Reading
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Reading is a city in the United Kingdom.
Contents |
Meetings
Not Known
Tips
Avoid the small contingent of beggars on the route from the station to the town centre.
Other useful things:
- Free food doesn't really exist, however, you can get samples from some supermarkets.
- Check out the supermsarkets last thing on a Saturday afternoon (for those not opening on a Sunday. Food is heavily discounted on certain special shelves.
- Reading Station has free wi-fi and around the town centre there are various cafe's.
CouchSurfers
Reading Festival
The Reading Festival, officially called the Carling Weekend, are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events both happen on the bank holiday weekend in August (on Friday, Saturday, Sunday), and share the same bill (usually with one or two exceptions.)
Trivia
- Reading Football Club was promoted to the Premiership for the first time in kits history in 2006. This has transformed the spirit and status of the town and you will inevitably get in to a conversation about footabll with any local.
- The TOWN of Reading has been vying for years to transform itself in to a CITY. Despite many attempts, the lack of a cathedral has stalled Reading at every opportunity.
By night
The cheapest 'happening' no thrills night out to be found in the city centre is either at The Oracle, whereby along the riverside (which runs through it) there are an inordinate number of bars and restaurants. However, the cheapest drinks can be found on a Friday and Saturday night on Friar Street (close to the station), where 'happy hours' still run.
The whole town gets overrun on a Friday and Saturday by the student clubbers, so plan your evening carefully.
For the choicest bars and pubs in the town before you go out, check out the best Reading Pubs guide [1]
There are selection of extremely good restaurants, Carluccios and The Forbury close to the Forbury Gardens and London Street Brasserie close to the Oracle again. If you want any flavour from around the world, stay in town, Indian, Italian, Chinese, Thai - you name it and it exists. However, without a doubt, albeit a bit 'spit and sawdust' the best food, beer and value for money is Sweeney Todd's located off the Butts on Castle Street. They make the pies on site and a good solid English meal with quality pint of beer can be had for a total of about £7 or £8. The Reading Restaurants guide may help with good restaurants within a 2 mile radius of the town centre. [2]
By day
Reading has a great selection of shops in both The Oracle shopping centre or on Broad Street which used to be the old main shopping thoroughfare.
For a free day, check emails at the central library, stroll around the museum, browse the central shops, wander about mile from the town centre and you can stroll or sit on the River thames watching some of the best oarsmen in the country training.
Accomodation
The cheapest hotels are to be found on the outskirts of the town centre. There are two cheaper hotel chains in the town centre, a brand new IBIS hotel on Friar Street and a Travel Inn on the Oxford Road. Other good, but may be cheaper can be found at [3].
As Reading has such a large population of students, your best bet is to make friends with some on either a Friday or Saturday night and purloin a bed from one of them. The University is located no more than 3 miles from the town centre. Or ask nicely to any of the couchsurfers in the town.
