I am in Belfast On Wednesday for the first time. I have one evening and until lunchtime the following day to do things. Anyone got any suggestions?

paging SUSANNAH!!! your input is called upon, hon Ellie she's just spent a good while in Belfast...

Ellie I worked there for 6 weeks this summer!

Where are you staying? am expert! orgnote if you want

tisse

Am staying at the Malmaison hun

Ah youre right in the swing of things!

Well youll be surrounded by the city centre, as far as shops, bars, restaurants go, but I will suggest things anyway!

Theres 2 great restaurants nearby, our faves from our trip!

Vaudeville: you wont believe the decor in here its so cool!

http://www.cafevaudeville.com/ theres a map there too, its very near you hotel

Also The Grill Room at the Ten square hotel, Donegall Square North. Cant miss it, huge red awnings! This was my favourite in the whole city Its a nice bar adjoining a restaurant, huge choice of food, nice place etc!

Theres loads of good bars you can go to as well...but Ill post that next!

If its a nice day you could venture up to the Botanic Gardens, I must say I didnt go but my colleagues did and it was beautiful

on this map:

http://www.viamichelin.co...elfast-map

follow Great victoria Street further down, and youll see it.

The waterfront area in general is lovely, along the Lagan river, but its pretty empty really, Theres lot of regeneration going on, give it 5 years I think!

Apart from that Just wandering I think! Its pretty compact, so its a good place for a wander...I will get back to you!
[Edited 9/18/06 6:37am]

Up towards the botanic gardens is also the university area, so theres quite a bit going on up there....

Theres a lot of things about NI that are kinda slower than on the Mainland - maps are one of them!

But google is the best

will you be driving? Be warned - the one way system is a bitch!

Damn the org! I wrote this ages ago

Anyway

http://maps.google.co.uk/...2,0.026951

on this map, theres a lot of pubs etc, between Donegall Square (home to unmissable City Hall), Great Victoria Street and Adelaide Street. Its all still pretty busy there at night too

I'm kinda scared of Belfast Should I be?

Teacher said:

thanks

Thanks Susannah

Lots for me to do!

Teacher said:

no


I was a little too but its all totally outdated - its not the way we think of it at all anymore. Nothing has been blown up for 15 years! Its just a cool cosmopolitan city now. Nothing to be afraid of at all - trust me

Of course there are still some neighbourhoods that less safe, but theyre outside the city centre anyway, and as long as you dont wear a Rangers or Celtic strip in the wrong area, youre fine!

And if you dont get that joke - consider yourself lucky.

The work I was doing over there involved building condition surveys of civil service buildings, including job centres - therefore some in really dodgy areas, with really dodgy clientele. They still have stringent security and 15 feet high fences, and are usually right next to the police station for security! I always thought the subjected buildings and people were more important, but apparently they just tried/succeeded to blow up things as trivial as job centres

One we were at, which I wont name but it wasnt in Belfast, was a job centre with 7 storeys of office on top, right next to the police station. A few months ago a pizza delivery van carrying more than innocent pizzas tried to get into the police station and go abng - but it failed! We had to inform the police station we would be on the roof for the survey so they wouldnt sniper us!!


All in the name of good fun eh


Seriously though, nothing to be scared of anymore I wouldnt have gone if there was.

ellieadore said:

Youre welcome! If you need anything else give me a buzz - and if youre really stuck Tisse has my number! Happy to help!

Enjoy!

Alternatively you can try (You can try)
You can try (You can try)
You can try to tell the world the reason why
Belfast

PANDURITO said:

susannah said:

You're so young

PANDURITO said:

I know who they are! I just havent heard that *totally random* song!

I loved Northern Ireland..... I will return there. To fun Ellie! Make sure and have potato bread and soda bread.



... For additional points be sure and bring several back to Toni to throw in the freezer... she is mad for the stuff.....

Muse2NOPharaoh said:

Cant she get it there? thats wierd, must be a Scots and Irish thing

susannah said:

Toni says it is available in England but its shite! Each region has its own way of doing things

Muse2NOPharaoh said:

Oh well! Just more excuse for more invasions eh?

susannah said:

Oh I'll be back.... I also want to more of the outback of Scotland... Having only really seen the major cities (Edinburgh and Glasgow)

Muse2NOPharaoh said:

yeah you should. You'd love it! Even Im getting itchy for it, Iv ehad enough of the city, i really miss greenery and silence and *real* darkness....

Whenever you are ready my dear!

susannah said:

I'll take you up on that soon enough....

Muse2NOPharaoh said:

am not giving that girl anything! We called her from Amsterdam awwwww

We are going to try and get to see her in the next couple of weeks. We just have so much on at the mo. October is a very busy month.

ellieadore said:

how is she doing?

Natisse said:

Really well. I miss her though... but that is just between us ok. Don't want anyone thinking i'm soft

ellieadore said:

good to know. and I know you miss her sweetie... you'll see her soon enough

ellieadore said:

We are just lazy.