I’m not a pensioned-off banker you know. Will I fit in?
Sure, why not? Some of the residents are swanky, some less so. It’s a pretty cool mix really. It’s maybe out of most students’ reach, but it’s not all as spendy as you might think.
Does it have location, location, location, like on the telly?
Nowhere better. You’re literally a stone’s throw from the beach (don’t try it, you might kill a kid or something), and the other side is Western Road, which is packed with ace shops, bars and restaurants.
So if you were taking me there, where would we go?
Well, we might start off with drinks. We could choose from The Bow Street Runner, that’s our favourite round there, a proper pub’s pub, or else The Bee’s Mouth – they have bands, DJs and open mic nights. The Lion And Lobster’s a good one as well.
And then? I’m kind of hungry now.
Well Western Road has pretty much everything of course, from McDonalds upwards. But if we wanted to impress you we might try El Mexico Way – the only proper Mexican eatery we can think of in town. Kambi’s is a fantastic Lebanese place, and if we were just snuggling on the sofa then Pronto Pizza is a proper Italian joint.
OK, how about the vibe of the area? It still feels a bit stuck up to me.
It so isn’t. Every year the Brunswick Festival camps out on the massive lawn in the middle of the square. There’s a real community atmosphere and pride here, everyone seems to be on the same page regardless of their background or income.
How about the actual houses?
Most are divided into flats, but they’re solid and stylish and spacious on the whole. Packed with period detail like ornate stairs and old lifts, they’re a cut about your average house conversion.
Go on, tell me something bad about it.
The only thing we can think of is that the lawns get very popular in the summer, the community spirit spreads far and wide and we want to keep it for ourselves. But really, that’s just another indicator of how cool it is here.