Hooking Up!

I understand this may be a tad premature for those of you living in or around UK, but for those of us (me) traveling from far and beyond (Iowa, US), I'm really interested in all things Birmingham (been to Reading, never been to Birmingham), as well as things that we might do together whilst I'm there. Please understand that I'm NOT asking people to entertain me (I'm quite good at that all on my own), but if anyone wants to get together and talk muthic over a few beerth please let me know!

As a Birmingham based enidi member, any info you need (and as an open forum for all..) Willing to help with any questions - parking, directions, pubs, hotels, restaurants, shops, places to visit if you are there for the weekend, etc.

And areas to avoid. All big cities have them. Brum is unfortunately no exception.

Well, I am definitely going to end up (eventually) at Scruffy Murphy's - a really great rock pub where I know a lot of people, even though I've only ever been once before. But I'll leave the pre-gig meet up to those in the know. As long as it does decent beer!

We did this a few years ago for a yes concert in Manchester where we all met in a pre-determined pub. One of the Americans even gave us all stick on name badges. It was a real treat.

I do think there should be a Enidi Gathering of Friends before the gig.

Agree on Sruffy Murph's as a last stop off point, as it 's a lively pub into the early hours. A bit of a 'stumble' for the less able-bodied, or those who are in a state of 'over refreshment'... There are quite a few pubs close by, one around the back of the Hall itself (on the way to the NIA,about five minutes away) is a more old-fashioned type of back-street boozer, or there are the usual suspects - Witherspoons, Walkabout bar within a 5-10 minute trot.

As a Birmingham based enidi member, any info you need (and as an open forum for all..) Willing to help with any questions - parking, directions, pubs, hotels, restaurants, shops, places to visit if you are there for the weekend, etc.

And areas to avoid. All big cities have them. Brum is unfortunately no exception.

Thanks for the offer for info! As the date nears, I'm sure I'll take you up on that. Right now I plan to arrive on Thursday and depart on Monday, so I'll have some time to explore "Brum" (is there a story behind the town's nickname?). I haven't made airline reservations yet, so the specifics could change, but I've reserved a room at the Etap for those days. I don't plan to drive myself, so I'll be interested in learning about trains, taxis, and the like, and pubs of course. I'm hoping to fly directly into Birmingham, but I may fly into London, then take a train to Birmingham, depending on the cost (I'm using frequent flyer miles to help offset the cost of the airfare, so I need to limit my choice of airlines).

Thanks again, and I look forward to meeting everyone in about three months!

Dan

... There are quite a few pubs close by, one around the back of the Hall itself (on the way to the NIA,about five minutes away) is a more old-fashioned type of back-street boozer...

Once in Reading, purely by chance, I walked into a "locals" pub and had a fantastic time visiting with the people there. They even had old Genesis albums on the juke box, allowing me to play things like "The Musical Box" - something I've never been able to do at bars here. The idea of a locals pub is quite appealing to me... is that what's meant by "old-fashioned type of back-street boozer"?

A proper 'local' pub is one where everyone stops talking and stares at you when you walk in!

A proper 'local' pub is one where everyone stops talking and stares at you when you walk in!

That's exactly what happened in Reading!

I am surprised that it should happen like that in Reading (which is only a few miles from me) as I've generally found their pubs to be a little impersonal. Though if you go to smaller towns or villages it is more likely to happen.

The few pubs I've been into in Birmingham have been great and very friendly. And as I've said before, I really LOVE Scruffy Murphy's - though it would not appeal to everyone, being a very loud heavy metal/rock pub. But the atmosphere is fantastic, and although I've only been there once, I knew a lot of people there and met a lot of new folk who made me feel like they'd known me all their lives.