List crazy website Buzzfeed has summarised York with its usual irresistible combination of big pix and breathless sentences. And their assertion that ours is the best city in the North is bang on.
We were way ahead of them on the virtues of The Willow with its prawn cracker madness, and of the joy of our fortress like city walls.
But listen up guys, we have some Buzzfeedback. You see your whole thing is written through a southern lens and a pair of Google glasses.
Reason number one they offer for York’s greatness is, and we quote, “Bettys – need I say more?” Yes you need. Bettys, however many queue to enter its St Helen’s Square branch, will forever be associated with the stiff and floral Harrogate rather than the unconventional, slightly macabre, York.
Also the downstairs of the York one feels similar to the Titanic, all wood panelling and social hierarchies.
Secondly, as someone who spends roughly a third of their life riding that East Coast Rail, I have to question its role in York’s greatness.
If you have ever spent a Sunday sitting in the vestibule of a carriage, with an Irishman in possession of three budgies and four cans of Stella, whilst the train stops at Donny for an hour and a half, you might too.
Buzzfeed describes Shambles (YorkMix‘s HQ) as a “film set”. This may be true, but only if it’s a zombie film stuffed with shuffling extras who make it a nightmare for anyone sprinting to the Park and Ride.
The well meaning chaps at BF focused on York’s obvious attributes to the outsider . But it offers much more than the construct the tourists see, so we thought we’d delve a little deeper and offer up a few reasons why this is the city to be venerated by all others.
The view from Lendal Bridge
Anyone who commutes into York via train or bus, or lives across the river knows the king-like feeling you get when striding across Lendal Bridge before 9am. It offers a snapshot of the city. With the mighty Ouse stretching before you and all those mismatched buildings and balconies clustered beside, the only thing to do is plug in an epic tune (not Coldplay) and enjoy the view.
Proper food and bonkers bars
And our slightly weird bars, namely Evil Eye and the House of Trembling Madness offer up that same warm eccentricity.
Revolution in the Shed
Agreed Buzzfeed, Shed Seven are great. But did you know there is more to the band than just discoing down?
Drummer Alan Leach has hosted music some of the city’s finest pub quizzes for nine years, going for gold by creating a smartphone app to enhance the art of quizzing.
21st century boys
Anyway Shed Seven no longer stand as lone torchbearers lighting a path through an otherwise gloomy Yorkmusic scene. Gone are the days when Sheffield, Leeds and even Helmsley (One Night Only, they were big in 2007) snigger at our offerings.
Today we’ve the properly talented Benjamin Francis Leftwich, with songs to make even the cold-hearted cry. We are also gifted with Edd Barlow who has been mesmerising girls (and boys) with his Jeff Buckley style vocals since his school days.
Reasons to be cheerful
So we are all in agreement York is pretty great. We didn’t have time to refer to all the other sources of its greatness, but special mentions go to the Theatre Royal pantomime; drinking in the Museum Gardens; the shop on Low Petergate that only sells cat related things and the lights that decorate the station.
Oh, and there’s quite an impressive church here as well…
- What’s your offbeat reason why York is great? Let us know in the comments…