All roads lead to Reading...... (Reading in General)

Member Name: Jamesyboy

Product:	Reading in General
Date:	26/06/02 (106 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Shopping, Restaurants, Hustle & Bustle

Disadvantages: Traffic, Crime, Expensive

I was born and raised in Reading some 23 years ago, and therefore it will always be my home, wherever I live. I've lived in the Midlands for 3 years whilst at university, but it's nothing compared to being at home.

Reading has certainly gone through a bit of a transition during recent years. And it all came at the right time for me - when I was in my early teens there were about five pubs / bars in town. By the time I became legal there were millions of them!!! I read a recent report saying that Reading town centre can accommodate over 30000 revellers on any given night!! Crikey!! Lots of decent pubs in town - 3 Wetherspoons for those who want a quiet and cheap night out, Brannigans, Bar Med, O'Neills, Slug & Lettuce, Yates' and any other chain you can think of. Not as many 'locals' pubs as there used to be, but I've not quite reached that age yet!!

Club-wise it is getting there...there's The Matrix, newly re-opened after the, um, shootings, RG1s, Fez Club, and then Brannigans, Bar Med, the Litten Tree and a few others open until 2am or later themselves. The Matrix used to be one of the best clubs in the country, and regularly popped up in Ministry Of Sound magazine and Muzic.

For shopping, there is the old decaying Braod Street Mall, which is soon to be refurbished, and the lovely shiny new Oracle, which is coming on for three years old now - and is where I currently work (until i start my new job in August anyway!!). The Oracle is lovely in many ways - it has Debenhams, HoF, Boots and 80-odd other smaller shops, including lots of posh ladies clothes shops. But the best thing about The Oracle is the Riverside, where all the bars, and restaurants are. At night, when the lights come on, it looks really magical, and is home to some top restaurants, including London Street Brasserie, arguably the best in Reading.

There is only the one cinema in the town - The Warner Village, which is a bit of a sham
e, as we used to have a few of them dotted about, and that's at The Oracle as well!!

Food-wise, Reading has a pretty decent choice. And since The Oracle opened, there is lots of al-fresco dining options along the river, which is lovely. All that's lacking is a few more traditional English restaurants about town. And for take-aways, there are lots of kebabs, and other favourites around, to cater for the pub and club-goers. I would strongly reccommend for lunch, a trip to Pierre's Baguette Shop in St Mary's Butts, or Sweeney Todd's Pie Shop in Castle Hill. Beautiful food, and really cheap for the area.

There's a fair bit of accommodation in town - a few hotels, and B&Bs dotted about, including Travel Lodge, Quality and Renaissance. Prices aren't cheap, as you would expect from Reading, so a trip out of town may be a better option for finding a place to stay.

Then there's a bit of history to boot - the Abbey Ruins are nice to look around, along with the Forbury Gardens with the famous Lion. There's the tradional history of beer, biscuits and bulbs, although these industries have largely moved away now. Then there's Reading Museum, Blake's Lock Museum, a few art galleries, and a nice big statue of Queen Victoria (facing away from town, because she hated the place - ooops!!).

The transport system is interesting - like most cities or large towns, there are large one-way systems, along with a big concrete structure called the Inner Distribution Route (IDR), which was never finished, and more 'traffic-calming' measures than you could shake a very large stick at!! The rail network is excellent though, with links to everywhere in the country, and very regular services to London. Reading Station is right in the heart of town, which is handy. Buses are ok, but the rolling stock is getting rather old now. There is now a Night Bus service, which ferries home club-goers late into the night. The
re is a fair amount of parking in town, the most safest being at The Oracle (roughly £1 / hr).

Crime is pretty high like most places these days, so if visiting do be careful with your bags, and phones, and laptops etc. There are far worst places around, but you can never be too careful....

And then there are the new super-toilets!! Located by the Town Hall, these toilets contain three urinals, which raise from the ground at night, and then disappear in the morning!! Bizarre, but convenient if you are caught short....and male!!

Not forgetting Reading FC, newly promoted back to Division 1 where we belong, and housed in the Madejski Stadium, with a capacity of 25,000 - all very nice, but also with newly inflated ticket prices, making it a pretty expensive trip out.

And the Reading Festival...one of the best and most famous festivals in the world. Held in a large field by Rivermead Leisure Centre in August Bank Holiday weekend, the event attracts the biggest names in Rock and Indie music, including a dance arena, and the usual market stalls etc. Excellent festival, and very popular, with around 70,000 people attending each year.

So, in general, Reading is pretty damn good, and will always have a fond place in my heart. A kind of mini-London, with all the benefits and all the problems!! Virtually no unemployment, and plenty to do for the affluent. Lovely place - come and visit!! (and if you're in The Oracle before August, wave at a camera, and I will probably be watching, as I'm a Controller, so spend a lot of my time operating the CCTV and catching criminals!!!)

It may not be a city in title, but is certainly one in practice.....

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