Cardiff - City of the Year

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Originally Posted by MOZZER2

not in the east of the city as been mentioned a few times on here recently !

as for Cardiff itself i would put it in the the top 5 cities in the UK .

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Agreed. The east of Cardiff is appallingly served, esp by rail. Welsh Govt have a huge decision to make on the Parkway station proposal.

Nonetheless, overall, public transport is much better here.

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Originally Posted by SLUDGE FACTORY

Yes but the capital city thing is just a handle or a title

It's not as if it has any kind of big city cultural status

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What are you talking about? It's the seat of government. Cardiff has the Sennedd, the Welsh National Opera, the UK's 4th biggest stadium, international rugby and football, the Arts Council of Wales, the Welsh National Theatre, music venues of all sizes, a fantastic city centre and more. And in case you haven't noticed, a Norman castle right in the centre of town. Is that enough culture for you?

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Originally Posted by NYCBlue

What are you talking about? It's the seat of government. Cardiff has the Sennedd, the Welsh National Opera, the UK's 4th biggest stadium, international rugby and football, the Arts Council of Wales, the Welsh National Theatre, music venues of all sizes, a fantastic city centre and more. And in case you haven't noticed, a Norman castle right in the centre of town. Is that enough culture for you?

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The civic centre is one of the best in Europe (city hall, museum etc)

I don't live there any more, but i meet people that have been there as tourists or students at the university and they love Cardiff. Not quite the same city i grew up in when you were wary of a spanking getting home from Tito's

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Originally Posted by Der Kaiser

I'd say the only reason Cardiff hosted a Champions League final (and the plethora of other major events that visit) is because it's a capital city, we pull in lots of events thanks to that, and people love visiting for them.

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I'd say having a 75,000 seater stadium, that has a retractable roof, plays a large part in attracting such events.

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Originally Posted by Robin Friday's Ghost

Cardiff has far more facilities than a city of its size would have because it's a capital.

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It's like a Stoke, Coventry , Nottingham with a few extras basically

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Originally Posted by TWGL1

The civic centre is one of the best in Europe (city hall, museum etc)

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It needs a tidy up but I'd actually say the civic centre is one of the best in the world. No city would turn it down. It would be a major feature in the middle of any global city

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Originally Posted by Moodybluebird

I'm glad Cardiff us not a sprawling metropolis with no defined city centre. Although, why Cardiff was deemed to be a smaller city than Newcastle by Sludge is rather odd considering we have a larger population and square mileage. Tyneside as a whole is larger but not Newcastle itself.

I totally agree with an earlier poster who identified public transport as a major issue. In fact it is totally embarrassing, coupled with the complete dog's breakfast the council has made with the relocation of the central bus station. Is Frank Spencer in charge of planning ?

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It's a far smaller urban centre than Newcastle

The train station , shopping centres , Chinatown, arena , everything about Newcastle says major urban centre

Cardiff isn't

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Originally Posted by MOZZER2

not in the east of the city as been mentioned a few times on here recently !

as for Cardiff itself i would put it in the the top 5 cities in the UK .

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That's an opinion , because you live here

Going to have to do better than that

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Originally Posted by TWGL1

The civic centre is one of the best in Europe (city hall, museum etc)

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Again that's an opinion

The architecture in Liverpool , Leeds , Bradford , Glasgow , Manchester is equally impressive

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Originally Posted by SLUDGE FACTORY

That's an opinion , because you live here

Going to have to do better than that

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Don't worry, the male menopause won't last much longer.

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Originally Posted by SLUDGE FACTORY

It's like a Stoke, Coventry , Nottingham with a few extras basically

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThJc...hannel=sYgmata

Sludge, Cardiff University has arguably the best music school outside of the very top major universities - top 10 in the UK last time I checked. One of the biggest draws for music students is the music scene in Cardiff. So many opportunities in so many areas for music students. You might be shaking your head at the moment, but I can promise you this is true.

Cardiff offers many opportunities for musicians of all types, and all local, on our doorstep. Sorry if some of it doesn't suit you, but Cardiff has a very big reputation on the world stage.

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Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee

Sludge, Cardiff University has arguably the best music school outside of the very top major universities - top 10 in the UK last time I checked. One of the biggest draws for music students is the music scene in Cardiff. So many opportunities in so many areas for music students. You might be shaking your head at the moment, but I can promise you this is true.

Cardiff offers many opportunities for musicians of all types, and all local, on our doorstep. Sorry if some of it doesn't suit you, but Cardiff has a very big reputation on the world stage.

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Opera , classical maybe

But it doesn't have a decent rock , alternative , metal , indie scene ?

It certainly doesn't have the small and mid sized venues that Bristol has

The problem with classical , opera etc is that venues are built but the people don't come

That's not to say that classical is crap , it's clearly not

But Cardiff doesn't produce bands like Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester etc does and considering Cardiff is bigged up .....especially on here and in the local media ......it should really be better

Food is another area that Cardiff is criticised for .....it is , according to those that know , a bit conservative with a small c and samey

Actually I think samey could apply to the music scene too

There are some good hip hop style sounds , mace the great is excellent imo

But the chances of him having a night at the millennium centre is virtually non existent .....but there are opera and classical nights there where the crowds are dismal

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Originally Posted by SLUDGE FACTORY

It's like a Stoke, Coventry , Nottingham with a few extras basically

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No. It absolutely is not.

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Originally Posted by NYCBlue

No. It absolutely is not.

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It's a similar size

Cosmopolitan

Industrial past

Cardiff has had proportionally more investment than the three I mentioned but that's about it really

It's a good city but it's too small really

I think if it had the population of Sheffield for example it would be a lot better

Cardiff Bay sometimes seems too big and the city centre too small for a modern city

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Originally Posted by SLUDGE FACTORY

It's a similar size

Cosmopolitan

Industrial past

Cardiff has had proportionally more investment than the three I mentioned but that's about it really

It's a good city but it's too small really

I think if it had the population of Sheffield for example it would be a lot better

Cardiff Bay sometimes seems too big and the city centre too small for a modern city

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The centre and the bay will unify one day……

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Originally Posted by SLUDGE FACTORY

That's an opinion , because you live here

Going to have to do better than that

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But all you're doing is offering your own opinions back :hehe:

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Originally Posted by the other bob wilson

But all you're doing is offering your own opinions back :hehe:

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Cardiff doesn't have many decent music venues , it's ironic that both Newport in the past and now Swansea have modern , seated entertainment venues .....plenty of money was spent on the millennium centre but its rarely used for touring bands , you are more likely to see a puppet show or dancing clowns .....in front of a few hundred people

It has nowhere near the number of art galleries that Liverpool or Glasgow have

Newcastle has an extensive metro system

It's train station is inadequate and small compared to most UK cities

Those are facts not opinions

I would agree it's got a nice civic centre

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Originally Posted by SLUDGE FACTORY

Opera , classical maybe

But it doesn't have a decent rock , alternative , metal , indie scene ?

It certainly doesn't have the small and mid sized venues that Bristol has

The problem with classical , opera etc is that venues are built but the people don't come

That's not to say that classical is crap , it's clearly not

But Cardiff doesn't produce bands like Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester etc does and considering Cardiff is bigged up .....especially on here and in the local media ......it should really be better

Food is another area that Cardiff is criticised for .....it is , according to those that know , a bit conservative with a small c and samey

Actually I think samey could apply to the music scene too

There are some good hip hop style sounds , mace the great is excellent imo

But the chances of him having a night at the millennium centre is virtually non existent .....but there are opera and classical nights there where the crowds are dismal

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In other words, because Cardiff doesn't do what you want it to, it's crap.

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Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee

In other words, because Cardiff doesn't do what you want it to, it's crap.

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The irony

plenty of money is put into opera , classical and non contemporary music but very few people pay to go and watch it

A lot of white elephants in Cardiff , the millennium centre being a prime example

This capital city stuff thrown around is nonsense , it's just a name .

Cardiff should focus on getting the basics right instead of trying to be so pretentious

Having a Romanian women's dance group is great but nobody goes to watch them

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Originally Posted by Der Kaiser

I'd say the only reason Cardiff hosted a Champions League final (and the plethora of other major events that visit) is because it's a capital city, we pull in lots of events thanks to that, and people love visiting for them.

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It's because it has the millennium stadium (the best name) and loads of pubs nearby, it is brilliant for football much better than Wembley.

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Originally Posted by goats

The centre and the bay will unify one day……

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The Bay and ity centre, united, will never be defeated! ✊

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Originally Posted by Eric the Half a Bee

I doubt you'll find one. My point is that all city centres are looking at alternatives to ramming their roads full of cars.

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The main issue in Cardiff is access to the car parks (proper ones St Davids 2 and John Lewis) which are all on the other side of the city centre for most visitors, it could be fixed very easily.

My gripe with Parking, the roads, the council, and Drippy is clouding my judgment, I talk to a lot of people from all over the southwest and up to Birmingham. I would say 90% of people love Cardiff as a City and talk positively about visits for weekend shopping, concerts, sporting events etc, it compares well for things to do with most other Cities in the Country.

I think that Sludge has a point on some of the music stuff. Theres things any city is good at and things any city is less good at. I've always felt Cardiff has a good 'top-down' music offer, with the big gigs, venues, opera etc but is pretty poor at grassroots or 'bottom-up' venues, where there is a real lack of choice really, whether it's seeing a guitarist in a pub or paying a tenner to see an upcoming band. If that's what Sludge is saying, then I think he has a point.

More generally, five things I think Cardiff has that would grace any global city:

1 - Bute Park.

2 - Cardiff Bay. Though we have done little with it, most places would love a huge freshwater lake on the edge of its city centre

3 - Millennium Stadium. Until the Bernerbau was recently completed it was the largest coveredarena in Europe

4 - Civic Centre. Our architecture generally isn't much to write about but that is

5 - Cardiff Castle. Loads of cities boast stunning castles but we are also one of them

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Originally Posted by SLUDGE FACTORY

Cardiff doesn't have many decent music venues , it's ironic that both Newport in the past and now Swansea have modern , seated entertainment venues .....plenty of money was spent on the millennium centre but its rarely used for touring bands , you are more likely to see a puppet show or dancing clowns .....in front of a few hundred people

It has nowhere near the number of art galleries that Liverpool or Glasgow have

Newcastle has an extensive metro system

It's train station is inadequate and small compared to most UK cities

Those are facts not opinions

I would agree it's got a nice civic centre

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They aren’t facts, they’re your opinion - I’d say the only definite, indisputable fact that can be said about facilities in Cardiff is that the lack of a bus station is embarrassing.

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Originally Posted by the other bob wilson

They aren’t facts, they’re your opinion - I’d say the only definite, indisputable fact that can be said about facilities in Cardiff is that the lack of a bus station is embarrassing.

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The craziest thing ever was not to remove a bus station that was right next to the train station.

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Originally Posted by North Cardiff Blue

The craziest thing ever was not to remove a bus station that was right next to the train station.

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In fairness, the thought process behind redeveloping it wasn't bad, it was an unsightly waste of land that hardly welcomed people to a nice, cosmopolitan capital city.

The handling of the redevelopment since has been a disgrace.

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Originally Posted by Der Kaiser

In fairness, the thought process behind redeveloping it wasn't bad, it was an unsightly waste of land that hardly welcomed people to a nice, cosmopolitan capital city.

The handling of the redevelopment since has been a disgrace.

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Maybe, but couldn't they have made it look amazing and redeveloped all around?

Either way it has to be replaced.

Hopefully the metro will sort many of the transport issues, next thing on the list needs to be homelessness and litter.

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Originally Posted by the other bob wilson

They aren’t facts, they’re your opinion - I’d say the only definite, indisputable fact that can be said about facilities in Cardiff is that the lack of a bus station is embarrassing.

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It's a fact that Liverpool has more art galleries than Cardiff

It's a fact that Cardiff Central is a very small train station and doesn't have the capacity of Leeds , Manchester Piccadilly , Sheffield Midland , Bristol Temple Meads etc

It's a fact that Newcastle has an extensive metro system , including an underground , Cardiff doesn't

I am all for people being proud to an extent of where they come from but most of the praise of Cardiff seems to be hyperbole and comes straight out of Wales Online

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Originally Posted by Doucas

Hopefully the metro will sort many of the transport issues, next thing on the list needs to be homelessness and litter.

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Totally agree with the litter aspect. My grandson lived just outside Malvern and on his frequent visits to us when he was younger, he always questioned why there was so much litter around, especially in the city centre areas. Ironically he's now in Cardiff Met, so I hope during his nights out with his fellow students he's not adding to the problem.

I'm not sure if it's an issue with all major cities in the UK but I know larger cities abroad seem to have it under control. Maybe their residents have more respect for their cities than we have.

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Originally Posted by SLUDGE FACTORY

The irony

plenty of money is put into opera , classical and non contemporary music but very few people pay to go and watch it

A lot of white elephants in Cardiff , the millennium centre being a prime example

This capital city stuff thrown around is nonsense , it's just a name .

Cardiff should focus on getting the basics right instead of trying to be so pretentious

Having a Romanian women's dance group is great but nobody goes to watch them

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Does anyone bar a few lost goths like the rock shit you listen to? Isn’t that what the moon club on womanby street doe or one of those places along there? That’s enough isn’t it? Strangely, when I lived in Bristol for 4 years I found myself coming back here quite a lot as there seemed to be a lot more going on. I can’t stand the carling academy either…..

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Originally Posted by SLUDGE FACTORY

It's a fact that Liverpool has more art galleries than Cardiff

It's a fact that Cardiff Central is a very small train station and doesn't have the capacity of Leeds , Manchester Piccadilly , Sheffield Midland , Bristol Temple Meads etc

It's a fact that Newcastle has an extensive metro system , including an underground , Cardiff doesn't

I am all for people being proud to an extent of where they come from but most of the praise of Cardiff seems to be hyperbole and comes straight out of Wales Online

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Nevertheless it seems that Cardiff Central is a busier station than Sheffield Midland, Newcastle and Bristol TM: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o..._Great_Britain.

And far busier than cities of a similar size such as Coventry, Stoke, Nottingham etc.

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Originally Posted by TWGL1

The civic centre is one of the best in Europe (city hall, museum etc)

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It's cut off from the rump of the centre of the city and hardly a place that people congegate in. You need to travel more in Europe, methinks.

By the way, the immediate view after exiting Cardiff General is pretty soulless. An opportunity squandered regarding first impressions. Bring back Astey's!

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Originally Posted by Baloo

Nevertheless it seems that Cardiff Central is a busier station than Sheffield Midland, Newcastle and Bristol TM: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o..._Great_Britain.

And far busier than cities of a similar size such as Coventry, Stoke, Nottingham etc.

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Most of those journeys are commuter travel on the valleys lines

Cardiff doesn't have the inter City services that Bristol , Leeds , Newcastle etc has

It's out of the way

You only have to look at the size of Cardiff Central compared to other cities on Google to realise its not a major transport hub

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Originally Posted by goats

Does anyone bar a few lost goths like the rock shit you listen to? Isn’t that what the moon club on womanby street doe or one of those places along there? That’s enough isn’t it? Strangely, when I lived in Bristol for 4 years I found myself coming back here quite a lot as there seemed to be a lot more going on. I can’t stand the carling academy either…..

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Fuel ......metal , not goths

All we have is cardiff University and the CIA and for nostalgia and up coming bands , the tramshed

It's really poor

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Originally Posted by Taunton Blue Genie

It's cut off from the rump of the centre of the city and hardly a place that people congegate in. You need to travel more in Europe, methinks.

By the way, the immediate view after exiting Cardiff General is pretty soulless. An opportunity squandered regarding first impressions. Bring back Astey's!

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Oh come on what about the BBC Wales building !

the civic centre is classy but as you say its out of the way

If it was in the middle of the city centre , say opposite Central station .....then it would be a place to chill , have open air stuff

As it is its very underused apart from the summer office workers

I don't think a lot of people gravitate there which is a shame

Birmingham and Leeds have some lovely central civic buildings and park areas

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Originally Posted by North Cardiff Blue

Maybe, but couldn't they have made it look amazing and redeveloped all around?

Either way it has to be replaced.

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I think they've done a decent job of it so far, considering the wider area redevelopment isn't complete and the Brains site and the entire of Dumballs Road area is now being redevelopment extensively.

One thing I would say in classic Cardiff Council fashion is that any serious redevelopment of the train station itself is now probably going to be very lacklustre and certainly nowhere near the original renders that were released a few years ago. They've penned the station in too much with developments, it should've been the first thing done. Maybe the new station slated for Newport Road and the private funded station in St Mellons (if that ever happens) will carry the load to allow for a complete closure and redevelopment of central, which is desperately needed.

Central Station needs a New Street/Kings Cross style redevleopment making it almost a destination in its own right.

Oh and a direct link to the airport, which is utterly ridiculous to not already exist, but here I am digressing.