I love moaning and the colour grey, I also love people who deny and/or question religion and its merits and cultures that are backward.
I love those people.
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I walked through the Derby Road area on Saturday and the streets are covered in litter and there is broken furniture everywhere, so the city could do with a frigging good clean up.
That said, the people were really friendly and several motorists who realised I was walking to the game, wound down their windows and asked me if I was up for some action.
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Its a shithole, Iāve always said this to be fair about parts of Liverpool, if there was such pride why are some parts of it home to dog shit and broken glass?
Civic pride?
Like bollocks.
Barryās had a tough weekend. I recognise the two-day hangover malaise that heās suffering at the moment, everything seems hopeless and pointless. Get back on it Baz, I look forward to your usual Thursday afternoon nonsensical rant.
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I bet we donāt have to wait until Thursdayā¦
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So, getting back to the **actual ** topicā¦
I very much like the _setting _of Watermark (for thatās what āthe new West Quay bitā is called).
Rather than dominating the old walls, theyāre very much respected. A focal point, even. I think that aspectās really helped by leaving a lot of space between them and Watermark, rather than ramming them in your face and saying āEre, 'ave summa this cultureā. That once-derelict strip of land between John Lewis/M&S and The Quays swimming pool is now a pretty stunning communal area (especially at night) - and has already hosted some neat events, including temporary art installations.
But in terms of the nightlifeā¦ Well, Iāve found the bars to be generic fayre. The sort of places that are either slightly higher-class chain venues, or so bland and soulless that youād have difficulty telling the difference. Over-priced, generic booze. Queues for no good reason. Caught in that annoying halfway-house between bar and club that means you can neither have a decent conversation, nor just get ratted and dance.
All being said, I havenāt had chance to sample any of the (dedicated) restaurants yet, so perhaps those are better. Also from my one visit to the cinema, I thought that was kick-ass. By local Odeon and Cineworld standards, itās akin to a comfy movieplex from the distant future (though realistically is probably just and up-to-date example). Itāll surely hasten the death of Leisure World.
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Pre-empting the stock response to my post - though Watermark aināt the promised land, there really are a raft of decent pubs and bars in Southampton.
Iām more than happy for that statement to be dismissed out of hand. Helps keep the rabble out.
The lads I was with last weekend go local and with the money they save do a big beano or an actual City with a good few boozers in it, for a City its size its crap, it should be shamed into doing something for tourists and residents, what does it offer for a night out?
Large music venue?
Top quality restaurants?
Pub walk or area of loads of boozers?
Cultural area?
Come to Southampton, its shite.
Residents celebrating the fact an Ikea was in the City centre tells you all you need to know.
Well for music venues youāve got:
**Large (1500+) - **Guildhall, SMS (albeit infrequent)
**Medium (750+) - **Engine Rooms, Talking Heads, The 1865
**Small - ** The Brook, The Joiners, Firehouse, The Hobbit, Garden Court (Southampton Uni), The Stage Door
Iāve had fucking brilliant nights at every single one of those venues. Most, many a time.
Decent boozers in range of each other? The Bookshop Alehouse, The Guide Dog, The Rockstone, The Alex, London Road Brewhouse, The Cricketers, Brewdog, Belgium & Blues. Mix and match any of the above (or brave that as a crawl) and I defy you to not have a quality night.
Iām just not sure what more youāre after from an area thatās relatively newly into its era as a city. And it is developing at last. Unfortunately progress was somewhat shackled to the fact that too many buildings were thrown up (and too much infrastructure defined) without due care and attention after the War. Yes, it has taken too long to attempt to unpick that mess but it is finally starting to happen.
Weāve got culture coming out of our arseholes in the Town Quay area. One of the greenest city centres youāll see. New Forest on the doorstep (which is a whole beast of its own to tackle, both in terms of history, culture and activities).
Again, feel free to ignore all of this. Iām obviously mistaken and have the worst time living here.
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Thereās also the small matter of the fucking massive redevelopment around Mayflower Park.
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Iād get that seen to.
Are you taking the piss?
Code for empty flats, tax dodging bars closing and opening and shops that do likewise.
Youāve named 10 boozers, spread so far apart Tenzing Norgay wouldnāt attempt the trekā¦
What is there to do?
By music venues I meant large ones, MEN, echo arena up here, what has Southampton got apart from a lack of aspiration?
Landmarks?
Skidmarks more like.
Transport?
Shite.
I think Barry has set his heart on having a shit night out and wherever you offer to take him and whatever fun you propose, Iām pretty sure that he will revel in hating it.
_Yeah, after seeing us beat Liverpool 5-0 we did get to hang out with Oasis after their surprise farewell gig supporting AC/DCās classic line-up at The Joiners - and I did get to shag two members of The Saturdays on the QE2 during the firework display after the Red Arrows went over - but the poor layout of the flower beds in Hoglands Park ruined the whole fucking day for me. 
_
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If you take off The Bookshop, thereās 15 mins between the lot of them. Take off B&B (still leaving a solid half a dozen excellent pubs), and itās a 10 minute walk, end-to-end. Where Iām from, if you canāt stroll that far that counts as pretty fucking lazy.
I also glossed over the fact that weāve got the best selection of small eclectic pubs for bloody miles around. The Butcherās Hook in Bitterne. Olafās Tun just across The Itchen Bridge. Caskaway on Oxford Street. And thatās without mentioning more traditional joints like The South Western Arms, The Platform Tavern, The Dancing Man (a micro-brewery set in a stunning site of a 14th-century woolhouse). Also ignoring the Unity brewery in Portswood (complete with taproom); a brewery thatās turning out the best Belgian-style ales in the country right now. And the new Tap It Brewing Co brewery/taproom just around the corner from SMS. Their own bar is opening on Oxford Street soon.
No decent drinking venues? No worthy areas? Get tae fuck.
I have zero idea where youād propose fitting an arena music venue in Southampton - and quite frankly thereās fuck-all cities that can claim to have one. In fact Iāve counted: thereās seven. Unless you want an out-of-town MK Bowl affair, it aināt gonna happen.
In terms of transport, again, I have literally no idea what else you propose. Thereās an extensive, regular-running urban bus network, and I can get from Ashurst to Southampton Central in the space of 10 minutes by train. The council does have a bit of a traffic-light fetish, sure. Though travelling through any city by car at peak times is a ballache these days and avoided by anyone with sense.
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The echo arena in Liverpool seems to do ok?
MEN in Manchester?
Transport is bollocks, trams? Metro?
Focal tourist points?
What do we have that shows off our waterfront?
Where do you guys see us compared to Brighton, pom*ey and Bournemouth? Its embarrassing. We could always enter crap towns again and win it?
FFS here we go againā¦Whereās our Spinaker Fuckinā Tower. 
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