SIX REASONS FOR SHEFFIELD TO BE PROUD (Sheffield in General)

Member Name: Irene21

Product:	Sheffield in General
Date:	24/11/01 (156 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Has two very good universities, Has one of the biggest shopping centres in the UK, quite safe to walk

Disadvantages: Not as colourful as other cities

Having recently graduated from university and moved
back to south, I realised once again that Sheffield
(where I spent 3 years of my life) is one of the most
underrated cities of England, with everyone having the
impression that Sheffield is only the "Steel City"and nothing more.
What I will try to do here is give 6 reasons why (in
my opinion) Sheffield should be proud of.For more info
on each one please see relevant opinions written by
other members (or wait for future reviews by me!!).

1. MEADOWHALL

In reality I don't think that this is the best thing
that Sheffield has, however it's one of its most famous
attractions and hence I started with it.
Meadowhall, situated in the outskirts of Sheffield in
an area formerly known for its factories, is one of
the biggest shopping centres in the UK and one of the
biggest in Europe with over 270 stores in 2 levels,
covering every interest and life aspect.
There you can find shops from the biggest branches
(like "House of Fraser" and "M&S"), you can play games
in the arcade, eat in one of its 30 restaurants, watch
a movie in the MGM cinema or just enjoy the
decorations and one of the hundred eventshappeningthere each months.
Since Christmas are coming, I shouldn't forget to
mention that up to Christmas' Eve the children could
visit Santa's Workshop and speak to Santa Claus or
watch one of the musical Christmas' performances
happening in the shopping mall during this period.
Even if you don't want to spend you should gothere,just for the experience.

2. BOTANICAL GARDENS
The Botanical Gardens are situated in the southwest of
the city near Eclessall Road and opened to the general
public in 1898.Owned by the Town Trust and managed by
Sheffield City Council appears to be the ideal place
for a peaceful walk during a warm day:
With about 19
acres of land and about 5,000 plant species, its one
of the safest and best places to enjoy your walk and
lunch. Maybe not the best place to go in the winter
but definitely a "must" in the summer.

3. PEACE GARDENS

When I first came in Sheffield during our lunch breaks
we used to go and sit to the Peace Gardens which were
situated in the city centre next to Town Hall. Imagine
how dissapointed I was when they closed down-hopefully this was not for long.
Peace Gardens re-opened in 1998 with less plants and
flowers than before but with a very beautiful fountain
in the middle and lots of green around it. The whole
site changed as well and was turned into a small"jewel" for Sheffield.

4. CRUCIBLE THEATER - LYCEUM

I know that possibly most of you don't go to the
theater often- the high ticket prices make it
impossible for most of us to go more often than twiceper season.
This would be far different(in my opinion) if you
lived in a city like Sheffield. Not only the city has
two main stages (located in the city centre) but also
the productions presented there, are amongst the best
of the country, often rated above many ambitious West-End productions.
In addition, the prices are within one's means and can be considered quite reasonable even for unfunded students.

5. SHEFFIELD UNIVERSITY

Sheffield University is one of the oldest universities
in the UK being formed in 1897 by the amalgamation of
three local institutions (Sheffield School of
Medicine, Firth College and the Sheffield Technical
School). In 2001, Sheffield University was named "UK University of the Year" by Sunday Times being first in several categories. The Medical School of the university is amongst the best rated in the country, with the university totalling more than 18,000 students.

6.SHEFFIELD HALLAM UN
IVERSITY

Being a student in Sheffield Hallam University for 3 years, I must say that I'm not the most appropriate person to give a clear opinion for it,hence I will use only facts and figures.
SHU was awarded university status in 1992 but its improvement since then was amazing: For 4 years it was given the title of the "best new university of the year" by Sunday Times, offers a total of 650 (!!) courses and has more than 24,000 students. Additionally SHU has one of the most modern and well-equiped learning centres in the UK (The Adsetts centre) and has currently 3 campuses situated in 3 different parts of Sheffield.
Maybe its not as famous as Sheffield University but it's getting better every year.

FURTHER COMMENTS

Surely Sheffield has more than that: Its pubs are rated amongst the best in Britain, its amongst the safest cities in the UK (relatively to its population), is amongst the least "expensive" cities in the country and definitely has changed quite a lot since I first came.
Maybe it's not the most beautiful city in the country but it surely worths a visit

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Please feel free to make any suggestions for changes/additions you think are necessary. Helpful comments are always welcome-Please don't forget this is my first op.

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