Situated in the "industrial midlands," Birmingham might not be a tourist destination, but it's not half-bad once you get used to it.

I spent about a month or so living in Birmingham, and although it's not the most beautiful or exciting place in England, it does have a few things going for it.

First, there is a sizable Indian population, which makes for some exceedingly good cuisine opportunities. Indian restaurants seemed like they were everywhere, and I don't think I ever ate a bad meal there. I particularly recommend the "balti" -- which appears to be a regional specialty, as I've yet to find any place that serves it here in the US. Put simply, Balti is the Indian version of a wok; it's a smallish steel or iron bowl, in which the food is cooked *and* served. I was especially impressed by the various forms of Vindaloo served in Birmingham; in my (somewhat limited) experience, they were better than those I found in London, or so far in the US. Watch your hands though, the bowls can be insanely hot (fresh off the fire).

Second, downtown Birmingham is largely inoffensive, and has a reasonably nice central district. There's a large open market that was pretty enjoyable on the weekend, and the central district has a selection of upscale shops in nice buildings.

Third, Birmingham is centrally-located, so it's got fairly good access to most of Britain. The rail links were good, and the Birmingham rail station wasn't intimidatingly vast, as the London stations can be. The easy access to express trains makes it feasible to hit London for a day trip, although a weekend might be more appropriate. Unless things have changed, an express train from Birmingham to London will end up at Euston station.

All in all, I wouldn't try to avoid Birmingham if you're on your way through England. It certainly won't grip you, and if you just pass through you'll probably have an unduly negative opinion of the place -- but give it a chance.

It may not be a destination unto itself, but it's not a place to be avoided either, and you can have fun here. I did.



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