacing/augmenting the existing flats/council flats (I Daniel Blake was filmed there). I would also pick East over West every time. Housing fairly similar I suppose but likes of Shieldfield/Byker/Walker have easy access to Metro and Ouseburn. Do your research and see what you prefer...

Édit: Steel wheels facts incoming.

My favourite record shop is 586 which is inside the Commercial Union building. Tony who runs it is a great fella and loads of decent second hand stuff and new House and Techno releases.

Finally, it is worth getting a The Stand membership but I'm nitvsure why poster struggles to get tickets. Plenty for sale here:

https://www.thestand.co.uk/whats-on/Newcastle

Hope that helps.

[JarrowMonkey]

There's now a big street food/fancy restaurant/microbrewery and attached bar complex made out of shipping containers on the Quayside, albeit on the Gateshead side of the river. Despite my desperation to hate everything, especially new stuff aimed at young people, it's actually pretty decent. The rest of the bars on the Quayside are to be avoided though. They don't get above Pitcher and Piano-level, but do go considerably below it.

The Newcastle Arms is fine and the Crown Pasada is fine if you like real ales

[An Actual Propeller]

Steel Wheels shut down years ago and two of the staff subsequently opened Beatdown Records, which is a few minutes walk from Central Station.

[An Actual Propeller]

To throw my tuppence in:

Good places to live? As said before, Heaton is the sweet spot. Consider High Heaton and Sandyford too. All of my friends who live at the Coast seem to love it there too, although it takes 20-30 minutes to get into the city centre via the Metro (should you ever want to). The Metro is reliable the vast majority of the time.
What are the music venues like? Depends. Star and Shadow, Cluny, Cumberland, Little Buildings, Boiler Shop, all great. Other venues like Think Tank, Riverside, Academy, the Uni places, Arena less so. There's always something to see every day if you're clued up and open minded enough.
Is the comedy any good? The Stand is one of the best comedy clubs in the country.
Do football fans really have Chinese food after every game? (I wouldn't blame them). As previous poster said, Chinatown is really close to the stadium.
Where is that one street with sixteen charity shops and three Greggs? Shields Road. It's quite something, there's always somebody with a limp, but I'll defend it to the death.
And what's up with those big bastard rabbits at Manors station, some sort of local council tax dodge? Fuck knows, but there's actual rabbits running wild and free around the Civic Centre and The Sage Gateshead.

[Blue Jam]

Did anyone ever do the Sitcom Pub Quiz at the Newcastle Stand? It looks like it's no longer on :(

[An Actual Propeller]

Did anyone ever do the Sitcom Pub Quiz at the Newcastle Stand? It looks like it's no longer on :(

Stopped a while ago, I miss it.

[Nice Relaxing Poo]

Where is that one street with sixteen charity shops and three Greggs? Shields Road. It's quite something, there's always somebody with a limp, but I'll defend it to the death.

Someone should do a study and documentary on Shields road, it's a story of depravation in Newcastle and the North East encapsulated in one long stretch of hazardous pubs, working men's clubs, pound shops and thrift shops. I never dared to go into any of the pubs like the Raby when I was younger as in my mind a beating would inevitably ensue at some point after I supped my first pint. Probably untrue though.

[shithead]

Someone should do a study and documentary on Shields road, it's a story of depravation in Newcastle and the North East encapsulated in one long stretch of hazardous pubs, working men's clubs, pound shops and thrift shops. I never dared to go into any of the pubs like the Raby when I was younger as in my mind a beating would inevitably ensue at some point after I supped my first pint. Probably untrue though.

It's got its own Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ShieldsRoadReports/

[BlodwynPig]

As far as I can tell every airport everywhere now seems to have a duty-free labyrinth after security, and they all look exactly the same.

Flew from Newcastle recently and the Metro is good, aye.

Exactly! EXACTLY!

[hummingofevil]

I've never had any bother drinking on Shield's Road (apart from Jackson's where bar staff basically wanted us to fuck off so they could go home - most of Shield's road pubs close early and are busier in afternoon - just remembered I found Flim by Aphex on their jukebox so stuck it on 3 times with my quid so maybe that was part of it).

Didn't it win some award recently for being Britain's least interesting high street. Got a Wilkos a Morrison's and a Greggs so I dare you to find something you can't buy.

Wetherspoons opens a pub on Shields Rd a few years back so I think it made rest of pubs raise their game a bit. Less tolerance for shite. My only issue with likes of Butcher's Arms is that you feel a bit of a tit as a bit of an outsider.

[BlodwynPig]

Steel Wheels shut down years ago and two of the staff subsequently opened Beatdown Records, which is a few minutes walk from Central Station.

Ah yes. True dat.

[BlodwynPig]

I've never had any bother drinking on Shield's Road (apart from Jackson's where bar staff basically wanted us to fuck off so they could go home - most of Shield's road pubs close early and are busier in afternoon - just remembered I found Flim by Aphex on their jukebox so stuck it on 3 times with my quid so maybe that was part of it).

Didn't it win some award recently for being Britain's least interesting high street. Got a Wilkos a Morrison's and a Greggs so I dare you to find something you can't buy.

Wetherspoons opens a pub on Shields Rd a few years back so I think it made rest of pubs raise their game a bit. Less tolerance for shite. My only issue with likes of Butcher's Arms is that you feel a bit of a tit as a bit of an outsider.

Was going to mention the Butcher's Arms. Some dafties at the Uni had a bet to go there and found it boring. The Raby back in the 90s was always a fun and a quarter place.

Bacchus in town is the only pub i visit these days abd cant be arsed with micropub shenanigans. Hotspur is ok if you work at uni

[sardines]

Newcastle has benefited greatly from gentrification over the past 10 years. Still though if you live there and go out regularly you should expect at least one experience of having a balding-middle-aged-horse-head-butting-drunk starting a fight with you.

Last time I was Steel Wheels it was mainly hoodies and shit merch.

Summary: move there for the Tyneside Cinema

[hummingofevil]

I've never once been started on in 15 years. In fact likes of Cosy Joes karaoke on Bigg Market is one of the most amusingly friendly places I know. Everyone looks like they COULD leatha you but everyone just having fun.

Did see bouncers kick someone out of The Rose And Crown for fighting during a TV boxing match a few weeks back but they pretty much shook his hand and carried his coat on way out so must have been a villain of some sort.

Yes. Geordies call old-school name gangsters "villains". That got to be another in positives box.

I find Newcastle a relaxed and safe place (unlike Leeds or Liverpool Matthew St. on a Saturday that slightly absolutely terrify me - more in raising anxiety levels than fear for my life mind - though Leeds is only place I've ever been called a cunt for doing the saying-sorry-instead-of-excuse-me when walking past some one - "You fucking will be you cunt!")

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

On Sunday I was walking near home and this foreign, possibly Spanish woman asked an old lady for directions.

"HOW THE FOOK SHOULD I KNOW, DON'T FOOKIN LOOK AT ME LOVE"

Delightful people, Leeds locals.

[An Actual Propeller]

Didn't it win some award recently for being Britain's least interesting high street. Got a Wilkos a Morrison's and a Greggs so I dare you to find something you can't buy.

It got "worst retail location" from some property advisory service looking for a good way to get their name mentioned in the news without having to do any advertising.

[An Actual Propeller]

As for being started on, I was assaulted around 2004 or so by a bunch of charvers outside Northumbria Uni while going to a gig there, and a few years ago I was pushed against the Head of Steam's outside wall by my throat, had my cock and balls felt and tried to have my wallet and phone nicked by about a dozen cunts.  So that's two serious incidents in 18 years.  Might have also had a bottle smashed over my head at some point (I awoke in hospital, and the nurse said my head injury was consistent with bottle damage) but I was blind drunk at the time.  Probably been started on a few times without it leading to anywhere, but can't tell you how many.

[hummingofevil]

Here you go. Bunch of whiny wankers.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45678196

The only reference to the relative success or otherwise of the team is passing mention of a top-10 finish.