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1 St James’ Park
Specifically the fact that it is in the centre of town. God botherer, BBC pundit and former Toon Star Gavin Peacock described it as being “up on the hill, in the centre of town – where the church should be.”
Gavin, you enjoy your church and I’ll worship at mine.
On match day, the whole city knows there is a game going on. That feels right. None of your out-of-town, flatpack, identikit, blando, modern grounds here.
2 The Ouseburn Square
There are various pubs that could have made this list but all the best ones are in stumbling distance of each other. It used to be a triangle, now it’s a square. The Free Trade wins for views and old style grubbiness, The Tyne for cosiness and friendliness, The Cluny for music and the arts and The Cumberland for outside drinking and ping pong played like you’ve never seen it before.
3. Tyneside Cinema
Our arthouse cinema has been on its holidays in the the ‘heed while its old home is done up. Excitingly it’s due to re-open in the Toon this Sunday. I’m not sure what to expect of the new look site but I think we’re still going to get velvet curtained loveliness. I just hope that fabulous street level coffee bar comes back too.
It was always one of the few places you could get a decent coffee without feeling like a corporate shmuck. Being surrounded by old Italian gadgeys reading foreign newspapers only added to the cosmopolitan feel.
Update: Tickets now on sale for first flurry of films in the new place. Not exactly arthouse but I just booked two seats in the classic circle for the Indiana Jones flick. Can’t wait.
4. Hall 2 Sage Gateshead
Believe the hype. I tend to dislike places that other people harp on about just because I am awkward bastard but the Sage is breathtaking. It genuinely is. Absolutely awe inspiring (see my pic above). But the best bit is not the cavernously beautiful hall one, it’s the intimate hall two. The best place to watch music in Tyneside. Nah forget that – I can’t believe there is a better place in any city anywhere.
5. High Level Bridge
I could have gone for the iconic Tyne Bridge, the flash new Millennium Bridge but for me it’s the High Level every time. Solid, sturdy, unflashy and it suited Michael Caine a treat.
6. Civic Centre Rabbits
I like to think of them as our version of Ninja Mutant Hero Turtles. Fearless Urban Geordie Rabbits. The first time you see them you’re so surprised. Then eveytime you pass after that you can’t help but search for them.
They’re nearly always there. Brave little feckers. (Not to be confused with the Toon’s vampire rabbit)
7. Heaton Park/Jesmond Dene
Stretching from the comparatively mean streets of Heaton to the leafy suburbs of Jesmond – an absolutely gorgeous strip of green that really does make you feel like you’re deep in the heart of the country. In my early twenties I can recall getting very drunk with mates and deciding it would be fun to sleep on the rocks by the waterfall. Twenty minutes later we got spooked. Three hours later we were back in Heaton after incredibly getting lost walking home.
Oh and don’t miss the Shoe Tree.
8. The Metro to the Coast
Sun is shining? Head to the coast – you can be there in 15 minutes. The Metro is our tube, the only difference being is it’s actually pleasant to ride.
Old jowly tosspot Harry Redknapp reportedly said he didn’t want to manage Newcastle because he liked being by the coast. Look at a map dickhead.
9. The Monument
Speakers corners, meeting place and busker venue all rolled into one. The statue itself is pretty cool too but its just the space that really makes it work. It’s loved by Goths and office workers alike. The Christmas market is just too tasty. I am still losing the weight.
10 Baltic Viewing Platform
The art isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but I know there is always something there that I enjoy seeing. But the best bit is still the view over the river and its bridges. I could do without the nanny state glass screens but still – nice. Very nice.
Feel free to add to the list in the comment box. I am a bit short on restaurants - any ideas?
Update: Quite by chance two other Toon bloggers have posted their favourite things. Look here and here for tales of Tyne Gods and post boxes.
As ever - not enough pictures on this blog. But here’s a perfect excuse to include these shots.
The Port of Tyne has once more launched their Reflect Photo Awards.
There’s £500 for the winners plus a bunch of Jessops vouchers for runners up. Basically the brief is pictures of the Tyne. More details here. Last year’s winners here.
My shots are all from the homeward leg of a recent ferry trip to Amsterdam. Full set here. Coolest Amsterdam hotel room ever here.
The first shot is of Lindisfarne (AKA Holy Island), where we spent last weekend, and I was a bit chuffed to see that it had been named Photo of the Day on Gadling yesterday.
The second is from Yorkshire Sculpture Park, which was the previous Saturday’s entertainment. I’d struggle to think of a more engaging walk (and decent Cafe too).
First off, Happy New Year.
I’m back from a magical few days in Poland.
Truth be told we were snow hunting. A white Christmas seemed like just the job after our times in the tropics. The colder the better. In truth though while the temperature dropped to minus six there were little more than a few flakes of snow (although long-frozen stuff was to be seen on the ground).
Now, back in Newcastle, typically we’re surrounded by the stuff. As I look out my office window I can see something approaching a blizzard. Bring it on. I always did love snow.
No pics yet of the Toon in it’s new winter wonderland white elegance. But here’s some from the Polish trip. Oh and I can well and truly recommend a trip to Krakow.
All the pics here.
Here’s something a little unusual for a Sunday Evening.
Enchanted Parks has been taking place in Gateshead’s Saltwell Park and Leazes Park in Newcastle.
In short it’s a kind of haunting. The parks, which seem more than a little spooky at night, are made all the more strange with the addition of sounds, lights, costumes and performers.
In Saltwell Park we were treated to bandstand waltzes, war time memories, ghostly beyond-the grave miners and a load of stuff that went whoosh..right over my head.
Was it any good? Yes and no. With the organisers requesting we got tickets first and being marched around the site it didn’t really live up to the preparation nor anticipation.
Before we knew it we were back in the car headed home.
But there is the nucleus of a tremendous idea in there. Next year? More, more, more. More ghostliness, more music, more lights, more people, more drama.
I don’t to be stewarded around. Let me wander. Let me get spooked. Let me discover details for myself. I want people to tap me on the shoulder and make me jump. I want some of it to be uplifting too - a perhaps dash of Christmas. I want choirs.
All in all though, a fabulous concept. I hope it’s back next year. This is definitely something to build on.
Update: 
Whoo hoo - made Gadling’s Photo of the Day with my Dublin duck shot.
As they point out, it’s not the first time I’ve been featured. Then again their kindness in letting you upload an ulimited number of pics for consideration to their Flickr pool, plus the pressure of having to find a new photo every day, probably means they do get to a point where they give up and pick one out with their eyes shut.
Also the lack of a prize means more talented phoggies might look elsewhere for their ego boost, but anyway…
Below are my Photo of the Day winners to date - Spanning Vietnam, Nicaragua, the Lake Disctrict and, most exotic of all, Gateshead.
It was cold. It was wet. Damn it was expensive. But Dublin was pretty good.
As far as my weekend trip went, I couldn’t help but think it must be so much more vibrant in the sunshine but then again, when better than now to enjoy cosy pubs?
The full picture set is here.
Pic taken following a fabulous short break on the Isle of Arran.
I remember on my travels being knocked out by Koh Tarutao in Thailand. I recall thinking how amazing it would be to live in a country where there was so much wildlife. It was a reflection of my own ignorance that I never realised that there were places here in the UK that more than matched its critter count.
Oh and I never saw one of these in Thailand.
Rest of the Arran shots (including seals, deer, monsters of the deep etc) here.
See below for cliched Scots’ shot.
There is still nothing concrete on the job front. I’m still unemployed.
However, wheels do seem to be in motion. I can be relatively confident that, by this time next week, my future employment-wise should be settled. All in all I am feeling a lot more optimistic than after my first attempt to get back into the UK workforce.
Anyway, earlier this week, as I tired of sitting around waiting for job news, I took myself off for a walk in Tynemouth . One of the best features of having spent so long away from your own region is discovering it all again. It might be easy to write all this off as schmaltz, but I had honestly never realised just how beautiful the North East is.
The pics above and below were taken as I wandered. The full set is here.
