Neighborhood 5: Wallsend
This one gets a 'no'. We had read online that it was ‘up and coming’. It may be, but it still has a ways to go. They do have a big Aldis, and the Latin in the metro station (see pictures below) is a nice touch. Evidently it's there as a nod to the history of the town… ‘Wall’s end" meaning the end of Hadrian's Wall. The dumpy pub we stopped in had predictably a lot of drunks and smoke (vaping is big here), but the loud blaring of Disney amusement park tunes was unexpected.
(Latin??)
Neighborhood 6: Heaton (neighborhood in Newcastle)
In complete contrast to Wallsend, Heaton has been one of our favorites so far. It seems like a college student's paradise. Lots of cafes, coffee shops… there was even a bagel place and a vegan restaurant. All sorts of ethnic cuisines with seating outside. Things look nice. It's more urban, but the streets are fairly broad so it doesn't feel overcrowded. The only sketchy thing is the look of the metro station (see below)… in the US we'd never go near anything like that, but it didn't seem to faze the locals, and we didn't get mugged.
(Coffee places AND a vegan restaurant!!)
(Only a little sketchy walking to the Metro)
Next: The Coast along the North Sea!