Which self-catering flat in York, UK?

August 27, 2008 1:20 PM

Colleague and I are staying in York, UK for a week in October. Help us decide which flat we should rent. One is at 16 Park Crescent, just off Monkgate. The other is in a converted warehouse on Peter Lane, near High Ousegate. We want good pubs and walks nearby, and we value quiet and safety.

More info: 16 Park Crescent is a Victorian rowhouse; the Peter Lane place (called Peter Warehouse Apartments) is comparable in size, but in a converted warehouse. Both offer similar amenities in the flat, and both are about the same price. We don't have a car, so parking isn't an issue. I'm more concerned about the amenities in the area, and the general atmosphere. We have both visited York several times, and love it. Thank you in advance!

posted by infodiva to Travel & Transportation around York, England (8 answers total)

Best answer: York is a tiny, tiny city, you can get to almost any part of it from almost any other in ten or twenty minutes. Either of those places would be fine in terms of pubs (one for every day of the year) and walks.

My choice would be Peter Lane, because that's the side of town I know best (I went to the university, and used to live on Heslington Road), and it's closer to the centre of town (especially Parliament Square where the shops - eg M&S - are).

The only question would be are you going to be there in Fresher's Week, when groups of impressionable eighteen-year-olds are dragged round the pubs of York, in which case I would go for the Park Crescent flat, because it'll be quieter there than the centre. Term starts on October 13th this year.
posted by featherboa at 2:45 PM on August 27, 2008

Response by poster: Freshers' Week; I hadn't thought of that. Luckily, we're leaving on Oct 11 for Scotland.

Thanks for the suggestion - and, do you like any particular pub or restaurant? :)
posted by infodiva at 3:00 PM on August 27, 2008

Best answer: York is so small that I'd argue the opposite to featherboa, actually — no need to take a flat right in the centre, where it might be noisy at night, when the "non-central" flat is only 5-10 minutes' walk from Monk Bar, the Minster, and everything else.

The York Brewery pubs are excellent.
posted by game warden to the events rhino at 3:16 PM on August 27, 2008

I second game warden - I used to live on Low Ousegate in the centre of York, and it gets noisy with rowdy revellers until the early hours. For reasons I have never quite figured out, there was a point during 2003 when I would hear DJ Otzi's "Hey Baby" chanted loudly, and drunkenly, outside my window for every night of the week for two to three months. Get the less central one, you can get to anywhere in York quickly enough that centrality is a non-issue.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 3:43 PM on August 27, 2008 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Assuming it's there and open, try The King's Arms. It's beautifully situated on the Ouse adjoining one of the bridges, and it known as "the pub that floods" (or the poob that floodes, depending on your accent.) You can see an entire history of high water marks inside and they pull a very decent pint indeed.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:45 PM on August 27, 2008

Response by poster: Thanks for the info all, I really appreciate it. I'll pass this on to my colleague. Quiet would be good - she's going to be setting up a museum exhibit at St Anthony's Hall, while I visit with a museum friend. We'll not be out drinking till late, more than likely :)

I loved the link to the York Brewery; one o my favorite things about England is being able to get real bitter. Mmmm...
posted by infodiva at 7:06 PM on August 27, 2008

I third the "not quite in the centre" place. York is tiny. And it's also flat, so you can if you wish get everywhere by bicycle in nanoseconds, so you might want to consider hiring one.

As for pubs, I am a big fan of the Blue Bell which is tiny and (last time I was in) hadn't been decorated since 1923 or something similar. But there are hundreds of pubs in York, and they're generally not bad if you stay away from the student dives.
posted by handee at 11:37 PM on August 27, 2008

Response by poster: The Blue Bell sounds like my kind of place. And, it seems to be just around the corner from either flat. Of course, from the way y'all are describing it, everything is just around the corner from everything else, given York's size :) I'm really looking forward to the trip.
posted by infodiva at 7:18 AM on August 28, 2008