Ok, I hold my hands up, I live 100 metres from the city boundary and have done so for 40+ years. I normally don't go to the heart very often but I admit to visiting it three times this year (which is about as often as I have in the last 20 years). It is an amazing change.

https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/2...ity-of-culture

If you ever feel the need to come to York, why not also come to Leeds and Bradford?

They have tarted Bradford up a bit, but apart from visiting for a curry it's not exactly a destination is it? I was there last week and still saw the boy racers, dodgy street dealings and Manningham Lane "festivities".

Bradford-on-Avon: big, big yes. Love it.

The other Bradford: nope

Probably best to read the article Rubicond.

As a long time liker of Manninghan lane ( and a friend of the family of one of the now defunct pubs along it) I'm aware of the issues. However, the city centre is actually pretty nice now. Obviously not like Leeds (which is a destination) but certainly the centre, Cartwright hall and Saltaire are all worthwhile destinations.

Slightly bigger than B-on-Avon.

I have always liked Bradford, in truth more than Leeds. Saltaire is an outstanding tourist destination. It would also be a very good base for Haworth and Brontë country. I must make an effort to come across the hill this year whilst the City of Culture is on.

Ah man, I am just finishing a two week stay in Manchester and would have loved to go this year. But it will have to wait until next year. Thanks for posting the article.

when my son was a social worker there 20 years ago it was called Bradistan.

Not by people who lived there ;-)

social work unit was staffed by locals-many of whom had Pakistani heritage . except for my son who was from Huddersfield and they called it Bradistan.

I went to Bradford University for a year (one day a week) but never set foot in the Centre. Such a shame as I love curry ... any restaurant recommendations? I have only just discovered Leeds, I think I prefer it to Liverpool for shopping. Love the ambience and architecture in Leeds and they have a belting market.

There is a rough restaurant called the Kashmiri just up from the Alhambra. A two deck restaurant, not decorated in the 30 year's I've gone there, no rice, just chapatis. Very basic

There are good posh ones too.

Anything there having to do with Zayn Malik? That would draw some tourists.

A "rough restaurant" - you must know me. My favourite in Manchester is "This and That" - posh it aint but regularly gets into the top ten places for curry (Manchester, that is). Formica tables - squeezed in between students and brickies. Dont expect silver service, but you'll get change from a fiver.

Ah yes the face of Bradford, his BIL just got 4 years for drug dealing this week.

He's a good lad. He was very proud of being a "Bradford Boy"
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCxjSKRMntq/

Before Madison Square Garden -

Bradford Bad Boi

I am a big fan of Bradford's chain smoking master of the paintbrush and iPad.
A brave choice for City of Culture.
I'm not sure the BBC programme Virdee, based there did a lot for it's reputation mind.

My cousin lives in Drighlington on the outskirts of Leeds, though the Royal Mail puts her in Bradford. She loves the area and it's diversity.
Her sister live in Slaithwaite near Huddersfield. Two Yorkshire village names designed to catch out "foreigners" ie non Yorkshire folk!

Meanwhile Chemnitz in Germany, and Nova Gorica in Slovenia are this year's European Capitals of Culture. In 2018 Leeuwarden was chosen and it was a fabulous year with events throughout the province too.

hetismij2 _ I had my hair done in Slaithwaite for my sons wedding in Huddersfield LOL

Did they do a good job?

I hope you pronounced it correctly!

Slay_th wait is how we say it

Them as comes from there say it something like Slough-ut, though a few say Slath-waite.
Cousin married a local lad, her brother married a local lass and the former is how all their in-laws say it.

Drighlington is either Drig-lington with a hard g or Dridlington, given the penchant for swapping gs and ds round those parts.