Live it, Love it
Leeds has acquired a snappy new slogan, which will of course enhance the quality of life for all those who live here.
Leeds
Live it
Love it
In the olden days Leeds didn't need a slogan, oh no. It was a big smoky place full of lots of Victorian terraces and it knew what it liked and it didn't like anything that could remotely be classed as Culture: that was for soft Southerners.
Gradually the smoking chimneys were done away with and Leeds started to reinvent itself with the first slogan that I remember:
LEEDS - MOTORWAY CITY OF THE SEVENTIES
That was presumably because the M1 reached all the way to Leeds - amazing! Those from the South could actually visit.
Then, in the eighties, came the more nebulous:
LEEDS LEADS
It didn't of course, it never has done. It is cautious. It thought about having a modern tram network and then decided that waiting half an hour for a bus in the rain was infinitely preferable, because we are Northern and we are Tough.
But, of recent years, Leeds has tried to transform itself into a European City, mostly by adding pavement cafes and posh shops. Harvey Nichols is always quoted as a sign of Leeds as the new Paris or similar. (No, I have never set foot in it and I don't even know where it is, as those who read my previous post about posh clothes will guess).
None of these slogans is much use, really.
Here's mine: LEEDS - The people are friendly it's quite hilly so not as good for bikes as Cardiff or Norwich but on the other hand you get good views there are lots of parks lots of interesting old stone buildings the art gallery's worth a visit did I mention the parks the West Yorkshire Playhouse can be good but I find the seats uncomfortable haven't been to the Grand Theatre since it reopened oh yes lots of clubs if you like that sort of thing classical concerts in the Town Hall lots of societies doing all sorts of stuff and it's near to the Dales which are bloody gorgeous parking can be quite expensive but the traffic's not as bad as Bradford you can get out into the countryside very quickly it doesn't straggle out for miles like Manchester housing much more expensive than it used to be but not bad compared to some places the water used to be soft but is now harder I notice they've just demolished the Olympic Swimming Pool which I really used to like and it's time they built another open-air pool there are two big universities and lots of things for students to do some good cafes which I like and some very posh restaurants don't know what they're like a couple of good hospitals quite a lot of crime just like any big city I suppose and you can get to just about anywhere in the British Isles without too long a journey because geographically it's about in the middle in fact the main drawback is it doesn't have a seaside.
Okay, I'll condense it a bit:
LEEDS - EVERYTHING EXCEPT A SEASIDE.
Leeds
Live it
Love it
In the olden days Leeds didn't need a slogan, oh no. It was a big smoky place full of lots of Victorian terraces and it knew what it liked and it didn't like anything that could remotely be classed as Culture: that was for soft Southerners.
Gradually the smoking chimneys were done away with and Leeds started to reinvent itself with the first slogan that I remember:
LEEDS - MOTORWAY CITY OF THE SEVENTIES
That was presumably because the M1 reached all the way to Leeds - amazing! Those from the South could actually visit.
Then, in the eighties, came the more nebulous:
LEEDS LEADS
It didn't of course, it never has done. It is cautious. It thought about having a modern tram network and then decided that waiting half an hour for a bus in the rain was infinitely preferable, because we are Northern and we are Tough.
But, of recent years, Leeds has tried to transform itself into a European City, mostly by adding pavement cafes and posh shops. Harvey Nichols is always quoted as a sign of Leeds as the new Paris or similar. (No, I have never set foot in it and I don't even know where it is, as those who read my previous post about posh clothes will guess).
None of these slogans is much use, really.
Here's mine: LEEDS - The people are friendly it's quite hilly so not as good for bikes as Cardiff or Norwich but on the other hand you get good views there are lots of parks lots of interesting old stone buildings the art gallery's worth a visit did I mention the parks the West Yorkshire Playhouse can be good but I find the seats uncomfortable haven't been to the Grand Theatre since it reopened oh yes lots of clubs if you like that sort of thing classical concerts in the Town Hall lots of societies doing all sorts of stuff and it's near to the Dales which are bloody gorgeous parking can be quite expensive but the traffic's not as bad as Bradford you can get out into the countryside very quickly it doesn't straggle out for miles like Manchester housing much more expensive than it used to be but not bad compared to some places the water used to be soft but is now harder I notice they've just demolished the Olympic Swimming Pool which I really used to like and it's time they built another open-air pool there are two big universities and lots of things for students to do some good cafes which I like and some very posh restaurants don't know what they're like a couple of good hospitals quite a lot of crime just like any big city I suppose and you can get to just about anywhere in the British Isles without too long a journey because geographically it's about in the middle in fact the main drawback is it doesn't have a seaside.
Okay, I'll condense it a bit:
LEEDS - EVERYTHING EXCEPT A SEASIDE.
posted by Daphne at 10:13 pm
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