Originally Posted by
bedasaka
If you want the UK experience stay in London, it isn't as big as it seems, and you could always stick to a neighbourhood, which has it's own neighbourhood bars, like Hampstead, Clapham, Vauxhall.
Agree with this. If you've only been to touristy / West End spots, then you've experienced something very different from living in a neighbourhood...so I'd also ecommend London, and Clapham seems a good fit.
However, I lived in Birmingham for 2 years as a 24 yr old Aussie and really enjoyed it. I know that sounds horrific to some, but I lived in the center of town in a cool building (the Mailbox) and with the whole canal redevelopment and up-and-coming restaurants, I really enjoyed it. It's even further updated these days. The gay scene was small, tragic-at-times (but aren't they all?), yet friendly. I found I could hang out and see familiar faces if I wanted a quieter weekend, or jump on the train and be in London in 90 mins if I really wanted to go out. B'ham prices were cheap and allowed me to save. BHX has okay European destinations too, if you are looking for that.
So Birmingham would be my second pick.
