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General Chat => Help! => Topic started by: Conexus on 04 September, 2004, 09:38:49 PM

Title: What's worth doing and going to in Luton
Post by: Conexus on 04 September, 2004, 09:38:49 PM
On the cheap, as I am a poor student, soon to be an even poorer student when I have to start buying all my food et all once term starts.  
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: Bico on 04 September, 2004, 09:55:19 PM
There's a great big road that leads out of Luton - that's quite good.  It was once said that all roads lead to London, but that's not true - all roads lead AWAY from Luton.
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: Pyroxian on 04 September, 2004, 10:15:49 PM
There's a train station and an airport too...

   Steve
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: Quirkafleeg on 04 September, 2004, 11:40:10 PM
Woburn Safari Park's not far away and Whipsnade... and there's Luton Hoo, famed big country house where Four Weddings was shot... I'm sure Luton with have a musuem, like every other town and city in the country. Excited yet?
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: Conexus on 05 September, 2004, 12:28:35 AM
I was thinking more along the pubs and clubs angle...
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: Bico on 05 September, 2004, 12:33:24 AM
If you're in Luton for the weekend, try screaming at the top of your lungs at random passers-by.  Or eating feta cheese from a man's hat.
Or if you're really stuck for something to do in Luton - leave.
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: Goosegash on 05 September, 2004, 03:46:17 AM
Yes, I'd say the best thing to do in Luton is to get away from Luton as fast as you possibly can. And I live there!

The Galaxy Cinema/arcade is alright, and there's a few nice pubs(we used to do The Windmill and The Brache quite a lot), but one too many Yates's Wine Lodges, and the sort of people who frequent Yates's Wine Lodges. Then there's The Hat Factory, our one music/arts venue, although I have to admit I've never been in there. I'm not selling this very well, am I?

If all else fails, you can get to London by train in about 40 minutes.
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: DavidXBrunt on 05 September, 2004, 04:24:35 AM
Luton airport.
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: janus stark on 05 September, 2004, 06:54:06 AM
as ive told you before .
ileft luton at the age of ten.
if you want to know some good sweet shops
or places where girls will show u there knickers .
i might still be able to help.
janus
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: House of Usher on 06 September, 2004, 05:20:29 PM
Luton? Isn't rioting is a favourite pastime there?
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: Wils on 06 September, 2004, 05:54:27 PM
You could wander the streets, bellowing an appaling Lorraine Chase impression at anyone you happen to meet.
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: Dudley on 06 September, 2004, 06:21:01 PM
The definitive guide to Luton

Link: Knowhere

Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: Quirkafleeg on 06 September, 2004, 09:42:47 PM
From Crap Towns:

Crap Town/Village: Luton
Alumni: Pub-singer-got lucky, Paul Young. The poet John Hegley (apparently still in post-Luton recovery).
Amenities: Hookers, drugs

Once home to a thriving hat-making industry, Luton's main asset is now its airport which, given the current popularity of flying, is perhaps not the greatest strong-point to fall back on.

People there still take pride in re-enacting the infamous 70s Lorraine Chase advert (Martini? Bacardi?) where she namechecks the place. Jesus.

This is an archetypal conurbation town with no basic infrastructure or ammenities for culture or entertainment. No sense of history. Nothing to inspire or stimulate, just houses. Everyone is in the same sinking boat and tensions inevitably arise.

Too close to London to warrant building anything approaching what the capital has to offer, yet just far enough to away to offer a sense of other-worldly, neglected isolation, Luton is out there.

The centre is dominated by a crappy - surprise, surprise - Arndale shopping centre and a clutch of generic theme pubs and wrist-slittingly moribund nightclubs which, when I was last there four years ago seemed to be named after piss poor 80's cocktails drinks - Mirage, Manhattan Skyline etc.

There are also plenty of opportunities for fighting - I got in four or five in my three year tenure in Luton, none of which I instigated I should add.

What else?

Nope, sorry that's it.

Ben Myers

NO REDEEMING FEATURES

Dreary, concrete and polluted. A lot of towns/cities have this image but they still have redeeming features eg Birmingham has art galleries, theatres and semi-decent nightclubs. Despite the presence of good F.E. colleges, anyone who's reasonably educated flees this dumping ground as soon as they can.

What a Lutonian really loves the most is agro. You're not normal unless you relish agro. Indeed, one of the most commonly used words is 'attitude'. If you answer a stupid yobbos lager-infuelled question with a polite, intelligent answer you are automatically accused of being stuck-up, even though Luton people think materialistic features such as new cars and tacky modern houses are of great importance.

Once, a large group of scum thought it would be fulfilling to beat up an old man outside a nightclub.

Luton is the only place I know where men will leer at you even if they're accompanied by their girlfriend, who will be meekly accepting.

Abby Jenner
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: House of Usher on 06 September, 2004, 09:45:49 PM
Latest headline on news.bbc.co.uk

Link: 4 more suspect packages recovered in Luton

Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: Art on 06 September, 2004, 09:46:58 PM
I lived in Luton once.

heh heh heh heh...
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: janus stark on 06 September, 2004, 10:09:58 PM
born and bred
in luton,but at least now i understand why every seems to think i have an attitude problem.
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: Art on 06 September, 2004, 10:12:20 PM
I once made a Wolfenstein map based on the Arndale shopping centre. That was quite fun.
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: House of Usher on 09 September, 2004, 05:30:23 PM
*bump*
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: GordonR on 09 September, 2004, 05:37:02 PM
I spent the first night of my honeymoon in Luton Airport.

That was fun.
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: Art on 09 September, 2004, 05:44:18 PM
Trust me, it's better than Luton proper.
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: WoD on 09 September, 2004, 05:44:20 PM
We could get a commemorative blue-plate erected for you Gordon....
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: Matt Timson on 09 September, 2004, 05:44:23 PM
I used to have a friend that moved to Luton.  I didn't visit much.

He eventually moved back to Leicestershire to live with his mum- which although not very cool, was still a lot better than having his own pad* in Luton.





*It was a crappy bedsit that stunk of piss- like most places in Luton.
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: WoD on 09 September, 2004, 05:48:28 PM
Conexus - Have you abandoned all hope yet and started applying to other places of study?
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: Conexus on 09 September, 2004, 05:55:59 PM
No, coz the uni is good, despite it's rep and I'm staying at a halls of residence (A class) and despite the v.strict rules I'm reading now , seem better than staying in Luton proper.
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: WoD on 09 September, 2004, 06:07:45 PM
Halls is a good place to be for the first year - eases you in and gets you a firm party-base.

I wonder how long it will be before someone;

1. Has a toga party
2. Gets locked out of their room naked (this can be added to if you take the handle off the outside of their door during the middle of the night)
3. floods the toilet or bathroom
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: Pyroxian on 09 September, 2004, 06:47:17 PM
Or gets caught taking a piss into the bathtub - happened to a mate of mine...

   Steve
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: Matt Timson on 09 September, 2004, 06:51:11 PM
Stretching clingfilm over the bowl of the bog is always a good one.  In someone else's house, that is.

Of course, such luxuries as clingfilm were rarely wasted so frivolously in any of the student scum pits I ever lived in.
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: Art on 09 September, 2004, 07:13:08 PM
When I lived in Luton I lives in a flat in a small block called "Startpoint" at the top of a hill. Due to its unforgiving and faintly creepy appearance we used to call it either "Starkpoint" or "The Cronenberg Institute". It didn't have any piss soaked mattresses, but it did have the most fantastic mould that would grow out from the permanently damp, badly fitted single glazed windows. Still, at least the aircraft noise wasn't _too_ bad. I used to a company, which has since closed down, which used to supply parts for the Vauxhall car plant, ditto. In the rest of my time I did discover a couple of nice cafes, which have all since closed down as well - are you sensing a theme here?

There was a lot of hanging out with mates, watching bad videos bought from costcutter or the market whilst drinking bad booze (like the "big litre value" sherry that someone brought back form the supermarket one time) but in the moments between that it would occasionally all seem rather grim.
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: GordonR on 09 September, 2004, 08:17:54 PM
"I used to a company, which has since closed down, which used to supply parts for the Vauxhall car plant, ditto. In the rest of my time I did discover a couple of nice cafes, which have all since closed down as well - are you sensing a theme here? "

Yes, you're clearly a jinx on the British economy, and the sooner you emigrate to yankeeland, the better.
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: Byron Virgo on 09 September, 2004, 08:42:32 PM
I think I can possibly top that one.

All of the non-publicly funded businesses I've worked for have either gone bankrupt, closed down or been put under investigation by the governemnt! Added to this, some of the department's I have worked for in the BBC and academic institutions have now been either removed or merged with other departments. AND in the three seperate locations I have lived in teh country (North London, East Anglia and Canterbury) all the local businesses have closed down and been colonised by wine bars, restaurants and (god help us) theme pubs. Plus, every Cafe Rouge that opens within a mile of any location I'm currently living in will close within either a year from it's opening or my moving into the area.

Spooky, no?
Title: Re: What's worth doing and going t...
Post by: Megadeth on 09 September, 2004, 09:17:01 PM
Yes very spooky!

Can you tell me anything good, that you didn't force to close down, in Canterbury? As like a few boarders i'm off to be student scum in a little over a week, argghh!

Still all things considered at least i'm not moving to Luton ;)