Discovering Newcastle

One of the best things about moving to a new city is discovering your new local, your new favourite club night and the best all-day breakfast café in your local area. Let’s be honest, we can’t spend all day everyday in the library…and the notorious clubbing scene in Newcastle caters for all students:  from cheap drinks and chart music to a smaller yet great underground music scene.  So, the clubbing scene has something to offer everyone and with the (in)famous trebles bars on every street  a night out with new university friends is dangerously affordable. But all of us realise, maybe with the exception of ‘rugby lads’, that we need a bit of down time once in a while and it might surprise you to hear that Newcastle does in fact have more than just clubs.  Art galleries, theatres, restaurants, ‘artsy’ cinemas and cocktail bars line the quayside and when (and only when) your student loan comes through it is nice to live a “non-student” life for a day or two. High street shopping on Northumberland Street is much the same as any other major city. A lack of American apparel (an annoyingly addictive yet ridiculously over-priced sportswear/fashion shop) has been kind to my bank balance over the last two years! And, for those odd occasions us students have money left after bills and trebles there are numerous vintage shops dotted about the city centre. Moving to Jesmond this year means we have all had the opportunity to discover Osborne Road (which resembles the strip in Zante/Ayia Napa on a Saturday night). However, there are a number of ‘old man pubs’ complete with jukebox and pool tables to satisfy everybody’s tastes. And if none of that is up your street then the Robinson library is conveniently located smack bang in the city centre. Unfortunately, over these last few weeks my local appears to be the library café – the grim reality of essay deadlines!