There’s something both really convenient about the city of York. As a Londoner (yes, I know…) the thought of going to university in the capital seemed a bit overwhelming. There’s simply too much to do! On one hand I didn’t want to go to a university that was in the middle of nowhere, but on the other hand I didn’t want to be overwhelmed by too much happening. Enter York.York is a beautiful city to walk around, there’s a lot of second hand bookshops where many a bargain is to be found, tea rooms (we’re not all about Bettys, mind), and other interesting things around and going on which make it the perfect kind of city to go to university for, and what’s more- its a mere 20 minute walk from campus. With that being said, take a look at my four personal highlights from my time in the North:
Cinemas
As a movie fan there’s not much more you could ask for from a town the size of York than three cinemas- one arthouse and two commercial to satisfy the tastes of any movie goer. Reel cinema, on the outskirts in town are known for their impressive deals and generally weird events such as last year where they offered 12 hour tickets that let you see as many films in a day as you possibly wanted. City Screen on the other hand is in the centre of town, and has a really nice riverside restaurant as well as the ‘basement’, a venue underneath the cinema which hosts all kinds of events from music to stand up comedy.
Good Food!
I think there is a certain charm to York’s huge number of eateries, each of which give the city an international flavour with a nicely diverse food scene. Personal favourites include Lucia’s bar and Italian grill which makes a mean steak, Shambles Kitchen whose rolls actually make the pulled pork trend worthy of its fame, and lots of other places to eat, drink and snack. The thing with York is that for some reason, there always seems to be a new place opening up. Near me has opened the most delicious meatball place that actually puts meatballs into everything possible. I mean, just recently for pancake day they somehow incorporated meatballs into these syrupy dollops of greatness…how can you go wrong?
Cool Shops
Not many towns have a cat shop, and even if they do its probably not round the corner from a two storey teddy bear shop.. York has a real core of independent shops that really help it to stand out as a unique, interesting place to explore. Personally, the fact that York has its own comic shop was met with both excitement and delight when I found out. There’s some genuinely strange shops alongside some enjoyable discoveries that really add to York’s quirky meets traditional feel as a city.
It’s Cheap!
Again, being from London might make me a tad biased here when I’m used to paying £5 a pint in town, but York is really compatible with the student budget with two universities making up most of the population on any night out. A lot of the bars around town offer student specials on all manner of things from cocktails to two courses for the price of one, offered all year around. You’ll soon learn the age old adage that, ‘there is no such thing as being a cheapskate when you’re a student’, but what’s great about York is that you don’t need to feel cheap to get a good deal.
…And there’s my four! I mean York might be small, but as I learned very quickly, it’s a place without which I couldn’t imagine my university experience being so good.
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