Bristol Journals

A Day Out in Bristol

Best of IgoUgo

A travel journal to Bristol by frangliz

Wagamama, Bristol Photo - Wagamama, Bristol, England

Quote: These are some suggestions for cultural activities, eating out and shopping in Bristol, one of England's largest and most popular cities. (The museum and Arnolfini are in Bristol, England, not Rhode Island.)

11 Photos

Arnolfini

Attraction | "Contemporary Arts in Bristol, England"

Quote:

My second visit to Bristol was on a decidedly damp Saturday afternoon, so we were looking for places to spend some time inside. Having walked down the steep slope of Park Street and not being in any hurry to go back up, I suggested that the Arnolfini arts centre might not be too much further to walk. Situated on Bristol's Harbourside, it is easily reached by walking along the quayside from The Centre. From the south you can get there by crossing the swing bridge on Prince Street. Admission is free, so it is definitely worth a visit if you are interested in the arts.The Arnolfini has no permanent collection of artworks, so exhibitions change from time to time. There is currently (August 200...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on July 31, 2009

Arnolfini
16 Narrow Quay
Bristol, England BS1 4QA
+44 (117) 917-2300

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La Tasca

Restaurant | "Tapas at the Circus"

Quote:

Bristol's new branch of La Tasca is on the top level of the spanking new Glass House at Cabot Circus. Two of us had travelled by train and took about twenty minutes to walk from Temple Meads to Cabot Circus. My younger son lives in Bristol and had been able to get a bus right to the shopping centre. On the ground floor of the Glass House a well-informed lady was giving out maps of the centre and answering visitors' questions, so I took a map. One of my sons went bounding up the staircase but I quickly called him back, as I had spotted an escalator that my knees would find much easier. Later, when we were coming back down, we saw that there was a lift which would obviously be helpful for buggies and wh...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on August 1, 2009

La Tasca
Units SU83a, Glass House, Cabot Circus
Bristol, England BS1 3BX
0845 129 7623

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Wagamama

Restaurant | "Chillies and Chopsticks"

Quote:

One of my sons decided he'd had enough of Southsea and was offered a job in Bristol, so off he went. Having given him three weeks to settle in, I thought it was about time I went for a visit. It's a city I was until now totally unfamiliar with, but it seems to have a lot to offer. After a good walk and a visit to the museum, we were feeling peckish and ready for a sit down. My son suggested Wagamama, having been once before, and I'm usually ready to try a new place. Southsea has nothing in the way of Japanese restaurants and I can't vouch for the authenticity of Wagamama, but at least it was a different experience for me.I wasn't convinced at first that sitting on a wooden bench would be a...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on August 1, 2009

Wagamama
63 Queens Road, Clifton
Bristol, England BS8 1QL
0117 922 1188

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Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery

Attraction | "Excellent Exhibits in Bristol"

Quote:

Having recently visited Portsmouth City Museum and Art Gallery, I was interested to see how its counterpart in Bristol compared. I expected that perhaps it would be a grander affair, and I was right. Whereas Portsmouth concentrates mainly on local history and art, Bristol, whilst giving prominence to local artists and exhibits, has world-class displays in its galleries. The museum is housed in an imposing three-storey Edwardian building; the stairs are not steep and there is a lift to certain areas on the upper floors, but you do have to call an attendant to operate the lift. How easy it is to do this I do not know. However, if you are at all interested in Ancient Egypt you are in for a tr...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on August 8, 2009

Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery
1 Queen's Road
Bristol, England BS8 1RL
+44 117 922 3571

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Cabot Circus

Attraction | "Shopping at the Circus"

Quote:

Cabot Circus, opened in September 2008, is Bristol's largest shopping complex. It has ample car parking space, but is also easily reached by local buses and is only fifteen to twenty minutes' walk from Bristol Temple Meads railway station.

The centrepiece of Cabot Circus is the Glasshouse, a three-storey construction with a partial glass roof that affords both protection and light. The upper levels can be reached by either steps, escalators or a lift. At the time of my visit in November 2008, it was easy to find knowledgeable staff on the groung level handing out plans of Cabot Circus and answering particular questions about the location of individual shops. The House of Fraser department store dominates the Glasshouse, but we found it unbearably hot inside and did not stay for long. Instead we found a table by a window at Costa Coffee, ordered hot drinks and sat and watched shoppers of all ages go by.

Coming out of the Glasshouse and crossing the road, we went in search of the Apple Store in the Friary area. This was chock full of Mac enthusiasts trying out the various products on display, from Macbooks to ipods. My sons wanted to look at headphones on the upper floor, so I left them to it and went to see what else was on offer in the Friary. This was for me by far the most pleasant area of Cabot Circus, with its old church alongside Raymond Blanc's Brasserie Blanc and Carluccio's Italian Restaurant. Opposite these is a row of clothes shops and shoe shops that were mostly beyond my pocket. It seemed hard to believe that we were suffering a credit crunch, although one of my sons pointed out later that there were plenty of people around but not many actually carrying bags. I ventured into Harvey Nichols and noticed that they had a doorman – was this because on opening day one of the doors smashed as a young mother with a buggy was entering?

My sons emerged from Apple without having parted with any cash, telling me that although bigger than the store in West Quay, Southampton, it didn't actually have a wider range of products but merely more of the same. They had also realised that better headphones were available online at a loer price. We headed back to the Glasshouse and visited the Sony store on Level 3, which was almost deserted compared to the crowds in Apple. We were rather intrigued by their e-reader which none of us had seen before, but I'm afraid that here again none of us bought anything.

At this point we were ready for a late lunch and considered Cafe Rouge and La Tasca, both of which have outdoor and indoor seating. There was also the possibility of Yo! Sushi, but menus were not on display in the window, so we plumped for La Tasca. This was mid-afternoon on a Saturday, and the manageress gave the impression that they had been overwhelmed at lunchtime. We were lucky to have a choice of tables.

There are of course toilets in all the eateries, but I hadn't noticed many others around. It was only when we went back down to the lower level that I noticed a separate one there – handy at least for families with young children, or the disabled.

I was looking for an O2 Store, but this turned out from the plan to be in the nearby Broadmead centre, so I went to Carphone Warehouse instead and was assured that even if I bought a phone there and had a problem with it, I could return it to their branch in my home town. I would have liked to visit Broadmead as that is where Waterstone's bookshop is situated. Cabot Circus seems to have everything you could possibly want, except for bookstores. Broadmead is very close by, but we had a train to catch and couldn't spare the extra few minutes.

Whether you're looking for clothes, jewellery, accessories, mobile phones, toys or gifts – in fact anything except books – you will find it at Cabot Circus. There are plenty of places to choose from to rest your weary legs for a while and have a drink or a bite to eat.

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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on August 9, 2009

Cabot Circus
Glass House
Bristol, England