Sleeds

Leeds. I have a thing about Leeds. I don't like it. Two reasons. The first place I lived in the UK was Sheffield. Sheffield and Leeds aren't that far apart, and have a kind of intra-regional Yorkshire rivalry. I never really understood why Sheffield people hated Leeds so much until I met someone from Leeds on a plane to the US.
"Where do you live?" she said
"Sheffield."
"I live in Leeds. That's in Yorkshire."

That would be a little like someone from Alabama saying to someone from Nashville "I live in Tuscaloosa. That's in the South"

The second reason is that now I live in London. It's practically my duty to exude urban snobbery when visiting those lesser provincial cities.

Leeds styles itself as cosmopolitan, and are oh so proud of their Harvey Nicks (a swanky department store). Well, we have one in London - in fact we have lots of swanky department stores. And anyway, if Leeds is so cosmipolitan - how come almost everyone I meet is white with a Yorkshire accent?

True people are starting to want to live in Leeds city centre and soulless flimsy apartment blocks are rising high.

But even though Leeds is trading on a chic image, they can't seem to get the basics right. The sidewalks are shattered. I tripped twice on the walk to my hotel, and walked over several wobbly, poorly fixed slabs (sidewalks in the UK are laid in segments rather than poured).

In a previous job, I had a consultancy project with a street maintenance service. I know trip hazards. Leeds is rife.
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