Monday, March 2, 2009

I heart my city

The war memorial by H V Fehr
National Geographic, as part of a story they wrote exploring favourite urban places, posted the following questions. They are a great way to uncover the hidden gems of a city and I decided to do it on my temporary city, Leeds. My City Questionnaire
  • Leeds is My City
  • The first place I take a visitor from out of town is the Tiled Room Cafe in the Leeds Art Gallery. It is a beautiful Victorian room, decorated as it sounds, with hundreds of decorative tiles.
  • When I crave warm healthy soup I always go to Pret A Manger - Leeds has at least 3 (http://www.pret.com/).
  • To escape ________ I head ___________.
  • If I want to buy a beautifuhand made gift I go to the Leeds Craft Centre & Design Gallery (http://www.craftcentreleeds.co.uk/)
  • For complete quiet, I can hide away __________.
  • If you come to my city, get your picture taken with the angelic figure as part of the war memorial built by H V Fehr.

  • If you have to order one thing off the menu from ___________ it has to be ____________.

  • Leeds Market is my one-stop shop for great fresh and affordable food - fruit and.

  • Locals know to skip ________ and check out ______________ instead.

  • When I'm feeling cash-strapped I go TK Maxx. Australia doesn't really have an equivalent chain, so when I firdt arrived in the UK I couldn't understand the attraction to trawling through the jumble of bargains that is TK Maxx. No I feel like it is a big treasure chest where it is up to me to seprate the costume jwellery from the truely priceless.

  • For a huge splurge I go Anthony's Restaurant at http://www.anthonysrestaurant.co.uk/.

  • Photo ops in my city include the lovely Town Hall and the best vantage points are in the lane directly opposite it.

  • If my city were a celebrity it'd be __________ .

  • The most random thing about my city is Harewood House (http://www.harewood.org/) - it amazes me such a beuatiful estate is only 8 miles from the city.

  • My city has the most ___________ men.

  • My city has the most diddy (northern slang for tiny) women. I thought I came from a short family before I moved here, now I feel almost tall.


  • In my city, an active day outdoors involves walking. Fifteen minutes out of the city and you are in beautiful countryside.


  • My city's best museum is the Leeds City Museum.

  • My favorite walking route is along the river/ canal, it leads to surprising places.

  • For a night of dancing, go to _________________.

  • Or, for live music, check out __________________.

  • _______________ is the spot for late-night eats.

  • To find out what's going on at night and on the weekends, read _______________.

  • You can tell a lot about my city from Saturdays in Briggate - everyone seems to be there shopping.

  • You can tell if someone is from my city if they are very dressed up for a night out in town.

  • In the spring you should see the blossoms around Kirkstall Abbey.

  • In the summer you should take advantage of the light nights and take a walk around the city admiring the beautiful Victorian stone carvings in buildings. They look such a beautiful honey colour later in the day.

  • In the autumn you should visit Temple Newsome - the trees make a beautiful sight.

  • In the winter you should skate at the outdoor skate ring in Millenium Square.

  • A hidden gem(s) in my city is the beautiful stone buildings.

  • For a great breakfast joint try Roast CafĂ©, Whitehall Riverside, Leeds.

  • Don't miss the Leeds festival (http://www.leedsfestival.com/) in August.

  • Just outside my city, you can visit the beautiful Yorskshire Dales.

  • The best way to see my city is on foot, it is compact enough to walk around. The free bus runs every 15 minutes, and gets me home on those days I over do the walking.


  • If my city were a pet it would be chihuahua.

  • If I didn't live in a city, I'd live in Sydney - my home.

  • The best book about my city is __________.

  • When I think about my city, the song that comes to mind is __________.

  • If you have kids, you won't want to miss Leeds City Musuem. It has been beautifully restored and contains an ecclectic mix of stuffed animals, old world relics and modern takes on the city. Many exhibitions have been designed to touch, so kids can explore all their senses.

  • _______________ could only happen in my city.

I know I have lots left to complete, but I decided to post it to remind me to keep working on it.

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