It’s turned into just another city.
I don’t think it ever really had ‘charm’ though.
It’s quite a good place for a shop, some food and some entertainment
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I'm on a three day course in Newport but decided to stay overnight in Cardiff city centre. After today's session in Nyoops I got back to the hotel an hour before the shops closed and walked my colleague around the arcades, the market and St Mary Street to give her a feel of the place.
I still like to old market but everywhere else seems to dominated by gentrified shops and cafés (in the case of the arcades) and national restaurant/bar chains elsewhere.
Call me an old out-of-touch curmudgeon but I feel that the place has lost a lot of charm and character.
Yours,
TBG
Wearing a tin foil hat and eating powdered egg.
P. S. Discovering the stuffed bear in the tobacconist's (that I remember from my childhood) was a treat!
It’s turned into just another city.
I don’t think it ever really had ‘charm’ though.
It’s quite a good place for a shop, some food and some entertainment
No charm? It's always had the arcades, loads of pubs, a huge rugby stadium, a compact shopping area, the museum and gardens and a giant ****ing castle. All within one square mile. What more do you want?
And the pubs have reasonable prices, you can still get a pint for £2 in town, that’s very rare in many other UK cities.
Well, st Mary Street hasn’t really changed and neither have the arcades, the Hayes is nicer as is mill lane. In fact most streets have improved I think, park place, cathedral rd, we got the castle grounds and of course the bay. What more does one need in a city of 400,000.....
thats what i was thinking when i read the OP.
Cast your mind back to what The Hayes looked like not even ten years ago, it was a right shithole.
Same with Wood Street.
What I don't like though is the fact that much of town has gone through another major redevelopment, the last one being only a few (well 3 or 4) decades ago.
These new buildings will be around a fraction of the time that the older ones have, the majority of which I'm glad to say have been preserved.
Still plenty of charm but depressing seeing all the homeless lining the streets mind.
Should've taken her for a brekkie at The Hollybush!
Not so much lost it's charm as sold it to high rises billed as student flats but really cheap builds, poorly regulated and ultimately empty. That Zenith building in behind the station is extremely ugly but the one behind the chapel restaurant/pub is also bad.
I must agree with TBG, to a certain extent.
Yes there are a few pubs, but they’re soulless, no personalities (can’t spell characters )
Town has become a concrete jungle, unlike YORK, which has charm in abundance.
Bring back the Taff Vale, The Griffin, The Prince Albert , The Glendower, The White House, oh we can’t, they’ve shut um all down
Whilst I understand where you are coming from I am afraid that the national brands are probably the only ones who can afford the rents and the cheap student mini tower blocks the only growth industry.
I am, sadly, old enough to remember Cardiff city centre in the 70’s where there was still car parking on rough ground where the St David’s centre now is and the Lious represented fine dining and Pillars was considered exciting.
Whilst the modern city may have changed it retains the Castle, old University buildings and the arcades and the modern stuff may be identikit building but in the main it is an improvement on the centre of my youth.
And Barry on its doorstep. What more do you want?
Pity the Wynford wasn't bang in the city centre.
For me the city centre lost its charm when The Albert, and its piano, on St Mary Street became something else, another characterless, poncy monstrosity just as The Duke of Wellington on one end of Chippy Lane did years before. The long gone Glendower and Custom House were full of great local eccentrics with backgrounds from all over the globe.
Quite simply a wonderful city, as previous posters have mentioned a world class stadium a castle, a beautiful civic centre, loads of pubs and restaurants, arcades all within minutes walk of each other. 10 minutes to cardiff bay with all it's charms.
What more can you want?
Just ask anybody coming to cardiff for the first time for a match concert etc.