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Bristol

Alternative Bristol

  • by Kiltboy
  • A June 2003 travel journal
  • Last Updated: July 10, 2003
Journal Usefulness Rating 3 out of 5
Journal Usefulness
3
Reviews

If the southwest of England is its California, then Bristol is its San Francisco. But unlike San Francisco, Bristol doesn't make a great effort to capitalize on its alternative scene, which makes straying off the beaten track all the more exciting and worthwhile.

Alternative Bristol

Overview

The best part of a visit to Bristol will always come as a surprise, whether that means stumbling on a quaint piece of architecture or seeing a great band at a great venue.

Quick Tips:

Talk to the locals. They won't bite and they can (if you talk to the right ones) tell you about the latest shops, bars and clubs.

Best Way To Get Around:

Most of Bristol is walkable, although hilly and disorienting. Taxis between central venues only cost a few dollars. The most useful buses are the 8 and 9, which run from the railway station, through town and up to high-class Clifton.

Close

Greenleaf Bookshop Cooperative Ltd

Activity

Greenleaf Bookshop

Greenleaf is much more than a bookshop. It's a central point of contact for the alternative political scene in Bristol, helping circulate petitions and sell bus tickets for demonstrations. Its doorway is plastered with flyers for up-coming events, both political and cultural. But its selection of fiction and non-fiction, for adults and children is also a concise reading list for everything counter-cultural.
  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by Kiltboy on July 10, 2003

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Greenleaf Bookshop Cooperative Ltd
82 Colston Street Bristol, England BS1 5BB
(0117) 921-1369

BS9

Activity

BS9

For a hipster's clothing heaven, BS9 is unusually situated right on the beaten track. Park Street is the hill that connects College Green (library, cathedral, and city hall) to the university.

BS9 is a single shop occupied by a handful of ambitious young traders, with a variety of alternative brands, retro styles, clubbers' gear, and funky shoes.

  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by Kiltboy on July 10, 2003

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BS9
Park Street Bristol, England

Highbury Vaults

Activity

Highbury Vaults

Bars with olde worlde charm and/or character are common in Bristol, but the Highbury Vaults achieves this with aplomb. They will sell you lager but consider it inferior to the locally brewed bitter. Smiles and Youngs beers, which are the usual fare, have strong, old fashioned flavors, while the popularity of the guest beers ensures their freshness.

The food is good too, but it's easy to forget to eat once you've sampled a handful of robust English bitters.

  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by Kiltboy on July 10, 2003

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Highbury Vaults
164 St Michael's Hill Bristol, England BS2 8DE
(0117) 973-3203

About the Writer

Kiltboy
Kiltboy
New York, United States
  • "Politics and journalism has taken me all over Europe, and parts of New Jersey."
  • 1 journal
  • 0 photos
  • 3 reviews

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