| | | Birmingham city centre has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past decade. |
| Gone are many of the concrete walkways and ugly buildings which dominated the city and in their place are luxury canalside apartments, trendy bars, restaurants and loads of shops. |
| The city, which incredibly, started off as nothing more than a large village, grew massively during the 18th and 19th century and a huge network of canals helped transport the coal and iron which made Birmingham an important commercial centre. |
| Also an area known for jewellery making, today you can easily while away the hours wandering round the Jewellery Quarter, still home to hundreds of craftsmen and women and various museums which chart the history of the area. |
| One of Birmingham's biggest eyesores is no more. The notoriously grim looking Bullring Shopping Centre (built in the 1960s) has been demolished and in its place is an ambitious re-development, which should be a major addition to the city, boasting flagship department stores, bars, restaurants and putting a real heart back into the city. |
| For an unusual view of Britain's second largest city, take a wander through the re-development of the Post Office sorting office - aptly called The Mailbox - and now a mix of top designer shops including Harvey Nichols, penthouse apartments and trendy bars and restaurants. Out the other side you can walk right onto the canalside and judge for yourself whether Birmingham really does have more canals than Venice. |
| The canals have been thoughfully restored, with a mix of canalside partments, bars and restaurants living alongside the increasing numbers of narrowboat owners. |
| The heart of the city is in Centenary Square, where there's an interesting mix of the old (like the war memorial) and the new (statues which have opinions divided). Here you'll find some of the city's major arts venues, like the National Indoor Arena, the International Convention Centre and the Alexandra Theatre. |
| But also take time to stop in nearby Victoria Square, where you'll encounter Birmingham's very own "Floosie in the Jacuzzi" fountain statue and the impressive city museum as well as the town hall. |
| Birmingham's re-birth has been something of a revelation, not just for visitors but for locals (known as Brummies) too. |
| But still dominating the skyline is junction six of the M6 - the notorious Spaghetti Junction - which confuses even Brummies. |
| After hosting prestigious events like the G8 summit but just missing out on bringing the National football stadium to the city, Birmingham is now making a concerted effort to win the coveted European City of Culture title for 2008. |
| Given the transformation in this lively city, anything is possible. |
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Forthcoming events for West Midlands | | August 21st, 2008
Kasabian at Wolverhampton Civic Hall |  | | October 15th, 2008
Elbow at Wolverhampton Civic Hall | | | November 3rd, 2008
Motorhead at Wolverhampton Civic Hall | | | November 10th, 2008
The Feeling at Wolverhampton Civic Hall | | | November 30th, 2008
Russell Howard at Warwick Arts Centre |
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Full list... |
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