please empty your brain below

The civic centre is listed Grade II* so you are not alone in liking it - it is certainly quite striking. In front is the Grade I war memorial, with its panels of soldiers marching off to the First World War. Lest we forget.
Very interesting post DG. Thank you.
Glad you visited and enjoyed Newcastle. I'm from Durham and although now exiled down in Cambridge, the north-east will always be home. Did you walk through the round bit on the side of civic centre? There's an echo chamber effect : stamp your feet and it reverberates around in a most interesting way!
I always get a buzz from visiting Newcastle. Wonderful city.

Earl Grey and Rosa Lee in one trip?!
And what about Bessy Surtees???

dg writes: Here. But closed weekends.
A long way for you and BestMate to go for a night on the town, so I'm wondering if there was more to it than just that!
The Civic Centre reminded me of the University of Sussex. I was surprised to see that it predates it by some years and is by a considerably less famous architect. I like it too.
Nice to see you pay a visit to my adopted home town. You're not alone in liking the Civic Centre. Thankfully most of T Dan Smith's ideas have been torn down, but that one was done properly. Funny that.

Did you enjoy your Becks?
That was a nice description of a saturday night out. But I'm not sure why addiction to alcohol is apparently ok and fun while caffeine is pretentious and conceited.
I went to Newcastle a few times when I was working - didn't see as much of it as you did though!

From pictures of the thunderstorms on tonight's news, it looks like you might have left just in time!
Newcastle - very nice indeed, but not the city centre at weekends where it's overun with drunken violence (like far too many of our cities). Bout time these drunken yobs started getting imprisoned imo
I didn't see any drunken violence, and I was out for hours.
You were lucky to avoid a mud bath at the Hoppings. It is tradition that it buckets down every year during the fair so people are walking through a swamp on the Town Moor. I do hope you bought some toffee and coconut ice from the caravan that's usually near the entrance opposite Forsyth Road.

Have to say you certainly got about! In Byker the motorway may not have been built but a bypass road, for Shields Rd, was eventually created on the same alignment. For many years there was nothing on that alignment - we used to do the weekly shop at Prestos which was in the same block as JT Parrish department store just opposite the Metro station. Both long gone and it looks like the entire block is now empty and unused. Seems the retail "centre" has moved eastwards towards Chillingham Rd / Fossway.

Have to say those revellers look a bit overdressed for Newcastle. Usually far less fabric and far more flesh on display - male and female. In fact they're almost overdressed for the depths of Winter and I am not indulging in a stereotype. I know what Newcastle nightlife was like before it became "stag / hen party central". I've seen some sights even on a freezing Winter's Friday night.
@Bang em up: I don't see violence, but then I don't go looking for it. And I'm out most weekends. Other than the stag dos, it's all grand.

@PC: Parrish's department store is now student flats. Everything in Newcastle is now student flats. It's depressing, really.
@ Arctic Troll - I guess students need accommodation but what an odd use for an old department store. I can vaguely the weekly dash round to see what was new and to look in the toy department downstairs (IIRC) and also the pedal bikes.










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