Cardiff, how nice is our City ?

[Kind of Blue]

I haven’t lived in Cardiff for a decade and only in areas that’d be described as inner Cardiff. I’ve visited less and less as the years have passed, so all of my views will be dated.

I used to like how it felt more like a big town with a much bigger city’s amenities crammed into it, all fairly walkable too.

I liked all the areas I lived in and was never far from fairly spacious green spaces. Never really felt unsafe or likely to find trouble, never thought twice about walking alone at night.

Sports wise, it has a pretty impressive offering. 4 professional sports teams (?), international football, rugby, and cricket, with the 4th biggest stadium in the UK. Sometimes this fact gets overplayed, but also sometimes it feels it isn’t quite appreciated either.

Don’t get me wrong, it could definitely have been improved but public transport felt OK to me relatively speaking at the time. It’s not London/turn up and go but probably about what you’d expect from a British city, which says more about the UK.

Decent watering holes and fun for a night out, but with a somewhat limited variety of entertainment offer and to a degree cultural offer. There were places I liked just fine but restaurants on the whole were average.

In many ways I think it punched above its weight, but at the same time, almost contradictorily, it felt it often didn't make the most of its potential. I can’t quite put it into words but it sometimes felt it didn’t value what it had and had a sort of carelessness about itself.

[Robin Friday's Ghost]

Nonsense, it’s tiny, I couldn’t even see water walking passed it. We shall see how it works out in 5/10 years time. I do agree that that end of town needs something, it could be a lot better as there are lots of flats, lots of students but no where really to hang out as everything seems to have shut including most of the capitol centre.

What on earth does the size of it matter? It's a feature which will attract bars and restaurants and thus people.

[bobh]

By far the better City? you really need to elaborate on that statement. London is a Mega city, Cardiff is a village in comparison.

OK, I will.
I lived in Leyton, about 6 miles from the "City of London" which is the equivalent of a borough (there are may boroughs in Greater London, Leyton being in B of Waltham Forest.
I used to cycle to work, as the tube was overcrowded and smelly during rush hours. Rush hours were about 6-9:30 in the morning, 4-7 in the evening. Nobody spoke on the platforms or trains. My cycle route took me down Mile End Road, which was a wide road, but had stalls set out on the pavements, spreading into the road itself. These were mostly fruit&veg, as could be seen by the amount of spoiled fruit & veg on the ground.
The air smelled dirty, a white shirt was grubby by the end of the day. My wife is London-born, and after we moved to Cardiff, once over the initial culture shock she found London dirty and smelly when we visited back there.
You get a" London Weighting" allowance in your pay, but this doesn't compensate for the extortionate prices of buying or renting property, nor the cost of food &clothes. Don't start me on theatre prices.
Yes, there are great places to visit around London, if you can afford them. Most visitors who go shopping go to Oxford St, which has all the big department stores, but contain exactly the same stuff that can be bought in the provincial branches of these stores (or online), at less cost.

Crime is rife throughout, you only have to see the news to confirm that.
Is that enough for you

[North Cardiff Blue]

Cardiff is a good size and near the coast, you've got all the facilities you need, plus Beaches, Mountains, and Countryside, overall it's one of the best places to live in the UK.

[RichardM]

Cardiff is a good size and near the coast, you've got all the facilities you need, plus Beaches, Mountains, and Countryside, overall it's one of the best places to live in the UK.

That's almost word for word what I say to people when I tell them why I have stayed in Cardiff since moving here 37 years ago.

[The Bloop]

Cardiff is a good size and near the coast, you've got all the facilities you need, plus Beaches, Mountains, and Countryside, overall it's one of the best places to live in the UK.

Spot on.

[goats]

What on earth does the size of it matter? It's a feature which will attract bars and restaurants and thus people.

Jeez if that’s all it takes to attract people to a bar on the same street where you won’t even be able see any canal….really?

[Tuerto]

OK, I will.
I lived in Leyton, about 6 miles from the "City of London" which is the equivalent of a borough (there are may boroughs in Greater London, Leyton being in B of Waltham Forest.
I used to cycle to work, as the tube was overcrowded and smelly during rush hours. Rush hours were about 6-9:30 in the morning, 4-7 in the evening. Nobody spoke on the platforms or trains. My cycle route took me down Mile End Road, which was a wide road, but had stalls set out on the pavements, spreading into the road itself. These were mostly fruit&veg, as could be seen by the amount of spoiled fruit & veg on the ground.
The air smelled dirty, a white shirt was grubby by the end of the day. My wife is London-born, and after we moved to Cardiff, once over the initial culture shock she found London dirty and smelly when we visited back there.
You get a" London Weighting" allowance in your pay, but this doesn't compensate for the extortionate prices of buying or renting property, nor the cost of food &clothes. Don't start me on theatre prices.
Yes, there are great places to visit around London, if you can afford them. Most visitors who go shopping go to Oxford St, which has all the big department stores, but contain exactly the same stuff that can be bought in the provincial branches of these stores (or online), at less cost.

Crime is rife throughout, you only have to see the news to confirm that.
Is that enough for you

Yup, it's enough. I was back and forth their for six years, admittedly not living there but spent considerable time in London, all over. There's not much point debating with you when all you can do is pick up on the negatives. It begs the question why did you stay so long. London has it's problems, logistically it's a nightmare on times and you have to be organised, I learnt that quickly. But there's a whole lot of fun to be had on every level. Maybe you should have got out more.

[Rock_Flock_of_Five]

Yup, it's enough. I was back and forth their for six years, admittedly not living there but spent considerable time in London, all over. There's not much point debating with you when all you can do is pick up on the negatives. It begs the question why did you stay so long. London has it's problems, logistically it's a nightmare on times and you have to be organised, I learnt that quickly. But there's a whole lot of fun to be had on every level. Maybe you should have got out more.

I totally agree with you.

Samuel Johnson once said, "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford".
I lived in Hounslow for two and a half years. On the weekends I would get on the Piccadilly line and travel into central London, a fantastic place!

I will visit Cardiff this June; my first time back in more than five years, and only my second time back in fifteen years.
My friends in China are blown away by the photos of Cardiff that I show them. One thing that I noticed on my last visit (sometimes it takes a prolonged absence) was how friendly and helpful people in customer service roles were.

[Rjk]

Cardiff IS nice.
Its a pretty small city, in a bit of a sleepy backwater in a forgotten corner of a declining nation, but it definitely punches above its weight for a city of its size.

International football, cricket and Rugby is a great plus - not many places can offer that and if we could establish ourselves in the premier league one day then that could also be a great boon to the city.
Shopping is decent
Bars and restaurants a bit meh.
Public transport patchy at best.

Programs like the Cardiff capital region should make a long term improvement, but its depressingly slow progress, it's just difficult to get hold of much infrastructure money if you aren't in London.

[Citizen's Nephew]

Cardiff IS nice.
Its a pretty small city, in a bit of a sleepy backwater in a forgotten corner of a declining nation, but it definitely punches above its weight for a city of its size.

International football, cricket and Rugby is a great plus - not many places can offer that and if we could establish ourselves in the premier league one day then that could also be a great boon to the city.
Shopping is decent
Bars and restaurants a bit meh.
Public transport patchy at best.

Programs like the Cardiff capital region should make a long term improvement, but its depressingly slow progress, it's just difficult to get hold of much infrastructure money if you aren't in London.

I agree. Cardiff is......nice.

But. If you aren't interested in sports, drinking, and food....and drinking.....and drinking....then it sucks. The music scene is shit. Bristol blows it away. The shopping? Same as everywhere else except, arguably, when the huts are up in the centre at Christmas. It's soulless when you exit Central Station. Dominated by an expanse of concrete and the BBC Wales monolith. If the skateboarders aren't there then there's nothing to see.

The loss of Brains Brewery killed its charm. The smell of hops. The Market is still the best place in the centre and upstairs for proper grub.

I love Grangetown though. Love the people and vibe and its edge. Riverside and Bute too. The Bay is not Bristol. And after all these years should have learned from them but....

One good thing I can think of though is that London is only 1hr 50mins away and Bristol is a doddle to get to and stay over if you want to experiment with new musicians. London is an amazing city. To live in, visit, and work.

Cardiff was more exciting when I was a nipper. Now, it's just cheaper to live than London. You DO need money to enjoy living there now. Wasn't always the case. In the 80s and 90s it was doable.

The reason the BBC Wales building is where it is? So people can travel out of Cardiff and into Cardiff by train.

Edit: an lets be honest. Even CCS is a soulless concrete clone stadium. It only really rocks for Wales matches. And Little Mix.

[MacAdder]

I agree. Cardiff is......nice.

But. If you aren't interested in sports, drinking, and food....and drinking.....and drinking....then it sucks. The music scene is shit. Bristol blows it away. The shopping? Same as everywhere else except, arguably, when the huts are up in the centre at Christmas. It's soulless when you exit Central Station. Dominated by an expanse of concrete and the BBC Wales monolith. If the skateboarders aren't there then there's nothing to see.

The loss of Brains Brewery killed its charm. The smell of hops. The Market is still the best place in the centre and upstairs for proper grub.

I love Grangetown though. Love the people and vibe and its edge. Riverside and Bute too. The Bay is not Bristol. And after all these years should have learned from them but....

One good thing I can think of though is that London is only 1hr 50mins away and Bristol is a doddle to get to and stay over if you want to experiment with new musicians. London is an amazing city. To live in, visit, and work.

Cardiff was more exciting when I was a nipper. Now, it's just cheaper to live than London. You DO need money to enjoy living there now. Wasn't always the case. In the 80s and 90s it was doable.

The reason the BBC Wales building is where it is? So people can travel out of Cardiff and into Cardiff by train.

Edit: an lets be honest. Even CCS is a soulless concrete clone stadium. It only really rocks for Wales matches. And Little Mix.

👏 👏

[life on mars]

Used to be lovely .


Destroyed by Labour controlled government's and councils dreadful decisions and strategies that offer very little future prosperity for generations to come


Shameful.

[Rjk]

Used to be lovely .


Destroyed by Labour controlled government's and councils dreadful decisions and strategies that offer very little future prosperity for generations to come


Shameful.

can you b specific about some of the ways it has been destroyed?

[Dembe]

It is lovely to see Sludge, once again, spitting out his knowledge on Cities, Towns, their populations and urban areas and all surrounding cities. Ive never ever had the pleasure of reading these posts, ever, on ccmb. Brand new as usual.