I've been to Leeds a couple of times now. It's nice and close so it is really good for a day trip. It's just a short train ride away (and I do mean short, as it's only 20 minutes!). There is also a bus, but as I understand it the bus takes longer. I haven't yet taken the bus although I think that I should considering I can do so using my pass without having to pay the extra 4.30. I like the train though. Perhaps I need to force myself to be cheaper though.
I've been to Leeds now on my own, with another Canadian teacher and with my department. The trip with my department was quite interesting as it was right at the beginning of the break and everyone needed to blow off some steam. It really made e see that people are very different just depending on the context in which they are in, as well as how certain actions here are seen in a very different light.
My other two trips were far more eventful and full of sights. Where to start with describing is really the question. When I went to Leeds the first time I really had no idea what I was after other than a bit of shopping and some sort of sights. I was talking with a woman before I left for Leeds that I met waiting in line to pay for something. She told me that I had to go to the Corn Exchange, the art gallery and a gallery that has art exhibits but is NOT the art gallery.
This is the Corn Exchange.I must say, on my first trip I didn't make it to the Corn Exchange at all. I did on my second trip, but I was there before the shops inside of it opened. So I made due with peaking through the windows of all the little shops. It's a lot of just gift shops. Many of them sold little knicknacks and such that a lot of people give as gifts. You know, the quaint stuff that everyone 'oohs' and 'ahhs' about but no one really wants sitting in their house because it's just one more thing for them to have to dust when they're cleaning. There were a few fashion stores. One of the stores looked very much like it was a cross between a studio and a shop for a local designer. There were a great number of different textiles in the shop that had a variety of colours and textures. It really reminded me of Joyce Seppula's shop in Thunder Bay.
I did make it to the Art Gallery. I've been there twice now. There is a variety of art from different periods of history in the gallery in Leeds. I have to say it was quite interesting because I saw one or two pieces that I remember reading about when I took first year Art History in university. Even for the pieces that I didn't already know it was quite something to be face to face with art that you don't find as much in North America. Now before I bore you with jibber jabber about old art there was an assortment of modern and contemporary art as well. I don't know how to describe it, and I didn't take photos so really all I can say is that what I viewed was unique and interesting.
I also went to see an exhibit by Sarah Lucas in the Henry Moore Institute. This is the gallery beside the Art Gallery. I was there the last weekend of the exhibit. From what I understand about this artist is her work is largely feminist. This particular exhibit (Ordinary Things) was made up of tree knobs painted white to emphasize the phallic nature of them and pantihose stuffed with cotton wool and then twisted and arranged into different shapes. For the most part I thought the way in which the pantihose was contorted and arranged gave the exhibit an undertone of violence. There was one particular piece that really sticks out in my mind from this exhibit. This one you see right when you enter into the gallery. It was a mattress with everyday objects arranged on it to represent a man and a woman. Here is a photo of it that I found on the internet. This is exactly what visitors to the exhibit faced right when they walked into the gallery.
In addition to the art and my random wanderings during that particular trip I did some shopping. I walked around the pedestrian only areas of Leeds where there is a decent variety of shops. There is Marks and Spencers which began in Leeds. There is an H&M (I got a sweater there this weekend), and a whole array of shops that I have never heard of before coming to the UK. There is Next, Dorothy Perkins, Topman/TopShop, Harvey Nichols (which I am told is incredibly famous). I went into the Harvey Nichols. The clothing looks nice enough but let me tell you from experience that it is all high ed designers that design their clothing only for those women who have absolutely no figure. It's funny too because all of the clothing is designed for one body type (the stick) and yet the prices are such that it seems like it is impossible for them to make any money. Of course the price tag is exactly why they still make money I'm sure. I will say, as terrible as I found the pants (trousers) I did like the Jimmy Choo shoes that I tried on. Heaven! And no, I didn't have a mental lapse and buy them.
I also visited the shopping arcades which are divided up into different quarters. The one that is listed on the tourism websites and such is the Victorian Quarter. This one is listed for it's popular shopping as well as the architecture.
Below is a street shot of a building that I liked the look of.
Here is one of the city buildings. This is right next door to the Leeds Library and Art Gallery. I thought that it was City Hall, but when I was in Leeds the second time around I found that there is another city hall. So on that particular point I am a little bit confused. No matter, here is what I do know about this building...
Above the entrance to the building there is a collection of figures that really reminded me of the tops of Greek and Roman temples and buildings. The stone work that can be found on the building in Yorkshire is really amazing compared to what little that is seen in Canada. Really, I have quite enjoyed it.
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