Life begins somewhere, so let’s begin this post where it began for me. Bristol. The city, for those who don’t know where it is, will find it nestled in the lower left corner of the British Isles. Its recently been voted the “Best British City to Live in” by the Sunday Times and also a place that claimed the unofficial title of “The happiest UK place to live” but that was back in 2008 (and credibility is all but lost as it appeared in the Sun). Bristol has an identity that is unlike many other major cities across the UK, in that despite being the 10th largest in the country, it has two of the worst football teams. It has a number of landmarks, the most iconic of which is the Clifton Suspension Bridge that spans the Avon gorge and the subject of the vast majority of tourist photos taken in the area. The region has a very well respected music and arts scene. Musical acts such as Massive Attack, Roni Size and Portishead all hail from here, the latter being the name of a local town. The well known graffiti artist, Banksy also learned his craft on the streets of Bristol and there are still many murals attributed to his early work scattered around various neighborhoods, that still exist today. This notoriety may well have influenced the See No Evil project which has helped capture the gritty, underground culture that thrives in the urban areas and truly gives Bristol its character. Having not lived here for many years, its great to be able to think back about where you grew up and be proud to have called it home.
Bristol has been named as the best city in the UK to live in, thanks to its “great shopping, great scenery and great social scene”.