h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Somewhere else in hootoo, BigAl has just reminded me of the Bristol Camera Obscura, which is very handy to the Suspension Bridge. It is another possible 'What to see' I hope it is still open?

I dont think it's open for more than a day or two a year, I used to love it I'll have a look. Wonder if the caves are open at this time of year as well? Unless they've closed them, too... I'll have a look over the weekend

*poke*

Did you manage to find out?

*eep*

No! I didn't! Thank you for reminding me

I have found a decent pub that's won Camra awards and has something like 12 or 13 guest ales and around 7 guest ciders at any time...

Not as pretty as the centre/docks/gorge up there but it's nice enough and the pub looks good.

It's called the Inn on the Green if anyone wants to look it up and see what they think... It's in Horfield/Horfield Common.

Woah. That should keep any h2g2 fan happy.

We can hope!

In January I'll up the intensity a bit, find out who's actually coming and what they want to do

Beer In The Evening has this to say:

http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/10/10314/Inn_On_The_Green/Horfield

In summary, it used to be very good but the more recent reviews are that it's slipping - the last post was March 2009.

Ah, that's a shame, I know they did it all up reasonably recently.

I think it's probably the closest we've got to a proper ale pub. Well, unless we fancy a dodgy tiny back street sawdust dive that specialises in something grainy and smelly that *they* call ale.

Which you lot will probably love

I'll take suggestions on venue!!!

Right,

Seems the Camera Obscura may well be open, and that means the caves might be too, i'll check in person at some point soon.

And we are going to do a pudding run at some point, I think, so at least one drinking establlishment must serve desserts...

Whether we eat them or throw them at one another will depend on the quality of the food I'm guessing

You can throw as many as you like at rollie pollie ol' me and , my favourite things in life, because I am not pious. Bring on the cake and ale, just in case I had to spell it out, I too cryptic even for me sometimes

BTW, knowing some of the clientele I have from Bristol, will there be a requirement to "Tool up" Just checking the dress codes

in february i will definitely be wearing something, whether i will be in bristol or not

We'll be ok, we're not going to Kingswood or anything

[BB]

Just leaving a marker in case I'm not working that weekend

Well, I've written the date in my diary, and I'm thinking of hotels and such. Is there anywhere that you could recommend, Robyn?

hm, sort of depends on whether you want to stay in a nice hotel or a cheap travel lodge type place, and whether you'll need parking... I've not stayed in many hotels here, though I'v been inside a couple. There's a big people-filing cabinet right next to the bus station in the centre, but there's some gorgeous old hotels up in the clifton area, like the Avon Gorge Hotel, or the Thistle is lovely apparently. Very old and grand looking, which is up in the old section of the town centre by St Nick's Market, with Nicholas street with it's old bronze Nails still standing set into the floor, gorgeous old architecture etc.

Hm...

Yes, I'll need to know what you want!

Oh, cheap travel lodge types, no parking (because that would mean I'd have to drive). I don't know Bristol at all, so I have no idea where we are going, but somewhere close to that would be useful. I'll be coming by train, most probably.

Well, the centre's not that big. Right, There's dozens of travel lodgy places by the train station, most of which are reduced at weekends (commuter hotels...) and it's all a five minute walk from the centre, where you can get an over-inflated fare on the bus up to Clifton pretty easily. And you'll walk over Bristol Bridge, by the dockside and around the old parts of the centre to get to the bus stops too... And a nice jazz pub called the Old Duke too, near bristol's Old Vic theatre.

Sounds like I should arrange to meet a few people in town, show them around a bit and then we could maybe meet up with latecomers in clifton for the drinking and gentle strolls on the downs/near the gorge to look at or walk over the suspension bridge depending on people's head for heights

It's weird how proud I am of living here. I'm not even a native but I love it here.

That's because it is a city to be proud of living in. It was one of my worst decisions in life to sell my house there and move away